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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New Procedure Designed to Help Safely Open Blocked Carotid Arteries Less Invasively September 17, 2013 – Austin, Texas – Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons is the first in Texas to enroll patients in the ROADSTER Study, a global, multicenter clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of the Silk Road™ System for the treatment of carotid artery disease.  Dr. Mazin Foteh and Dr. Jeffrey Apple, board-certified vascular surgeons, performed the procedure on two patients. Every year, more than 300,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with blockages, or plaques, in their carotid artery.  If left untreated, these [...]

For John “Chip” Oswalt, M.D. In 1967, Dr. Donald Ross, an accomplished surgeon in England, was the first surgeon to perform an effective aortic valve replacement as an alternative to the traditional mechanical valve being used. Ten years ago, John “Chip” Oswalt, M.D., an accomplished surgeon in Austin, Texas, became the first in the state to perform this same aortic valve replacement procedure. Dr. Oswalt says, “It’s an ideal operation because it doesn’t place anything inside that obstructs flow. It’s very physiologic in that manner.” Known as the “Ross Procedure,” this complex operation takes about three hours to perform [...]

Heart Association Names Oswalt Cardiac Provider of the Year The American Heart Association, Capital Area Division, honored John D. Oswalt, M.D., as the 1999 Cardiac Care Provider of the Year at the third annual Heart Ball. One of Dr. Oswalt’s patients, Wendy Podwalny, delivered the presentation and described Dr. Oswalt as a skilled surgeon who demonstrated compassion and comfort when she needed it most. “Dr. Oswalt is confidently skilled, and you trust him with that confidence. He is very compassionate and keenly interested in me as a patient,” said Wendy. “He even chased my husband down in the parking lot [...]

Advancing Treatment of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms Minimizes Surgical Trauma Dr. Joe Wells First in Hays County to Treat AAA with Endovascular Graft KYLE, TX – (July 29, 2010) – Dr. Joe Wells, a vascular surgeon with Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons, completed the first minimally invasive procedure for abdominal aortic aneurysms, using an endovascular stent graft, in Hays County. The operation was performed at Seton Medical Center Hays (SMCH) , a member of the Seton Family of Hospitals. Each year approximately 200,000 new cases of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are diagnosed. An AAA, a bulge in the aorta, can rupture with [...]

Dr. Eric Hoenicke Performs First Thoracic Procedure in Austin with da Vinci® Robotic Surgical System AUSTIN, Texas—On June 23, 2010, Dr. Eric Hoenicke became the first surgeon in Austin to use the da Vinci® Robotic Surgical System for a thoracic (chest) procedure. The da Vinci® Robotic Surgical System was used to perform a thymectomy, which is a surgical procedure in which the thymus gland—located in the chest—is removed. He performed the surgery at St. David’s South Austin Medical Center. “Several approaches are available to surgically remove the thymus gland, the most common being a sternotomy, or open-chest, approach,” Eric Hoenicke, [...]

June 30th, 2009 (Austin, TX) Dr. Scott A. Seidel, M.D. F.A.C.S. and Dr. Phillip J. Church, M.D. F.A.C.S., both Vascular Surgeons with Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons, P.A. (CTVS), recently volunteered to fill slots in the surgery rotation of Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany where soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan are treated. Dr. Seidel volunteered January 31 – February 14, 2009 and Dr. Church volunteered June 6 – June 21, 2009. During the two-week rotation, civilian vascular surgery volunteers provide clinical and educational expertise to enhance the delivery of sophisticated, state-of-the-art care in [...]

GoodHealth.com – August 13, 2008 Not many people have aortic aneurysms, but those who do have a high risk of dying from them. The aorta is the main artery that carries blood from the heart to all the rest of the body. An aneurysm is a weak spot in the artery wall that can balloon out, thin the tissue and possibly rupture. Of those who suffer a ruptured aortic aneurysm, 50 percent die before they get to the hospital and a significant additional number may die during treatment or in recovery. Luckily for many today, aortic aneurysms often are discovered [...]

Local nonprofit helped 11-year-old fix hole in heart By M.T. Elliott AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Sunday, October 07, 2007 The young Tibetan monk traded his customary maroon and gold robe for blue pajamas Tuesday morning and followed a nurse down a hallway at Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin. After waiting four years, 11-year-old Norbu Tulku was about to have the hole in his heart fixed. Getting here took the combined efforts of a host of people and nonprofits who banded together to arrange Norbu’s first plane trip, a series of flights from Nepal to Austin; coordinate individual benefactors and organizations who [...]

GoodHealth.com – May 4, 2007 Like 30 percent of the American population, many Central Texans suffer from varicose veins – ropy, distended sometimes discolored veins that are close to the skin’s surface. Generally they are the result of aging, a family history of the condition or obesity. Women suffer more often than men because it is believed that hormonal changes, birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy and pregnancy increase their likelihood. “Varicose veins are twisted or enlarged veins that result from weakness in the valves that are supposed to prevent blood from pooling in the extremities due to gravity. When [...]