Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | November 22, 2021 | Worcester Business Journal 11 and abdomen to be opened, and some- times required the heart to be complete- ly stopped in order to replace the aorta. is procedure came with high risks and long recovery times. Frequently, patients who were already ill couldn't withstand it. Now, FEVAR allows patients to receive stents in their blood vessels with minimal risk and significantly faster recovery times. e UMass Center for Complex Aor- tic Diseases is only one of 10 sites fitted with the technology to prevent aortic aneurysms using minimally invasive surgery and stents. ese 10 sites are part of a clinical trial approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, researching and evaluating the procedure. Schanzer has completed approximately 400 FEVAR procedures. Schanzer said one of the most excit- ing advancements in vascular surgery is the use of Fiber Optic RealShape technology. UMass became the first hospital in the U.S. to use this fiber optic light im- aging to guide the aortic repair surgeries rather than relying on radiation, elimi- nating the large doses of X-ray radiation traditionally needed for the surgery. "I would say that during my career, fenestrated and branched endogras, which are these advanced gras we can use to treat these complex aneurysms, and Fiber Optic RealShape technology are the two most significant technolog- ical innovations I have seen across the entire field of surgery," Schanzer said. A rising needs Aortic aneurysms account for about 10,000 U.S. deaths a year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. "Dr. Schanzer's vision when he became division chief was one of really trying to build our volume and make us one of the highest-volume, academic vascular departments in the country; and along those lines he is pioneering these innovative techniques to manage complex aneurysm disease with a mini- mally invasive strategy," said Dr. Jessica Simons, associate professor of surgery at UMass Medical School and program director of vascular surgery residency at UMass Memorial Health in Worcester. e goal is to make the Center for Complex Aortic Diseases a sought-aer destination for this type of care, even rivaling Boston hospitals. "It is world-class care on par with any other institution, and for a lot of patients, it is just a bit closer to home and easier to get access to our system and then to navigate it once they are in the system," said Simons, who became UMass Memorial's first female vascular surgeon when she was hired in 2013. e vascular division is now majority women. Having more innovative technology for vascular surgery will be important since the industry is expected to have a H E A L T H C A R E F O C U S Continued on next page During Dr. Andres Schanzer's surgery at UMass Memorial Health, this 3D device guidance powered by Fiber Optic RealShape technology enables him to see his progress.

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