Patient Name
Sarah Nuttman
Lead Surgeon
Mr Eshan Senanayake
Associate Involvement
Donna Abbott, Luke Smith
Product(s)
Thoracoflo
Condition
Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Treatment
Frozen Elephant Trunk
Sarah Nuttman
I'm 35 years old and I was born with Marfan Syndrome
At age 35, Sarah describes herself as a “veteran of aortic surgery”, having been diagnosed with the genetic connective tissue disorder Marfan Syndrome at birth. Throughout her childhood Sarah had regular appointments with various medical professionals, including a cardiologist, and at age 13 received her first major open heart surgery.
Since then, Sarah has undergone multiple surgeries due to further dissections and problems, including the implantation of a Frozen Elephant Trunk in 2016. In late 2023 Sarah required surgery to treat a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm, and was offered the opportunity to become the first patient in the UK to be treated via a new technique of using a Terumo Aortic Thoracoflo™ device. Sarah described her decision to accept this approach as “no-brainer”.
The Thoracoflo™ hybrid device is made bespoke to each individual and is designed to reduce the risk of the complications associated with the traditional use of an open thoracotomy and extracorporeal circulation in patients like me.
Having recovered well, we had the pleasure of welcoming Sarah to Terumo Aortic Glasgow twice in 2024, once for Patient’s Day and previously in September during a group visit of patients from around the world who have had their lives transformed by our devices. These opportunities for Sarah to meet several Associates involved in the creation of her device have been remarkable, and we thank everyone involved for making these events happen.
While no major surgery is easy, the benefits of the new procedure were almost immediately obvious to me. Having not been on bypass, my mind and lungs were clearer than after any of my previous surgeries. The incision was only abdominal, so moving around was less difficult and monitoring the wound has been easier.
Disclaimer
The content, discussion and opinions expressed on this page are those of the patient and may not be reflective of the approved indications for use of the device, which may also differ by region. Please consult eifu.terumoaortic.com for product indications, contraindications and warnings/precautions.
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