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PRESS RELEASE: 20 January 2005

Addenbrooke’s research team win award for safer surgical technique

A research team from Addenbrooke’s Hospital has won a prestigious award for pioneering a technique that makes surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysms safer. The team’s work was recently acknowledged at the Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland Annual Meeting where they picked up the society’s highest research award, the Sol Cohen Founder’s Prize.

The research investigated whether a technique called ‘remote ischaemic preconditioning’ could be used to reduce damage to the heart in patients undergoing major surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm, an enlargement of the lower part of the aorta that extends through the abdominal area. The aorta is the main blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body, and an aortic aneurysm can rupture, causing life-threatening bleeding. During surgery the aorta has to be clamped, temporarily cutting off the blood supply to the lower half of the body. This puts a significant strain on the heart, which can result in heart attacks during the surgery or just after, and can also cause death. Using the ‘remote ischaemic preconditioning’ technique, the arteries to the legs are clamped for ten minutes and the clamps then removed one leg at a time before clamping the whole aorta. This is to give the heart time to adapt before the main clamp is applied.

Mr Michael Gaunt, Consultant Vascular Surgeon (centre), and his team carrying out an abdominal aortic aneursym repair

The results of the work at Addenbrooke’s carried out by vascular surgeons, anaesthetists, a cardiologist and other researchers showed that the technique dramatically reduced the amount of heart damage and the incidence of heart attacks at the time of surgery, so making the operation safer.

Presenting the award, Professor Peter Harris, President of the Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland, described the research as, “Exceptional and likely to have a profound effect on the practise of aortic surgery.”

Mr Michael Gaunt, Consultant Vascular Surgeon, who headed the award-winning team, said: “ We are delighted that our research has been acknowledged in this way, and the work is continuing. This is a simple technique which dramatically reduces the
chance of suffering heart damage during major aortic surgery and is already influencing clinical practice.”

Notes to editors

• Around 80-90 aortic aneurysm repairs a year are carried out at Addenbrooke's Hospital.

• Abdominal aortic aneurysms affect approximately 2-3% of men over the age of 65 and about 1% of women.

• If an abdominal aortic aneurysm is left untreated, it can burst causing bleeding and in 90% of these cases, the patient will die.
  

  For further press/media information contact: PR & Communications Department, Box 53, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2QQ; Tel: 01223 274 433; Fax: 01223 257 143; Minicom: 01223 274 604.