Two Consecutive Webcasts Featuring Challenging Procedures for Thoracic and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

New York, NY – On June 24th at 7:00pm NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital will present two consecutive ORLive webcasts on Innovations in Minimally Invasive and Conventional Therapies for Aortic Dissection and Aneurysm. During the broadcasts, viewers will be able to submit questions, via an e-mail interface, that may be answered by the presenters during the broadcast.

The first webcast will focus on treatments of the thoracic aorta and feature an open repair of a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm, performed by Leonard Girardi, MD, O. Wayne Isom Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, and Director of Aortic Surgery Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell. He will be joined on the panel by Allan Stewart, MD, Assistant Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, and Director of Aortic Surgery Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia, as well as James McKinsey, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Adjunct Associate Professor of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College; and Interim Chief of Vascular Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia.

“The initial meeting with someone with an aortic aneurysm that measures over 5 centimeters can be disconcerting because they usually feel fine,” says Dr. Stewart. “Explaining that they are at risk for a major catastrophe within the next year, makes them understandably nervous. So the first meeting is one of assurance, to clarify that these procedures are reproducible with a very low incidence of morbidity or death. Over the last twenty years the options for therapy have improved dramatically, whether it is for an ascending aneurysm, a descending aneurysm or a thoracoabdominal aneurysm. The danger of waiting now far exceeds the risk of surgery in almost all cases over a certain size.”

The second webcast will deal primarily with treatment of the abdominal aorta and will feature a procedure using a Fenestrated Stent performed by Dr. McKinsey. The discussion will be moderated by Harry Bush, Jr., MD Associate Professor of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Attending Vascular Surgeon, New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center with participation by Dr. McKinsey and William A. Gray, MD Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Director, Endovascular Services Center for Interventional Vascular Therapy NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center.

Evaluating The Patient’s Needs, Not The Prevailing Techniques
Surgical techniques and technology for resolving the pathology of both the thoracic and abdominal aorta have made important, even revolutionary strides in recent years. The Center for Vascular Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center have been at the forefront of these developments, including participation in several leading studies. “We’re one of three sites in the United States using new Fenestrated Stents under an IDE issued by the FDA. This technology allows surgeons to custom-place vascular portals in abdominal stents to allow for very complex anatomy. In the near future this same technology will be used in the thoracic or subclavian aorta to accommodate and preserve vessels to the heart and brain,” says Dr. McKinsey, Interim Chief of Vascular Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia.

Although these prestigious studies are important, they are only part of the broad and prosaic continuum of care available at New York Presbyterian for aortic pathology. Multidisciplinary cooperation among nationally recognized physicians experienced in all forms of surgical and minimally invasive treatments for aortic disease afford patients the best possible opportunity for successful outcomes. From the gold standard open procedure to hybrid endovascular and solely catheterized, minimally invasive techniques, every case is evaluated with the patient, not the prevailing surgical technique, in mind. “Certainly, when patients come to you, you want to be able to offer them the appropriate treatment, whether it is open, endovascular or some combination of the two. To do this, you need physicians with a wide breadth of expertise who are willing to cooperate in a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis. This is precisely what we have here at New York Presbyterian. It’s one of the primary reasons I look forward to coming to work every day. Not everyone is a candidate for open and not everyone is a candidate for an endograph and they shouldn’t be shoe-horned into one available technology,” adds Dr. Girardi.

About ORLive
ORLive is the world's leading surgical broadcasting company. Working collaboratively with hospitals and device manufacturers, ORLive produces customized, interactive, video programs that demonstrate the latest surgical techniques and product innovations. The ORLive broadcasting network provides an intimate look at over 650 live and on-demand surgeries to a global audience, streaming over 45,000 hours of programming each month. The ORLive network can be found on-line at www.ORLive.com.

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