The procedure at Deborah was made possible through a collaborative approach between cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Ng and vascular specialist Dr. Winkler, who recently came on board at Deborah as its first ever on-staff vascular surgeon. Dr. Winkler predicts that the stent graft will eventually become routine.

“Now it cannot be used for all patients,” he said “but in the future I anticipate that other problems in the aorta will be treated, including ruptures inside the wall of the aorta (dissection). I am very excited about the fact that Deborah is able to provide the newest technology to the patients in the region.”

He added: “Working collaboratively adds safety to the procedure and bringing different specialties together follows nationally recommended standards.” Dr. Ng noted: “This is part of a comprehensive approach to aneurysmal aortic disease. No doubt increasing numbers of patients will become candidates for such procedures. In addition to reducing recovery time, this approach reduces some of the most serious risks of traditional open operations.”