Worcester Business Journal

10 Worcester Business Journal | November 22, 2021 | wbjournal.com BY SLOANE M. PERRON WBJ Staff Writer A perfect storm is brewing in the world of medi- cine, as the wave of an aging population collides with a shortfall of future surgeons. Yet, the vascular surgery specialty in Central Massachusetts is breaking this troubling trend with technological innovation. Central Massachusetts vascular surgeons are pioneering new devices, procedures, and service models to pre- vent the future healthcare system from being overwhelmed, while researching solutions for high healthcare costs and limited patient accessibility to the pre- dicted shortage of surgeons. Vascular surgery focuses on all the blood vessels throughout the body. is field serves an older demographic with an average patient age of 65 years and older. ese patients typically have pre-existing conditions such as diabetes and heart disease further compounding their vein or artery ailments. As medical advancements improve, people are living longer. While in- creased longevity is a favorable outcome for any patient, the patient load is clogging an already overburdened healthcare system as new patients are added to older populations, who are still receiving treatment well into their 90s and 100s. "It is impossible at this current rate and pace that we are going to be able to keep up," said Dr. Hector Simosa, who performs surgeries for the Vascular Care Group, which has locations in Framingham, Worcester, Leominster, and Sturbridge. Game changer Typically, Boston hospitals receive the spotlight when it comes to medical recognition, but Dr. Andres Schanzer, chief of endovascular and vascu- lar surgery at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, has drawn patients to the hospital's Center for Complex Aortic Diseases, one of 12 such centers in the U.S. and the only one in New England. At UMass, Schanzer is using a min- imally invasive procedure called the fenestrated endovascular aortic repair, allowing surgeons to repair the aorta through small incisions in the groin or arms while still preserving blood flow to the critical branch arteries in the kid- neys and other vital organs of the body. Prior to FEVAR, aortic repair was a large, open surgery requiring the chest Staying upbeat Central Mass. vascular surgeons are pioneering a new procedure, helping to mitigate a future surgeon shortage H E A LT H C A R E FOCUS PHOTOS/MATT WRIGHT Aortic aneurysm, quick facts An aortic aneurysm is a balloon-like bulge in the aorta, the large artery carrying blood from the heart through the chest. Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention Dr. Hector Simosa, Vascular Care Group Dr. Andres Schanzer, chief vascular surgeon (right) at UMass Memorial Health, performs a procedure to repair an abdominal aortic aneurysm using Fiber Optic RealShape. Schanzer is assisted by Zachary Fang, fifth-year resident (left) and vascular surgeon Dr. Doug Jones. 9,904 U.S. deaths caused by aortic aneurysms in 2019 59% Male portion of aortic aneurysm deaths 75% Portion of all abdominal aortic aneurysms attributed to a history of smoking

• Cover