Patrick Jones, 74, is the first person in the Southeast and the fourth person in the United States to receive the NEXUS aortic arch stent graft, a minimally invasive solution for aortic arch repair.Greenville, South Carolina, resident Patrick Jones, 74, is the first person in the Southeast and the fourth person in the United States to receive the NEXUS aortic arch stent graft, a minimally invasive solution for aortic arch repair.
In April, Jones underwent surgery for implantation of the graft at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, one of the only hospitals in the Southeast that offers this treatment.
“Being one of the few facilities in the region to offer this treatment to our patients is very exciting,” said Kyle W. Eudailey, M.D., UAB cardiothoracic surgeon. “We are really proud to be a part of a trial that is designed to overcome the challenges of aortic arch repair.”
Each year, more than 120,000 people develop thoracic aortic arch disease. Unfortunately, the risk associated with open surgical aortic arch repair and the lack of approved devices often lead to limited treatment options for patients with this disease.
Jones came face to face with those limited treatment options when doctors at his local hospital found that his aortic dissection was beginning to progress just six months after he had open-heart surgery. His doctors knew that, with only six months since his last procedure, Jones would have been a poor candidate for another open surgery, so they sent him to UAB Hospital, where he was met by UAB Cardiovascular Institute specialists, Eudailey and Adam Beck, M.D., professor and director of UAB’s Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy. Upon further evaluation, Beck and Eudailey determined that Jones was an ideal candidate for this procedure.
“The NEXUS aortic arch stent graft system addresses an unmet need of minimally invasive procedures to repair the aortic arch,” Beck said. “When we saw that Mr. Jones’ arch aneurysm had significantly enlarged just six months after his ascending aortic repair, we decided to evaluate him for this device and felt that he would be an excellent candidate for the trial.”
Jones says, when Beck and Eudailey informed him that he would be a good candidate for the procedure, he and his wife felt a sense of relief as they were both afraid that he would not survive another open-heart surgery.
“For me, it was a no-brainer. We felt like we were in the best hands,” Jones said. “Dr. Beck and Dr. Eudailey gave us hope, and I knew that, if this procedure worked for me, it could help so many people in the future. It was exciting to be part of an innovative approach that could potentially help others dealing with a similar situation.”
Jones underwent surgery to implant the NEXUS aortic arch graft April 1, and five days later, he was on his way back home to recover. Within just a few weeks of his procedure, he was able to resume normal activities that he enjoyed before the procedure.
“Before this procedure, I can honestly say that I was not sure we would both be sitting here today, and it is all because of UAB,” said Debbie Jones, Patrick’s wife. “We would like to extend a deep, heartfelt thank you to all of the people who took care of us at UAB. This trial might be the answer for so many people like Patrick, and we were both glad to be a part of it.”
For more information about the TRIOMPHE clinical trial and the NEXUS device, visit endospan.com.