Outcomes 2016 - Baylor Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital FY 2016 | Page 56

Aortic Aneurysms In fiscal year 2016, vascular surgeons on the medical staff at Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital treated hundreds of patients with a variety of aneurysms. Aneurysms can occur in any weakened blood vessel, and the largest artery in the body, the aorta, is the most common location. Preventing or repairing a rupture of the aneurysm is the most important goal in treatment and therapy. Using evidence-based approaches, vascular surgeons on the medical staff at Baylor Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital continued to develop new “best practices” in diagnosing and repairing aneurysms. In fact, vascular surgeons from throughout the United States and other parts of the world sought out the experts at Baylor Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital to learn these new techniques. Again in 2016, U.S. News & World Report recognized the hospital’s abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) program as “High Performing” based on the number of patients treated and outcomes achieved. The vascular surgeons on the medical staff of Baylor Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital identify the intricacies of each individual patient’s situation, proceed with the best endovascular or open treatment option for the patient’s circumstances, and rely on innovation and evidence-based research for novel approaches to vascular surgery. Some aneurysms require emergent care. In other cases following assessment, a patient can electively and selectively choose the timing for intervention. Intervention may require traditional open surgery or an endovascular stent procedure, but the majority of patients with aneurysmal disease may be successfully treated with minimally invasive endovascular approaches. The Centers for Disease Control estimate that aneurysms, balloon- like bulges in the wall of a weakened blood vessel, contribute to approximately 17,000 deaths in the United States annually, making it the 13th leading cause of mortality. Affiliation with Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas and its Level 1 Trauma Center contributed to Baylor Heart and Vascular Services at Dallas’ growing vascular and aneurysm programs. As a Level 1 Trauma Center, the complexity of cases that often present to the vascular surgeons on the medical staff require the experience and expertise that the Baylor Dallas' team possesses to achieve successful outcomes with challenging cases. During the past several years, estimates indicated that more than 25 percent of aortic procedures performed by vascular surgeons and cardiac surgeons on the medical staff at Baylor Dallas were for life-threatening acute aortic dissections. Vascular surgeons on the medical staff at Baylor Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital are often called upon for second opinions and/or review of complex clinical cases involving Aortic Abdominal Aneurysms. A variety of complex aortic surgery procedures are performed by vascular surgeons on the medical staff, often in a multidisciplinary team environment that may include cardiac surgeons and interventional cardiologists. The most common procedural options include: • Endovascular stent grafting • Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Repair • Thoracoabdominal Aortic Repair – Aneurysms that involve the aorta as it flows through both the abdomen and chest • Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Repair – Aortic aneurysms in the chest that can involve the aortic root, ascending aorta, aortic arch, or descending aorta • Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) • Complex Fenestrated/ Branched Grafts • Traditional open surgery Normal aorta 54 COMPLEX AORTIC CASES Abdominal aortic aneurysm Thoracic aneurysm *Images courtesy of NorthPoint Domain