Dr. Richard Freeman met with Senate Majority Leader Frist in Washington, D.C. in September, 2005 while lobbying on behalf of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Dr. Frist is a cardiothoracic surgeon.

New Minimally Invasive Investigational Treatment Available for Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm - first case done in January 2005



CorVasc is one of 35 sites around the country – and the only site in Indiana – participating in the STARZ-TX2 trial (Study of Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Repair with the Zenith TX2 Thoracic TAA Endovascular Graft). This is a national study in which an endograft system is inserted in the groin, guided into position through a patient’s arteries under fluoroscopy, and placed inside the weakened section of the thoracic aorta to relieve pressure on the aneurysm. The first patient underwent this procedure in January of 2005. She returned to work two weeks later as a certified public accountant. (See entire article).

CorVasc is accepting patients for the STARZ-TX2 trial. For more information on eligibility requirements, please contact Dr. Katharine Krol or Dr. John Fehrenbacher at info@corvascmds.com.

More information about STARZ-TX2 and thoracic aortic aneurysms is available at www.starz-tx2.com.

Note: The Zenith TX2 Thoracic TAA Endovascular Graft is an investigational device, limited by federal (U.S.A.) law to investigational use.

Carotid Artery Stenting

	Dr. Krol

Carotid artery stenting was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2004. Medicare does not currently cover carotid artery stenting unless it’s done as part of an FDA approved clinical research trial. CorVasc MD’s and St.Vincent Hospital are participating in these FDA approved clinical trials. The trials focus on patients who are higher than normal risk for the traditional surgery to open the vessel (carotid endarterectomy). Carotid artery stenting is recommended for patients who cannot undergo an endarterectomy for reasons such as inability to tolerate anesthesia or anatomy that makes surgery more risky. The FDA has approved one stent system for carotid stenting, and the approval is only for those patients who are higher risk with surgery. It is expected that Medicare will change their policy and allow payment for this procedure in high-risk patients around March 2005. (See entire article).

For more information regarding carotid artery stenting, please contact Dr. Katharine Krol, CorVasc MD’s Director of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, at info@corvascmds.com, or call Donna or Cindy at (317) 338.6826 or toll free: 800.821.6359.
 

	Randy Irwin, M.D., helped put Joe Smith’s leg pain to rest with the innovative gene therapy technique.

Gene Therapy

Gene therapy or angiogenesis is a new innovative treatment in clinical research trials for lower extremity peripheral vascular disease (PVD), a condition in which arteries in the legs are blocked.

Peripheral vascular disease causes claudication or intense cramping or pain in the legs with walking even a short distance.

According to Dr. Randy Irwin, CorVasc MD’s vascular specialist, during gene therapy treatment, a gene that stimulates growth of new blood vessels is injected into the thighs and calves.

The new blood vessels create a natural bypass for blood, restoring proper flow. This leading edge treatment is an alternative to open surgical bypass procedures or balloon angioplasties using stent or mesh devices to open clogged arteries.

It may take three weeks to three months for results following the gene injections.
 

Gene Therapy - As Described in Health & Life Magazine, Summer 2004

Full Article
It's in the genes [1.1 meg]

For more information regarding gene therapy for leg pain due to claudication, contact Dr. Irwin at: info@corvascmds.com

Hyperhidrosis - As Described in Health & Life Magazine, Summer 2004

The average person has to work up a sweat, but about 2 million Americans perspire excessively without lifting a finger. They have a condition called hyperhidrosis-extreme sweating of the hands, underarms and/or face.

I've seen the condition devastate teens preparing for prom, musicians and others," says Richard Freeman, M.D., director of thoracic surgery at St.Vincent Indianapolis Hospital. "The sweating makes even basic activities like holding a pen impossible."

Dr. Freeman, however, has pioneered a minimally invasive procedure offering a lifelong cure. Called Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Sympathectomy (VATS), the out-patient procedure places patients under general anesthesia while the surgeon makes 5-millimeter incisions on each side of the chest. "A tiny camera goes into one incision and a cauterizing device goes in the other," explains Dr. Freeman. "Guided by the camera's images, we can burn the nerves that trigger the problem."

In the past, surgeons made three 1-inch incisions and snipped the nerves, so patients had three-week recovery periods. "This new procedure," says Dr. Freeman, "wipes out the problem with less recoveiy time." For more information regarding hyperhidrosis treatment, contact Dr. Richard Freeman at info@corvascmds.com.