New technology makes saving hearts from aneurysm possible

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Aneurysms have been described as a ticking time bomb inside the body that can burst at any second. An aortic aneurysm happens when the main artery in the heart balloons.

They can sometimes be extremely difficult, even impossible, to remove. Now with new technology, doctors at UCLA say they successfully saved a man's heart and his voice, too.

Radio DJ Sandy Fagin talks all day, every day; it's his job. But last year, doctors told Fagin he had an aneurysm the size of a tennis ball growing near his heart. Repairing it would be tricky and could affect his voice.

"There was that possibility that I would lose this voice. That, I didn't want!" Fagin said.

Surgeons at UCLA used a two-part approach to treat the aneurysm. First, they re-routed circulation by connecting Fagin's right carotid artery to two nearby arteries.

"There's a nerve that goes to the vocal cords, to the voice box, that runs very, very close to the carotid arteries," said William Quinones-Baldrich, MD, Professor of Vascular Surgery at UCLA Medical Center.

They had to carefully protect Fagin's vocal cords to prevent permanent damage. Then, they placed a stent in the heart to block blood flow to the aneurysm and stop the risk of a rupture.

A few months later, Fagin's aneurysm shrank by several millimeters and he's back in the booth with no damage to his voice.

"If I had to [whisper], I wouldn't be the same person," Fagin said.

His aneurysm is expected to continue to shrink. He was back to work just a couple of weeks after surgery.

Doctors say just a few years ago, patients like Fagin didn't have many options. Newer methods and technology have made it possible for them to operate on aneurysms like Fagin's.