GEORGE ARNAOUTAKIS, M.D.
Over the past year, more than a dozen preeminent surgeons and specialists have come to Austin to be part of an integrated, comprehensive adult cardiovascular institute, taking shape with the emergence of the new University of Texas Medical Center.
Leading the charge is a pioneer in cardiac care innovation.
It’s the middle of the night in early 2023. About 100 miles outside of Austin, a woman presents to her local emergency room with complications from an aortic dissection — a tear within the body’s largest artery. Because she had previously undergone two open-heart surgeries, the local emergency team needed additional specialists to address such a high-risk case.
If the patient had come in just a few months prior, she would have had to find a specialist many hours away who could see her, and time is of the essence: Without prompt surgery, 90% of patients who experience aortic dissection die within weeks.
But in January, George Arnaoutakis, M.D., arrived in Austin to establish the Adult Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at Dell Medical School, and provide care at the Institute for Cardiovascular Health — a clinical partnership between Ascension Seton and UT Health Austin. With Arnaoutakis, a globally recognized leader in aortic surgery, now a short helicopter flight away, the patient was flown to Austin overnight and successfully operated on by Arnaoutakis’ team.
“That patient is doing really well, and we also found out that her family member has the same genetic disorder she has, so we successfully performed preventive surgery on him this fall as well,” says Arnaoutakis. “The tremendous growth of the population here in Central Texas means that millions of people stand to benefit from the very specialized expertise we’ve attracted here at the institute in just the last six months, including for aortic disease.” Since Arnaoutakis’ arrival, thoracic aortic procedures have increased over 400% while quality metrics have improved — including lower mortality rates, less time on a ventilator after heart surgery, lower risk of kidney failure and fewer hospital readmissions.
Unique to the program is its integration with the Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease, established in 2018. “We find that more and more people are outliving what would have just been pediatric heart cases in the past, and here we have a team who can support people through their whole lives.”
Pioneering Advanced Techniques
Access to surgery is one thing. But access to cutting-edge clinical trials for better, safer surgery is a whole new window of opportunity that has opened for Central Texans with the arrival of Arnataoukis, who has been a national leader in clinical trials for cardiac devices. Notably, he is credited with early use of a dual-branch aortic endograft, which allows surgeons to repair aortic aneurysms without open heart surgery, and has personally implanted more than any other surgeon in the U.S.
“Being part of Dell Medical School is key to making this program what it is,” says Arnaoutakis. “With our academic partners, we’re very focused on and already taking advantage of the opportunity to open trials, including feasibility studies — the earliest phase of technology evaluation for devices. These are opportunities that did not exist with any widespread opportunity for cardiac surgery in Central Texas, previously, and we now have a team of national leaders who can support a wide range of innovations at Dell Med.”