|
Ancure is the name of product that
promised to be an alternative to traditional surgeries performed on
persons suffering from abdominal aortic aneurysms, or AAA. The device
uses a catheter to insert a sheath through the femoral artery in the
leg. This sheath allows the blood to bypass the affected area. Ancure
comes in three configurations. The Bifurcated system, which is the
standard and most commonly used version, has two limbs. The Variable
Limb Length Bifurcated system also has two limbs; however, the limbs are
of different lengths. This configuration is intended for those patients
who need different iliac limb lengths. The Aortoiliac version of Ancure
is for complex AI anatomy and aneurysmal iliacs.
During the procedure, a catheter is inserted through a small puncture
wound in the skin, and the Ancure is advanced through the catheter until
it reaches the weakened portion of the blood vessel where it is
permanently implanted.
According to Guidant, the manufacturer of Ancure, treatment with the
Ancure system provides a variety of benefits to patients. Hospital stays
are reduced to 2 or 3 days following the procedure, as opposed to 6 days
required for the traditional open surgery. Patients typically experience
less blood loss during the procedure, and cardiac and respiratory
complications are also much lower. These benefits usually translate into
quicker recovery times for patients, allowing them to return to normal
activity in less time than patients who receive open surgery to repair
their aneurysms.
Which patients may have been received an Ancure system as treatment?
Patients who underwent procedures for the endovascular treatment of
infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms or aortoiliac aneurysm may have
received an Ancure product. According to the manufacturer, to receive an
Ancure system, these patients would have had adequate iliac/femoral
access, infrarenal non-aneurysmal neck length of at least 15 mm and a
diameter of no greater than 26 mm, a distal segment neck length of 12 mm
and a diameter of no greater than 26 mm (tube) or distal segment lengths
of at least 20 mm and diameters no greater than 13.4 mm (bifurcated/aortoiliac)
and morphology suitable for endovascular AAA repair. The aortoiliac
device should be used in patients whose anatomy does not allow the use
of a tube or bifurcated device.
Due to the technical medical nature of these products, Federal Law
(U.S.A.) restricts the sale of Ancure and similar products to sale by or
on the order of a physician (or properly licensed practitioner) trained
in vascular interventional techniques and in the use of this device. In
other words, you would need a doctor's prescription in order to receive
an Ancure unit. Ask your doctor or the physician who performed the
surgery if you had an AAA procedure done and are unsure whether Ancure
was used.
Do I have a case?
|
