UF Health Jacksonville announced March 14 it is the second hospital in the United States and first in the Southeast to use a new device to reduce the threat of death in a heart emergency.
The AMDS Hybrid Prosthesis allows doctors to have greater success treating blood vessel tears by preventing complications and death.
Erol Belli, board-certified thoracic and cardiac surgeon, used the device here on Feb. 21.
Dr. Belli also serves as co-chief of the division of cardiothoracic surgery at the UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville. He is the director of aortic surgery at UF Health Jacksonville.
“Acute DeBakey Type I aortic dissection is a condition with a high mortality rate that requires immediate surgical repair, yet standard surgical procedures don’t always address all the issues of the diseased aorta, which can lead to future complications,” Belli said in a news release.
“By incorporating this new device in the surgery, we are leading the way in improving patient survival rates and patient quality of life.”
Artivion Inc. developed the device, which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration under a Humanitarian Device Exception. In medical trials the device demonstrated a 30-day reduction in adverse affects such as stroke, the onset of renal failure and death.
Use this link provided by Artivion to see an animation of how the device works: https://cryolife.wistia.com/medias/guy6o1xusw.