Cook Medical this week announced that it has created a custom-made device for the frozen elephant trunk (FET) aortic procedure.
A press release details that, earlier this year, cardiothoracic surgeon François Dagenais, MD, from the Quebec Heart and Lung Institute in Quebec City, Canada, approached Cook Medical. One of his patients had severe complex aortic arch disease. He explained that he needed to perform a FET procedure on the patient but wondered if it could be done with some innovative and different techniques. He asked if Cook could extend to the descending thoracic aorta and include a unique fenestration for the left subclavian artery (LSA).
Cook Medical describes a FET procedure as a hybrid technique that combines surgically replacing the aortic arch while simultaneously stenting the descending thoracic aorta. Patients requiring FET procedures often have complex aortic arch disease. One of the significant benefits of using an FET procedure, the company notes, is that it enables the physician to complete the aortic repair in a single operation instead of multiple operations.
According to Cook Medical, a FET procedure had never before been performed with a custom-made device that had a fenestration. Adding a fenestration in the aortic graft removed the need for surgical intervention for the LSA vessel, allowing for a smooth endovascular LSA stenting and a streamlined, more minimally invasive procedure.
“We performed the world’s first procedure using a fenestrated frozen elephant trunk device. This unique case was designed through Cook Medical’s custom-made device program. During FET procedures, the LSA can be challenging to access surgically. Using an endovascular technique to revascularize the LSA through a pre-designed fenestration within the FET graft facilitates the procedure, decreases operative time and minimizes the complication rate of the FET procedure,” Dagenais commented.
He continued: “The development of this unique FET device is an example of collaboration between clinicians and the expertise of Cook Medical in fenestrated graft technology. Many thanks to Cook Medical for your support; one more step forward in our journey of innovation for the best interest of patient care.”
