Vascular Surgeon Dr. Joel Johnson Performs First ever procedure in U.P.

On March 1st at Bell Hospital, Dr. Joel Johnson and his surgical team performed the first Percutaneous Endovascular Admoninal Aortic Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) in the UP. The technique allowed vascular surgeon Dr. Joel Johnson to repair the aortic aneurysm in a patient by performing two small groin (under 1/4) incisions through which a graft is inserted into the aorta. The graft is held in place by stents similar to those used to open blockages in blood vessels. The graft prevents blood from leaking into the aneurysm and enlarging it. The clear advantage of Percutaneous Endovascular AAA repair is that a large abdominal incision is avoided and allows patients to recover much faster.

Dr. Johnson was thrilled with the first ever procedure in the Upper Peninsula. “Our initial experience with a total percutaneous EVAR indicates that a high degree of success can be achieved with devices in each femoral artery”, stated Dr. Johnson. “We believe that the attention to appropriate femoral anatomy and precise access positioning are critical to achieving these results”, added Dr. Johnson.

The patient, Jules Rivard, 87, of Manistique, was resting comfortably shortly after the procedure. “Dr. Johnson is a great doctor”, stated Rivard. “And the Bell nurses are great too. I wasn’t nervous, because I knew Dr. Johnson and the nurses would take good care of me”.

Bells Chief Operating Officer Scott Tuma was equally satisfied. “This is yet another testament to the level of advanced technology currently available at Bell, stated Tuma. Its exciting to see the evolution of Bell into a technologically advanced surgical center”.

For more information on the the procedures offered by Dr. Johnson, contact his offices at 225-7701.