Complex Aortic Surgery
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this show Our first episode follows the story
of Doug Wray, a seemingly healthy 50 year-old
father of three. Had it not been for tests taken
during a routine physical, Doug would have never
known that his heart's main artery, called the
aorta, had enlarged to twice its normal size.
This condition is known as an aortic aneurysm
and causes the aorta's wall to become weak and
over time, may fill with blood and rupture, causing
anything from a stroke to instant death.
To complicate matters, Doug was also born with
an abnormal heart valve, which left untreated,
could lead to heart failure. Because of the severity
and complexity of his case, Doug has turned to
the Penn Cardiac Care team at the Hospital of
the University of Pennsylvania to undergo a groundbreaking
surgery, in which the surgical team will take
him to the brink of death in order to save his
life.
Although aortic aneurysms are a condition that
few people know about, they claim the lives of
thousands of people each year. Robert Smith knows
first-hand how scary and serious this condition
is. Like Doug, Robert also has an aortic aneurysm,
but due to his age he was not a candidate for
the open-heart procedure. However, the Hospital
of the University of Pennsylvania offered him
another option.
As part of a clinical trial, doctors were able
to perform a minimally invasive procedure in which
a catheter is inserted into the vein in the groin
and a stent graft (similar to the stents that
are placed in the arteries of the heart to keep
them open) is delivered up through the catheter
and into the aneurysm. Tune in to the show to
see how these procedures are performed and the
results of this amazing technology.
Originally aired February 2004.
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