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Cleveland Clinic-trained endovascular surgeon brings the future of medicine to Northwest Indiana
Bobbie Reid suffered from aortic occlusive disease causing poor blood flow to her legs and pelvis. Her aorta, the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the branch arteries that distribute blood throughout the body, had narrowed to only 25 percent of its normal size. With blood flow so greatly reduced, Reid’s pelvic organs and legs were threatened. She could not walk without crippling pain.
Reid and her family thought her options were few. She could have traditional surgery to replace the aorta with a synthetic material or she could let her condition run its course and potentially lose both of her legs or worse yet have a debilitating stroke or die. At 76 years old, the Michigan City resident felt she had lived a good life and was ready to play the hand she was dealt when it came to her health. Traditional surgery with its incision from chest to pubic bone was not an option she would consider.
After a recommendation from a podiatrist, Reid saw Eugene Tanquilut, D.O., a vascular and endovascular surgeon. She recalls that Dr. Tanquilut told her, “You have a choice. You can stay the way you are and live with the pain or you can take a chance.”
Equipped with his training from world-renowned Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Eugene Tanquilut knew he could improve Reid’s blood flow using endovascular surgical techniques. After evaluating Reid’s condition, Tanquilut advised her that with only a two-inch incision, he could use a tiny catheter to perform the surgery to open the narrowing artery from within.
“There are many advantages to endovascular surgery,” according to Tanquilut. “Not only can the patient expect less pain and a faster recovery, but there is less risk involved because it is less invasive and does not require general anesthesia.”
With less risk for the patient, reduced recovery time, less discomfort, and only local anesthesia, Reid was happy to pursue the endovascular option. “If there is no quality of life, I don’t think it is worth living,” she said.
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