How Hoag’s Aortic team intervened just in time
Often silent in their development, aortic aneurysms are among the most dangerous medical conditions. When the body’s largest artery weakens and begins to dilate, the risk of rupture can escalate rapidly, turning an undetected condition into a medical emergency.
“Once a rupture occurs, the risk of fatality becomes extremely high, so quick and timely care becomes the biggest factor in prevention and survival,” says Dr. Allen Murga, a vascular surgeon at Hoag’s Jeffrey M. Carlton Heart & Vascular Institute.
For Steve Agnello, 69, one symptom had become increasingly difficult to ignore.
“I was having terrible constipation, which is such a common issue for so many that I ignored it,” he says.
Steve eventually met with his primary care physician.
“He told me to go to Hoag and get a CT scan immediately.”
Home to the Elaine & Robert Matranga Aortic Center, Hoag provides a swift, multidisciplinary approach to diagnosing and treating complex aortic conditions.
Within an hour of Steve’s arrival, a CT scan revealed two abdominal aortic aneurysms with signs of impending rupture.
“It was terrifying,” Steve recalls. “The staff immediately contacted Dr. Murga, who dropped everything when he learned of my case. Within minutes of his arrival, I was in surgery.”
Thanks to advanced medical technology available at Hoag, most treatments of aortic aneurysms are minimally invasive.
“These procedures are done endovascularly, meaning they are performed within the blood vessels and without large incisions, allowing for a much smoother recovery,” Dr. Murga says. “In Steve’s case, we made two small incisions in the groin and went through the femoral arteries. We then positioned stent grafts so that blood flow was directed through the stents, excluding the aneurysm and preventing a rupture.”
A week following the two-and-a-half-hour procedure, Steve was cleared to travel to Hawaii for a wedding—an outcome he attributes to the prompt and efficient response of Dr. Murga and the rest of the Aortic Center’s team.
“My situation was incredibly dire and lethal,” he says. “There was no margin for error, and because everything was done impeccably, I’m here to tell the story.”
