Southern DHB performs its first Emergency "EVAR"

Southern DHB performs its first Emergency Endovascular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) under local anaesthetic.

Harold Masters from Balclutha has become the first patient to benefit from a type of life-saving surgery at Dunedin Hospital.

Mr Masters underwent the first emergency endovascular repair (EVAR) conducted solely under local anaesthetic, for a ruptured aneurysm (ballooning of an artery), ever conducted at Dunedin Hospital. This is a first for the South Island, with very few emergency, local anaesthetic EVAR’s having been carried out in the country.

EVAR is surgery to repair an aneurysm in a patient’s aorta (the largest blood vessel in the body). An aneurysm is a widening or bulging of the aorta. In this case Mr Masters’ aneurysm had actually ruptured.

Conventional surgery for aneurysm repair usually involves a large abdominal incision. However, Mr Masters underwent the significantly less invasive EVAR procedure.

Endovascular means "inside the vessel". It involves making two small incisions in the groin and passing a stentgraft through blood vessels to seal off the aneurysm.

The minimally-invasive procedure was carried out by a team led by Mrs Jo Krysa, Vascular Surgeon and Dr Gabriel Lau, Interventional Radiologist.

Mrs Krysa said that, “a ruptured aneurysm that is treated with open repair involves patients usually staying in intensive care for a number of days and then on a surgical ward for 10 to 14 days, followed by long term rehabilitation.

“Mr Masters had the EVAR under local anaesthetic and was on the phone to his wife during the procedure! He spent one night in the hospital’s high dependency unit rather than the intensive care unit and was discharged after only four days.

The procedure has all the advantages over traditional, open surgery including less time in hospital, less risk of infection and a shorter recovery period, so that the patient can return to normal activities sooner. This is a great result for the patient and a cost saving for the DHB,” she said.

Patient, Mr Masters said, "Mrs Krysa explained that we would try to do the procedure under local anaesthetic which for me worked very well!”

Following Mr Masters successful operation, he has been recovering at home and is delighted with the operation and how quickly he is recovering.

ENDS

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