LAKELAND, Fla. – Lakeland Regional Health has achieved a major milestone in cardiovascular care, becoming the first hospital in Florida to perform a highly specialized procedure using a customized medical device to repair a complex section of the body’s largest artery without traditional open-chest surgery.

Earlier this month, a team of cardiovascular surgeons and interventional radiology specialists performed Florida’s first physician-modified endograft total aortic repair using the GORE TAG Thoracic Branch Endoprosthesis (TBE) with a fully percutaneous, pre-cannulated technique.

The aorta is the body’s largest artery, carrying blood from the heart to the rest of the body. The aortic arch is a particularly complex area to treat because three major arteries branch from it, supplying blood to the brain, head, neck and arms.

Rather than opening the patient’s chest, physicians customized a specialized stent graft, a fabric-covered tube designed to reinforce the artery from within. The team created two precisely positioned openings in the device to maintain blood flow to all three major arteries. The repair was performed through small needle punctures, avoiding the need for traditional open surgery.

“This procedure allows us to offer patients with complex aortic conditions a treatment option without traditional open surgery,” said Dr. Mohammed Hassan, a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon at Lakeland Regional Health. “For eligible patients, that can mean less blood loss, a shorter hospital stay and a faster recovery. It’s especially significant for high-risk patients who may not have otherwise been candidates for surgery.”

The procedure required extensive planning, technical precision and close collaboration among cardiovascular surgeons, interventional radiologists, nurses, technologists and other clinical team members.

For patients facing complex aortic conditions, the ability to perform highly specialized, minimally invasive procedures may expand treatment options, particularly for those considered at higher risk for traditional open surgery.

This achievement represents an important advancement in Lakeland Regional Health’s cardiovascular capabilities and reinforces its commitment to bringing sophisticated, specialized care to patients in Polk County and surrounding communities.