BARD helps patients improve their quality of life. Click a story to learn how BARD solutions helped these individuals.
Vascular Patient Story
Paul Harper could barely walk 10 yards—much less put his thoroughbred through his paces—after he began to suffer from atrial fibrillation in 2005 at the age of 42. Three rounds of cardioversion therapy failed to improve his quality of life, and by April 2008, he was in declining health and desperate for a lasting solution.
The solution came in the form of the BARD® HD mesh ablation system, which delivers pulsed radiofrequency energy to the openings of the pulmonary veins, creating lesions that eradicate the heart arrhythmia. Today, he’s free of atrial fibrillation, and back to preparing Glen Orchy Lad for another season on the racing circuit.
Note: The BARD® HD mesh ablation system is commercially available only in the European Union. Caution: Investigational device. Limited by U.S. law to investigational use.
Oncology Patient Story
Surgical Patient Story
Not long after Martha Aranzana had successful surgery to remove a painful kidney stone, she began to notice discomfort in the same part of her body. This time, she was diagnosed with a flank hernia, which occurred when her intestine pushed through a weakening in the abdominal wall caused by her prior surgical incision. Because the presence of ribs and other bone structure in the area limits the ability to anchor the mesh in place, her surgeon elected to reinforce the area, affixing an 8 cm x 12 cm VENTRIO® Hernia Patch to her abdominal wall using the innovative SORBAFIX™ Absorbable Fixation System. Conventional tacks or sutures may cause scar tissue to adhere to the fixation points, potentially causing uncomfortable irritation in the patient. The absorbable tacks in the SORBAFIX™ Absorbable Fixation System dissolve over time, while the body’s own tissue grows into the mesh patch to create a firm, durable and more comfortable repair.
Because the procedure was performed laparoscopically, Martha went home the same day, and was back at work a few weeks later. She resumed exercising as well. “It feels like I never had a hernia to begin with,” she smiles.
When recurring pain in his calf began to slow him down, Andy Anderson knew it was time to seek medical attention. His physician explained that the pain was caused by Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)—in this case, a narrowing of the superficial femoral artery (SFA) that restricted blood flow to the lower leg. “I was surprised to find out that the problem was up here,” says Andy, indicating his upper leg, “since I felt the pain down in my calf.”
Andy was an ideal candidate for placement of BARD’s LIFESTENT® Vascular Stent, the only such product approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for use in the SFA and proximal popliteal arteries. Accessing the diseased artery through the groin, his physician pre-dilated the narrowed portion of the artery with an angioplasty balloon catheter, then introduced the LIFESTENT® Vascular Stent to keep it open and improve blood flow.
Today, Andy is pain-free. “I can go out and exercise all day long,” he says. “This really improved my quality of life.”
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