TUPELO, Miss.—This week, the vascular surgery team at North Mississippi Medical Center performed its first thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair, bringing advanced minimally invasive treatment for a dangerous bulge in the body’s main artery closer to home. 

A thoracoabdominal aneurysm is a serious bulge in the aorta, the body’s largest blood vessel. Before, repairing these aneurysms required a huge incision from the chest to the abdomen and a hospital stay of a week or more. 

“These procedures were fraught with complications including significant risk of death and disability from the surgery,” explained Dr. Joey Stinson, a cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon who performed the first case at NMMC’s Heart and Vascular Institute.

Dr. Stinson is the first in north Mississippi to use the Gore ThoracoAbdominal Multi-Branched Endoprosthesis (TAMBE), the first FDA-approved device designed to treat these challenging aneurysms.

“Before, minimally invasive treatment required a specially constructed stent graft that could take several weeks to prepare, or the surgeon would have to modify a standard stent graft at the time of surgery,” Dr. Stinson explained. “Now we have a minimally invasive, safe approach to a complex aortic problem that offers a faster recovery. Typically, patients can go home within two days after surgery.”

While not every patient is a candidate for this procedure, Dr. Stinson calls it “a great leap forward” in treatment.

“Technology like TAMBE helps us offer advanced care close to home so people of our region don’t have to travel far for treatment,” Dr. Stinson said.