The CAMC vascular surgery team performed the first commercial non-trial site GORE® EXCLUDER® Thoracoabdominal Branch Endoprosthesis (TAMBE) procedure in West Virginia, June 5.
This minimally invasive approach for treating thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms and high-risk patients with pararenal aortic aneurysms had been in the clinical trial phase until recently.
Using imaging techniques, physicians implant the TAMBE sealing off the aneurysm. Additionally, the device has four built-in portals to facilitate placement of bridging stent grafts into the visceral arteries allowing blood to flow directly to the kidneys and other nearby large internal organs.
“TAMBE requires profound expertise and equipment not available anywhere else in the state. It significantly increases our flexibility to non-invasively operate on the entire aorta, bringing patients with this complex issue the highest level of specialty care,” said Mohammad Eslami, MD, Vascular and Endovascular Division Chief at CAMC and Co-Director of the CAMC Vascular Center of Excellence.
Traditional procedures did not allow surgeons to fix aneurysms involving the vessels connected to internal organs without using open surgical repair. This minimally invasive approach can lower the risk of life-threatening tears or ruptures and allows for rapid recovery from surgery.
