Device Treats Chest Aneurisms

Prevents rupture of aortic weak spot

THURSDAY, March 24, 2005 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a device to treat bulging weak spots in the body's main artery, a condition called an aortic aneurism.

The GORE TAG Endoprosthesis System is designed to make a new path for blood flow around the arterial bulge, in order to prevent the thoracic aorta from rupturing, the agency said in a statement. Aneurisms can be caused by vascular disease, injury or an inherited defect of the arterial tissue.

The device, made by Arizona-based W.L. Gore and Associates, is a graft made of a Teflon-like substance that re-lines the inside of the weakened aortic wall. Implantation is less invasive than traditional surgery to treat aneurisms, the FDA said. Other traditional aneurism treatments include blood pressure-lowering medications to try to prevent an aortic rupture.

The FDA said it approved the device after its success was proven during clinical trials involving about 200 people. Study results showed that aneurism-related deaths were lower in patients who had received the device than among those who hadn't. The agency said it's requiring the company to monitor the device's effectiveness as it is more widely used in the general population.

To learn more about aortic aneurisms, visit the Society for Vascular Surgery.

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