FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--W. L. Gore & Associates (Gore) today announced one of the first clinical uses of the 31 mm diameter version of the GORE EXCLUDER AAA Endoprosthesis since its approval in March 2009 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dr.Wei Zhou, Associate Professor of Surgery, Stanford University Medical Center, performed the procedure. The device was used to treat a patient with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), which is the swelling or bulging of the abdominal aorta.
When AAA is not treated, it can lead to aortic rupture, which is often fatal. Traditional surgical treatment requires a large incision to place a synthetic graft to repair the diseased artery. This method can result in long hospital stays and painful recoveries. The GORE EXCLUDER AAA Endoprosthesis, in contrast, uses a minimally invasive procedure, thereby reducing the hospital stay, morbidity and mortality associated with surgery. The new 31 mm device provides physicians with a safe and effective endovascular option to treat AAAs in patients with aortic inner neck diameters up to 27 to 29 mm.
Dr. Zhou stated, “The 31 mm GORE EXCLUDER Device gives physicians the ability to treat patients with a wide range of anatomies, and the fact that it can be implanted using a minimally invasive procedure means that most patients recover faster and more comfortably.”
The Gore device is an endovascular graft and stent combination that isolates the aneurysm from systemic blood flow. Dr. Zhou inserted the 31 mm GORE EXCLUDER Device through a small incision in the patient’s leg using a catheter-based delivery technique to treat the AAA. Once the stent-graft was positioned in the diseased aorta, the device was released from the delivery catheter. The patient was discharged from the hospital and is doing well.
“The GORE EXCLUDER Device has consistently shown superior performance in treating AAAs, and we are pleased one of the first clinical uses of the 31 mm device in the US has been a success,” said David Abeyta, Aortic Business Unit Leader at Gore. “The expanded sizing options for the GORE EXCLUDER Device continue a long Gore history of providing physicians like Dr. Zhou with innovative treatment solutions that improve patient outcomes.”
More than 87,000 GORE EXCLUDER Devices have been implanted in patients worldwide. The 31 mm diameter version has been available outside of the US since 2004 and has been implanted in more than 3,300 patients.
ABOUT W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES
The Gore Medical Products Division has provided creative therapeutic solutions to complex medical problems for three decades. During that time, more than 25 million innovative Gore Medical Devices have been implanted, saving and improving the quality of lives worldwide. The extensive Gore Medical family of products includes vascular grafts, endovascular and interventional devices, surgical meshes for hernia repair, soft tissue reconstruction, staple line reinforcement and sutures for use in vascular, cardiac and general surgery. Gore was recently named one of the best companies to work for by Fortune magazine for the 12th consecutive year. For more information, visit http://www.goremedical.com.
GORE and EXCLUDER® are trademarks of W. L. Gore & Associates.
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Contact:
Schwartz Communications, Inc. for Gore Shannon Murphy / Courtney Smith 415-512-0770 / 781-684-0770 GoreMedical@schwartz-pr.com