April 27-A multidisciplinary team of Hurley physicians led by Dr. John Carr, cardiovascular surgeon,  Dr. P.C. Shetty and Dr. Venu Vadlamudi, interventional radiology, along with surgical and interventional radiology support staff, successfully performed the endovascular repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in an 87-year-old male patient on April 23, 2012. The case was performed in Hurley Medical Center's Interventional Radiology, lasting approximately two hours. The patient recovered quickly with only an overnight stay in the medical center.

Stated Dr. Carr, “The case went very well and the patient had only two small incisions at the groin at the end of the surgery. With the modern techniques of aortic endografting, there is a dramatic improvement in the speed of the operation as well as the recovery time, compared with the typical 3-4 day Intensive Care Unit stay and 7-10 day hospital stay" with traditional open AAA repair.

“A multidisciplinary approach to the care of these complex vascular patients represents the ideal standard and has been something I have preached for the past twenty years," added Dr. Shetty, an original research investigator in the early versions of aortic stent-grafts. "I am glad we are now able to offer these treatment options for patients in this ideal model.”

The team looks forward to working together again and offering additional treatment options for patients with aortic aneurysms in the future.