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Grand Rapids, Mich., Oct. 14, 2024 – Surgeons at Corewell Health^TM in West Michigan have completed the first procedure of its kind in the state for the treatment of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms.

The surgery was led by Eanas S. Yassa, M.D., section chief of vascular surgery at Corewell Health in West Michigan and colleague Andrew Kimball, M.D., vascular surgeon. The procedure took place on September 9 at the Corewell Health Fred & Lena Meijer Heart Center in Grand Rapids. The 76-year-old patient, Howard Chilson, of Grant, Mich., has been discharged and is expected to make a full recovery.

A thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm is a bulging in the aorta that extends from the chest to the abdomen. This is often one of the most difficult aortic aneurysms to treat due to the complexity of the location. The surgeons utilized a recently FDA-approved device called the GORE^® EXCLUDER^® Thoracoabdominal Branch Endoprosthesis (TAMBE), which is the first off-the-shelf device of its kind for the treatment of complex aneurysmal disease involving the visceral aorta.

“The patient’s aneurysm would previously have been repaired with either a large open abdominal operation, which has a number of significant risks given the patient's age and health or a custom-made device for compassionate use,” Dr. Yassa said. “The TAMBE is specifically manufactured to treat patients with this pathology in a minimally invasive approach and is associated with faster recovery, faster return to work, decreased hospital stay, and decreased morbidity and mortality in comparison to open surgery.”

TAMBE is an implantable branched device designed for use in patients with thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms and high-surgical risk patients with pararenal aortic aneurysms of the aorta using an endovascular approach in which the physician guides the device through arteries in the groin and arm via small incisions. Using established imaging techniques, the physician deploys the device to seal off the aneurysm, allowing blood to flow directly through the device.

Drs. Yassa and Kimball demonstrated the efficacy of the treatment in the Corewell Health Jacob and Lois Mol Cardiovascular Simulation Center in early September prior to its use on a patient.