WEDNESDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- A device that helps repair
abdominal aneurysms in people with small arteries has been approved
by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
An aneurysm is a bulge in a weak part of an artery. If the bulge
bursts, the patient is at risk of dying from internal bleeding. The
aorta is the body's largest artery, carrying oxygenated blood from
the heart, through the abdomen, and then branching off into the
head, neck, arms and legs.
A bulge that forms in this artery as it passes through the
abdomen is called an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Treatment often
involves a hollow metal tube called a stent, which can help
redirect blood flow away from the aneurysm.
In some people, however, the blood vessels are too small to
accommodate the stent and additional hardware -- collectively known
as an endograft. The new Ovation Abdominal Stent Graft System uses
hardware that's narrower in diameter than is typically used, the
FDA said in a news release.
Adverse reactions to the newly approved device were similar to
those of larger endograft devices, affecting the blood, lymphatic,
cardiac, gastrointestinal and pulmonary systems.
More information
The FDA has more about
this approval.