Houston Methodist Hospital is the first institution in the United States to implant a new FDA-approved device that successfully restored blood flow to a patient\u2019s clogged iliac arteries, the three arteries that run from the end of the aorta down to the pelvis and legs.<\/p>\n
Jean Bismuth, M.D., a vascular surgeon with the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, was the primary investigator for the VBX FLEX IDE clinical study and the first to implant the new GORE\u00ae VIABAHN\u00ae VBX Balloon Expandable Endoprosthesis (VBX Stent Graft).<\/p>\n
\u201cHardened blockages had narrowed the patient\u2019s right iliac artery by 70 percent and restricted blood flow to the legs, causing the patient to be in severe pain even at rest,\u201d Bismuth said. \u201cSuch calcification can also lead to leg cramping, sexual dysfunction, difficulty walking, and even gangrene and amputation. The condition was severely hampering this patient\u2019s quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) occurs when the vessels that carry blood to the legs, arms, stomach or kidneys become narrow, restricting blood flow to those areas. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) more than 8 million people in the United States have PAD. Risk factors for peripheral arterial disease include smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other factors.<\/p>\n
Bismuth says that because the iliac artery tends to be more highly calcified in comparison to other vessels, stents require greater radial strength and flexibility to restore blood flow to a patient\u2019s legs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe construct of this device is much different than the other stents used to open up iliac arteries,\u201d Bismuth said. \u201cMost stents are one unit, however, this stent is like a bunch of independent stents within the one stent. It conforms better, and it\u2019s the missing link of what we needed to treat this type of condition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bismuth says there were no recorded incidences of device dislodgement, failures in stent integrity, or device-related serious adverse events during the nine-month trial.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis first procedure went extremely well and I think the patient\u2019s quality of life is going to dramatically improve.\u201d Bismuth said. \u201cAs vascular surgeons we are always looking for new ways to help our patients through a minimally-invasive approach and I believe we have found it with this new stent.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Houston Methodist Hospital is the first institution in the United States to implant a new FDA-approved device that successfully restored blood flow to a patient\u2019s clogged iliac arteries, the three arteries that run from the end of the aorta down to the pelvis and legs. Jean Bismuth, M.D., a vascular surgeon with the Houston Methodist […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":477,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n