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Penn State Health saw a $206M revenue increase and improved margins into the third quarter of fiscal year 2025. PHOTO/FILE
Penn State Health performs revolutionary procedure
Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is the first Central Pennsylvania hospital to perform revolutionary and minimally invasive surgery for complex aortic aneurysms.
Often referred to as “silent assassins”, complex aortic aneurysms are life threatening.
Known as a thoracoabdominal branch endoprosthesis, or TAMBE, the groundbreaking procedure avoids open surgery, the procedure shortens recovery and expands options for high-risk patients. TAMBE offers an alternative to open-chest and abdominal surgery, lowering the risks of complications, infection and prolonged recovery, particularly for patients considered too high-risk for treatment.
“This is a game-changer for patients with some of the most complex and dangerous aneurysms,” Dr. Faisal Aziz, division chief and program director of vascular surgery at Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute, said in a statement. “For people who might not survive open surgery, TAMBE offers a lifesaving option with fewer risks, shorter hospital stays and a faster return to daily life.”
Using the TAMBE procedure, surgeons place small incisions in both groins and on the left arm to insert a custom-made stent graft with branches to fit around the aneurysm. This allows blood to flow through the graft and bypass the aneurysm, effectively neutralizing it, according to a release.
The first TAMBE procedure was performed in March by Drs. Aziz, Josh Radtka and their vascular surgery team. The patient had undergone standard endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair years before and suffered the aneurysmal development in the thoracoabdominal aortic segment. The patient returned home a few days later to recover.
“We’re working to expand access to this advanced procedure while training more surgeons to use it,” Aziz said. “It’s all part of our commitment to bringing the most advanced care to central Pennsylvania.”
The TAMBE procedure is limited to select cases. Three Penn State Health vascular surgeons, Drs. Aziz, Radtka and Tarik Ali, have been trained to perform it, with additional specialists undergoing training.
