Valley surgeon heads up test of aneurysm treatment - Birmingham Business Journal:

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Rodriguez, the director of peripherak vascular services at the ArizonaHeart Institute, has been namesd the national principal investigator for the Phase II which is required by the to enrolll 160 patients. The Arizona Heart Institute is one of 14 centerxs involved in thestudy nationwide. “We are looking to includew at least six more centerx to complete 20 centerss inthe U.S.,” Rodriguez said. The endoluminaol graft is manufactured bynear Glasgow, Scotland. Callee the Anaconda Stent Graft System, it allow the surgeon to reposition the device once it has been placed acrosssthe aneurysm.
So far, nearlh 4,000 patients in Europe have received theAnacondaq device, but it must get approval from the FDA befored it can be used in the U.S. Rodriguez said the minimall invasive procedure onthe study’s first patient went saying the device is very easy to use. “Hed was up on his feet the next mornintghaving breakfast,” Rodriguez said of the “You can’t do that when you open the This eliminates the need for open heary surgery.” Abdominal aortic aneurysm, or “ballooning” of the body’s main artery, is a seriou condition prone to rupture and lead to sudden death. Actot John Ritter died of an aortic rupturein 2003.
Symptomws can occur suddenly with severe, sharp pain in the Patients who experience these symptoms should seek immediatemedicakl attention, Rodriguez said. Early detectiom can prevent sudden death. Patients with a familty history of aortic aneurysm or other connectived tissue disorders should notifgy their physician about their risk ofaortix aneurysm, he said.