#10 "Hybrid" Graft Technologies to Support the Evolution of Aortic Treatment

Stent graft application to expand
possibilities for aortic treatment

The heart pumps oxygen-rich blood through the aorta, the largest artery in the body that branches out supplying oxygenated blood to the brain, arms and the rest of the body. Due to ageing, smoking and genetic factors, an aortic aneurysm (an abnormally large bulge of the artery causing a weakness), or aortic dissection (tear in the vessel wall) may occur in the aorta. Aortic disease is very serious and can result in the blood vessel rupturing and perhaps lead to a person dying if left untreated. The treatment of aortic disease depends on avoiding rupture by preventing the growth of aneurysms and the progression of dissection.

Open surgery is still one of the main methods of treatment today preventing rupture by replacing the diseased part of the aorta with a surgical graft. Cardiothoracic surgery has a long history of more than 50 years, and it is a technique that has shown stable results in many studies. Alternatively, interventional procedures, which can be performed in a minimally invasive manner (with less physical stress to the patient), have been increasing in recent years. During this treatment, a compacted stent graft contained within a catheter is inserted through an artery in the leg without opening the chest. The stent graft is placed and expanded in the diseased aortic procedure to prevent the aneurysm from increasing in size or the dissection increasing in severity. This procedure is minimally invasive compared with open cardiothoracic surgery resulting in a shorter hospital stay and faster post-operative recovery.

Hybrid technology to help support
improved patient outcomes

There are occasions when the nature of aortic disease requires treatment to be undertaken over two-stages several months apart. In 2012, Terumo Aortic (part of Terumo’s Cardiac and Vascular Company), developed the world’s first branched hybrid stent graft combining a stent with a conventional surgical graft allowing treatment in a single procedure. The company received the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise^* in 2016 in the innovation category for this unique life-changing device.

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The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise is an awards programmed for British businesses recognizing success in one of four categories and is the highest official UK award for British businesses.

Although our unique hybrid stent graft allows treatment of the aortic arch, Terumo Aortic will continue to further develop products for less invasive procedures. Our aim is to deliver the most comprehensive device portfolio within the aortic space, integrating personalized solutions to treat individual anatomies with complex aortic diseases.

Terumo Aortic, transforming the treatment of
aortic disease and delivering solutions that
address every segment of every aorta

Terumo Aortic comprises of two companies integrated in April 2018, namely Vascutek Ltd. and Bolton Medical Inc. Vascutek has been part of Terumo Corporation since 2002 and Bolton Medical was acquired in 2017. Terumo Aortic’s vision is the continued development of innovative and unique products to facilitate the evolution of new surgical, hybrid and endovascular techniques, integrating custom solutions to treat complex aortic pathologies, and deliver the most comprehensive device portfolio in the aortic space. The company is further complementing its implantable device portfolio through the development of digital technologies.