None — The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is among the first in the U.S. to offer a new medical device that can fix dangerous bulges in the body's main artery – the aorta – without major surgery.
The FDA recently approved the AAA Stent Graft System and Channel 11's Jennifer Abney talked to a man who says the system saved his life.
Reno Virgili, Bethel Park's former mayor said an unusual symptom caused him some concern.
"I had some thumping in my abdomen and I let it go for several months," said Virgili.
Virgili was diagnosed with an abdominal aneurysm, and said he was told he was lucky he had any symptoms at all.
The goal for treatment is to create a new path for blood flow to reduce pressure on the aneurysm. If the aneurysm ruptures it can be fatal.
"So to prevent this we try to replace this degenerated aorta. Either with surgical graft in an open procedure or with one of these stent grafts," said Dr Michel Makaroun with UPMC.
Virgili was an ideal patient for a new generation of stents that have only been available for a few months. Makaroun has been a part of the trial for over two years.
"It is much more flexible. It is much more accurate in its deployment," added Makaroun.
The treatment requires a shorter "seal zone" making it an option for more patients. This is particularly important in Western Pennsylvania because Markaroun said the area probably sees more aneurysms than most of the large university health centers in the country.
Experts said the two major factors for aneurysm problems in the Pittsburgh area is the aging population and background of many immigrants who have settled here.
The morning after the stent is inserted patients are typically ready to go.
Virgili said this procedure saved his life and now he is taking more time to enjoy it.
"I have much better blood flow and I have hardly no pain anywhere. As far as my everyday life I have slowed down considerably," said Virgili.
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