Last month, vascular and endovascular surgeon Bruce L. Tjaden Jr., MD, performed New Jersey’s first percutaneous transmural arterial bypass (PTAB) using the DETOUR system – a newly approved, minimally invasive limb salvage procedure. Cooper is only the third hospital to perform this operation since it received FDA approval. The novel approach allows surgeons to avoid the areas of hardened arteries by “detouring” around them, using the adjacent veins as a pathway to route stents past the blocked arteries to save the foot.
“At Cooper, we often take care of patients with very severe [peripheral artery] disease who have no options other than amputation at other facilities. We offer unique solutions for these patients, such as PTAB, for their specific anatomy and lifestyle considerations,” says Dr. Tjaden, Director of Cooper’s Specialty Treatment for Extremity Preservation (STEP) Program and Director of the soon-to-be-opened Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center. “I am thrilled that we have access to groundbreaking technologies like these to save patients’ limbs, even in the most difficult cases.”
Advanced peripheral arterial disease limits blood flow to the toes and feet and can lead to wounds and gangrene. If arterial blood flow cannot be restored, amputation is often necessary. While there are many established methods of restoring blood flow, for some patients, none of the “standard” methods will work. This can be due to severe hardening of the arteries that makes angioplasty and stenting impossible, or other health issues that make an open surgical bypass too risky.
“Cooper’s vascular program distinguishes itself with world-class surgeons, like Dr. Tjaden, performing the most advanced procedures for limb salvage,” says Dr. Joseph V. Lombardi, MD, MBA, Division Head of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery.
Congratulations to Dr. Tjaden and his team for this innovative new approach to improving the quality of life for these patients.
