Bassett Medical Center Performs Network’s First TAMBE® Procedure to Treat Aortic Aneurysm

Minimally Invasive Treatment Can Dramatically Reduce Hospitalization and Recovery Time  

The vascular surgery team at Bassett Medical Center successfully completed Bassett Healthcare Network’s first GORE® EXCLUDER® Thoracoabdominal Branch Endoprosthesis (TAMBE) procedure in October 2025. 

The procedure was made possible through the use of Bassett Medical Center’s state-of-the-art hybrid operating room (OR).

TAMBE, which received FDA approval in 2024, is an innovative development in the treatment of complex aortic aneurysms, which can be potentially life threatening. The aorta is the largest artery in the body, responsible for supplying oxygenated blood to the cardiovascular system. An aneurysm can form when a weak area or bulge develops in an artery’s wall. If untreated, an aneurysm could burst, leading to internal bleeding, or cause blood clots that can impact the flow of blood.

TAMBE is an all-in-one, branched device that is implanted to treat the aneurysm. After the patient is under anesthesia, it is inserted into the body through a small incision and, through the use of needle punctures and imaging, is guided into place. Once in place, the vascular surgeon opens its portals so that graft extensions go into vessels to the lungs, intestines, and kidneys. These grafts open the artery and bolster its walls.

“This is a real advancement in the treatment of these types of aneurysms. 20 years ago, these procedures would require large incisions in the chest and abdomen, which came with a significant rate of mortality and risk of complications,” explains Shelby Cooper, MD, MPH, Chief of Vascular Surgery at Bassett Healthcare Network. “Patients would typically be hospitalized for approximately two weeks and have rehabilitation after they were discharged. This procedure reduces that time to only a few days and can often remove rehab as a necessity. The patient who underwent this procedure went home after just a couple of days and is doing well.”

Bassett Medical Center’s hybrid OR combines a traditional operating room with a complete angiography lab. An angiography lab is a specialized area where tests and procedures are performed to diagnose and treat diseases and conditions impacting the heart, arteries, and veins. It opened in January 2024 and has since expedited care, reduced the need for some patients to be transferred to other hospitals, and allowed for more complex procedures to be performed in one place and time, including this TAMBE procedure.

Dr. Shelby Cooper stands in Bassett Medical Center’s hybrid operating room where the TAMBE procedure was completed.