NMMC First to Use Aortic Surgery Device
North Mississippi Medical Center’s Heart and Vascular Institute celebrates another first! NMMC is the first and only hospital in north Mississippi to perform an aortic arch procedure using the GORE TAG thoracic branch endoprosthesis (TBE) device.
The aortic arch is the segment of the aorta that helps distribute blood to the head and upper extremities. This new device can repair several types of damage, including:
- Aneurysm—a weak, bulging section of the aortic wall
- Transection—a rupture or tear of the aortic wall, typically from blunt force trauma
- Dissection—when the inside lining of the aorta tears away from the outer wall
Left untreated, these conditions can cause life-threatening internal bleeding. “Traditionally, these disorders were treated with open surgical bypasses, which carry much higher complication rates and sometimes months of recovery,” says vascular surgeon Dr. Joey Stinson. Now, this device can be implanted to allow blood to keep flowing past the aorta’s damaged or diseased parts.
"Thoracic branch endoprosthesis is a minimally invasive option that requires only small access incisions in the groin and left arm without the need for a large chest or neck incision,” Dr, Stinson explains. “The procedure has fewer complications, a shorter hospital stay, and patients will be able to return to full activity much quicker after surgery.”
NMMC is the first non-academic medical center in Mississippi to offer the procedure. For more information about NMMC’s Heart and Vascular Institute, visit www.nmhs.net/heart-vascular. 
