Broadcast:
Endovascular Repair Of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Heart Disease: Join physicians from Tampa General Hospital as they present an endovascular repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Endovascular repair has revolutionized treatment of AAA. Benefits include reduced mobidity and mortality rates and decreased length of stay. It is considered the first line of treatment for AAA.

An aortic aneurysm is an abnormal bulge in the wall of the aorta, the body's largest artery. This artery extends from the heart down through the chest and abdominal region, where it divides into a blood vessel that supplies each leg. If an aortic aneurysm ruptures it can cause life-threatening internal bleeding.

The risk of an aneurysm rupturing increases as the aneurysm gets larger and also depends on the location of the aneurysm. Approximately 15,000 Americans die each year of a ruptured aortic aneurysm. Albert Einstein, Conway Twitty and Lucille Ball are among those who have died from ruptured aortic aneurysms.

During this procedure, Dr. Bruce Zwiebel, an interventional radiologist with Radiology Associates of Tampa and associate professor of Radiology and Surgery at the University of South Florida College of Medicine, places two small incisions into the patient's groin area, inserts a graft inside the aortic artery and repairs the aneurysm. This procedure is much different than the widely used method in which surgeons cut the entire abdomen.

Patients who once had to remain hospitalized for seven days and faced three months of recovery can now leave in two or three days with a seven day recovery period. Dr. Brad Johnson, a vascular surgeon at Tampa General Hospital and an associate professor at the University of South Florida College of Medicine will provide commentary and answer email questions from viewers during the procedure.

"Aneurysms in the belly are more commonly seen in older men," said Dr. Johnson. "The problem with aneurysms is patients don't realize they have a problem and they wonder why they have to have this fixed. We have to explain to them that they are at great risk for rupturing and dying."

During this procedure, Dr. Zwiebel literally rebuilds the damaged aorta from the inside. He runs a graft up the patient's right femoral artery to the location of the abnormal aorta. The graft is attached to the healthy blood vessel, slipped down the abnormal section and set in the proper position.

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