Aortica Appoints Three New Members to Scientific Advisory Board

Aortica Corporation has recently appointed three new members to its Scientific Advisory Board, increasing the number of board members from three to six. These physicians join Drs. Frank J. Veith, Juan C. Parodi, and Stéphan Haulon, all of whom are currently serving on the board.
 
Aortica’s new Scientific Advisory Board members are Drs. Timothy Resch, chairman at the Vascular Center in Malmö; Zachary M. Arthurs, chief of vascular surgery at San Antonio Military Medical Center (Texas); and Matthew Eagleton, vascular surgery director at Cleveland Clinic (Ohio). “All three of our newest board members are thought leaders and experts in the field of vascular surgery and bring talent, expertise and experience to the table,” said Aortica CEO Tom Douthitt. “We are very fortunate to have them on our team as we continue our commitment to simplifying Fenestrated EVAR (FEVAR) and advancing the science of personalized vascular therapy.”
 
Resch took an early interest in vascular surgery and endovascular techniques and started working with Professor Krassi Ivancev in 1995. After finishing his general surgery residency, he completed the Margret A. Smith fellowship in aortic surgery under the guidance of Dr. Roy Greenberg. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in the field of vascular surgery and has been an investigator in several endovascular aortic repair trials.
 
Arthurs is a well-respected general and vascular surgeon at the busiest inpatient medical facility in the U.S. Department of Defense. He is skilled in endovascular techniques to treat vascular trauma as well as aortic aneurysms and incorporates advanced imaging modalities in his practice.
 
Eagleton is a vascular surgeon in the Department of Vascular Surgery of the Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart and Vascular Institute at Cleveland Clinic. Eagleton’s special interests include endovascular and open surgery for complex aortic disease including aortic aneurysms and aortic dissection, aneurysm pathogenesis, pediatric and congenital vascular disease and vessel wall matrix remodeling.
 
“Aortica made a pledge to recruit world-class, talented physicians to our board,” Douthitt explained. “We feel extremely lucky to have the leadership expertise and experience that our board brings to the table. This team has already made enormous contributions, and I am confident they will continue to help our efforts to build value for our AortaFit technology platforms.”
 
Each year approximately 525,000 people worldwide are diagnosed with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). An aneurysm is a large bulge in the aorta (the largest artery in the human body). It can gradually expand over time—without any symptoms—until it bursts, causing massive internal bleeding that results in death if not treated at a specialized center immediately. For years, major open surgery was the only treatment option, which is risky due to its complicated nature and because it carries a 3 percent mortality rate within 30 days of surgery.
 
In the 1990’s, a new technique for controlling aneurysms was developed using a graft inserted through the femoral arteries. This technique is called endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). EVAR is significantly less invasive than open surgery and is associated with a mortality rate six times lower. Patients recover faster, leave the hospital sooner, and return to activities of normal daily life more quickly. Consequently, EVAR has become the gold standard for treatment of AAA disease. Unfortunately, approximately 40 percent of patients are not candidates for EVAR because their aortic anatomy is structured in a manner that does not allow an endograft to be anchored properly without blocking blood flow to vital organs. These patients face either open surgery or may be treated sub-optimally with standard EVAR. FEVAR involves placing reinforced, radiopaque holes (or fenestrations) in the endograft that align with branch arteries. This allows the physician to place the graft higher up in the aortic anatomy allowing for reliable anchoring and secure seal, while preserving blood flow to vital organs.
 
Aortica Corporation was founded to design, manufacture, and market tools for treatment of patients with AAA disease who have aortic anatomy that limits their treatment options. Aortica is dedicated to simplifying Fenestrated EVAR (FEVAR), and advancing the science of personalized vascular therapy. The company is based in Bellevue, Wash.