New device at NCH offers hope for treating deadly aortic aneurysms

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. —

A new device approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is offering a lifesaving solution for complex aortic aneurysms, and NCH is among the first hospitals to use it.

Judson Alford, who had an aneurysm deep in his abdomen near the vessel feeding blood into the kidneys, shared his perspective on the condition.

“Most of the people who have an aneurysm in their belly don’t catch it. A lot of them die from it,” Alford said.

Dr. Alvaro Zamora, a vascular surgeon at NCH, explained the challenges of treating such cases before the device became available.

“We didn’t have a stent that fit that criteria until just a couple of years ago,” Zamora said.

For years, surgeons had to improvise by handcrafting solutions or waiting weeks for custom devices, hoping the aneurysm wouldn’t burst.

“The chances of dying are eighty percent,” Zamora said, emphasizing the severity of ruptured aortic aneurysms.

The TAMBE device, recently approved by the FDA, is specifically designed for these complex cases. It deploys four branches, creating a protective sleeve of plastic and mesh.

“The whole purpose of this is so that the person’s blood pressure is banging against the walls of the stent and not banging against the walls of the aneurysm,” Zamora said.

The device is threaded through small incisions in the arm and groin, sealing the danger from inside.

“It’s one big device, and then the branches are all separate stents that we place into each of the arteries involved,” Zamora said.

Zamora highlighted the importance of having this device readily available.

“How valuable is it having something like this off the shelf? Oh, extremely valuable. I’ve been in practice for 14 years, and I’ve been waiting for something like this,” he said.

Alford, who was left with only a tiny scar, expressed his gratitude for the treatment.

“I feel good now. No complaints. Happy as heck,” he said.

Doctors note that aortic aneurysms are often discovered accidentally during scans performed for unrelated reasons. If one ruptures, it is deadly in at least 80% of cases.

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