Man survives heart surgery after first-of-its-kind procedure

MURRAY, Utah — Doctors at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray recently performed a life-saving, first-of-its-kind, heart procedure. The recipient of the surgery, a Herriman man, survived. 

Intermountain said the technology allows doctors to repair the man’s badly damaged heart vessels without having to perform complex open-heart surgery. A “lengthy procedure” that Intermountain said would have been life-threatening to the man.

Specifically, the heart surgery procedure is formally called a thoracic branch endoprosthesis according to the Intermountain Healthcare team. 

Additionally, the press release said the approach to the procedure has never been done in Utah nor the Intermountain West. The approval from the FDA came less than a year ago. 

On Oct. 26, at 6:30 p.m. Intermountain Healthcare, alongside the man and his wife plan, to talk about the new technology. The hope, according to the press release is that the “life-saving medical advancement” will give other Utahns who experience these life-threatening aortic aneurysms a chance at life. 

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