CentraCare-St. Cloud Hospital Performs Groundbreaking Heart Procedure

(KNSI) – A surgical team at CentraCare-St. Cloud Hospital has become the first in Minnesota to perform a specialized heart procedure.

Doctor Christopher Leville and the entire vascular surgery team performed a percutaneous transmural arterial bypass using the DETOUR System by Endologix.

Recently approved by the FDA, Endologix describes the system as a breakthrough in treating complex peripheral arterial disease, specifically related to narrowing the superficial femoral and popliteal arteries of the legs due to plaque build-up. The system works by using a stent graft from the diseased artery into an adjacent vein and then back again into the artery. In this way, the doctor can use a person’s own vessels to re-direct blood around the blockage and increase flow to the leg.

This treatment provides a minimally invasive alternative for people who are not candidates for traditional stents or open heart surgery. In clinical studies, the system has comparable outcomes to surgical bypass while avoiding its downsides, such as longer hospital stays and recovery times.

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