Residents northeast of Atlanta now have access to advanced technology for the repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), closer to home. James G. Reeves, MD, a surgeon with Northeast Georgia Physicians Group (NGPG) Vascular Center, performed the first percutaneous endovascular aneurysm repair (PEVAR) of AAA at Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Braselton on Thursday, November 19.
“We are very excited to offer advanced, minimally invasive vascular treatment options for our patients in Braselton,” says Dr. Reeves. “While we do perform a wide variety of surgical procedures for vascular patients at NGMC Braselton, this one is particularly remarkable because patients typically recover faster and have less pain.”
NGMC Braselton is part of Northeast Georgia Health System, which became the first system in Georgia certified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to use this technology for PEVAR of AAA last year. PEVAR patients typically have an easier recovery, less risk of infection, experience less pain and take fewer narcotics after going home compared to traditional AAA repair patients.
An abdominal aortic aneurysm is a bulge in the aorta, which is the primary blood vessel that transports blood from the heart to the rest of the body. This kind of aneurysm typically requires repair when the risk of rupture is great, there is a rapid change in its size or the patient is experiencing pain.
Open surgical repair was used to treat these types of aneurysms until a less invasive alternative, EVAR, was developed in the 1990’s. With EVAR, the femoral arteries are accessed through incisions on the top of each leg instead of an open procedure on the aorta. NGMC’s FDA-certified PEVAR procedures are even less invasive than EVAR, requiring just a ¾-inch incision on one leg and a smaller incision on the other leg.
For more information about NGMC Braselton, visit www.nghs.com/braselton. Visit www.ngpg.org/vascular to learn more about Dr. Reeves and NGPG Vascular Center, or call 770-219-4000.
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ABOUT NORTHEAST GEORGIA MEDICAL CENTER BRASELTON
Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Braselton is the state’s newest hospital, that’s not a replacement or relocation, in almost 20 years. NGMC Braselton brings services modeled around the programs of excellence at NGMC Gainesville – Georgia’s #1 Hospital (CareChex®) – to the Greater Braselton community. These include advanced surgical and medical care, emergency services, heart and vascular services, orthopedics, cancer treatment and neurosciences.
Along with, NGMC Gainesville, the two hospitals share 657 beds and a medical staff of more than 550 physicians representing more than 55 specialties. Both hospitals are part of Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS), a non-profit that cares for more than 800,000 people in more than 13 counties, with a mission of improving the health of our community in all we do. Learn more at www.nghs.com/braselton.