Custom-Made Stent Resolves a Complex Aortic Aneurysm
August 13, 2024
Kathy Seigler is a 68-year-old Sherman resident and retired food service supervisor for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. In April 2013, she suffered a heart attack, and during the procedure to place a stent in her heart, physicians discovered she also had an aortic aneurysm.
Seigler was told that due to several health complications, it would be difficult to find a stent that would work for her. The walls of her aortic artery were hardened from smoking, and she already suffered from general vascular disease. Additionally, her lungs were considered not strong enough for her to be a candidate for traditional open-aortic surgery.
Monitoring the condition for nearly ten years
For these reasons, Seigler’s cardiovascular physician told her they could only keep an eye on it for the time being. She went in for annual CAT scans and ultrasounds for nearly a decade. “I would have stomach pain every once in a while. Walking was also difficult because of pain in my hips and shortness of breath,” Seigler says. “I couldn’t even mow my lawn anymore, so I had to get a riding mower.”
Her cardiovascular physician eventually left the area, and Seigler was referred to vascular surgeon Shonda Banegas, DO, at TexomaCare-Vascular Surgery. It was at this time that her treatment shifted from monitoring the condition to resolving it once and for all.
Developing a treatment plan to resolve the issue
Over the decade of monitoring Seigler’s aneurysm, it had grown to the point that it required treatment, despite the risks caused by her underlying health conditions. “It’s recommended that we perform surgery once an aneurysm reaches a size of 5 centimeters in women,” Dr. Banegas explains. “Kathy’s was a little bigger than that at this time.”
“Dr. Banegas wasted no time. On my first visit, she told me we were going to fix it,” Sigler says. “I was nervous about treatment, but I was also relieved at the thought of being able to go on walks with my granddaughter. I had spent so long constantly worrying it might rupture. I thought one day I might lift something too heavy, it would rupture and someone would find me dead.”
“She helped me feel more comfortable. My two nieces came with me to my second visit because they are in the medical field and have a better understanding of medical terms,” Seigler says. “Dr. Banegas spent 45 minutes answering all their questions and drawing diagrams on a white board so we knew exactly what she would be doing.”
Customized stent made by hand in Australia
Dr. Banegas’ treatment plan was to have a stent custom-made for Seigler’s anatomy and health conditions. “We took a CAT scan to map out her anatomy. Because her condition required the aorta to be repaired higher up than usual, we devised a series of six stents, including the custom-made one, to seal off the aneurysm,” Dr. Banegas says. “We sent the mapping and design to the factory in Australia, where the stent was made by hand. We received the finished product about a month later.”
The surgery was performed on March 29. Dr. Banegas first placed lithotripsy balloons into the aorta to open it up and fracture the hardened plaque on the artery walls. This not only made it easier to place the stents, but also promoted better blood flow to treat Seigler’s underlying conditions. Dr. Banegas then placed the six stents, one of them custom-made, during a procedure that was completed in approximately four hours.
Recovering after a complex procedure
After her surgery, Seigler recovered in the ICU for five days. Her blood pressure and oxygen levels had dropped, so she was put on an oxygen tank and IV. “I was very tired coming out of surgery, but I also felt a huge sense of relief that it was over. My hip pain was almost immediately gone,” Seigler says. “They had me up and walking a couple times a day before I was able to go home.”
Once she returned home, Seigler remained on oxygen and underwent physical therapy for two weeks. “They had me walk up and down the stairs, up and down my driveway and had me do balancing tests,” she says. “I also had a home health nurse check on me twice a week for three or four weeks.”
Although her recovery has been difficult, Seigler can walk much farther now than before her surgery. “I couldn’t even walk a block before this procedure. Now I can park far back in the parking lot when I go grocery shopping,” she says. “I get to go out on walks with my granddaughter now and play with her in the yard. I’m much more at peace than I was before.”
Credit to medical advances and a doctor who cares
Dr. Banegas credits modern technology for enabling Seigler to undergo a complex surgery she would not have been a candidate for otherwise. “She’s been doing well ever since. Her family says she hasn’t had this much energy in years,” she says. “She even quit smoking.” Dr. Banegas will also be performing a surgery in September to remove a blockage in Seigler’s neck that was noticed during her pre-op screening.
Regarding her experience, Seigler says, “I hope that people who need this type of procedure end up with Dr. Banegas. I can’t say enough good things about her. She makes you feel like more than just another patient. She takes the time to laugh with you and make you feel like the most important thing in the world. She is just amazing.”