Carle Health is committed to bringing advancements in treatment options to ensure patients have continuing access to the latest care technologies.
For treating abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), a rupture in the main artery in the abdomen, the current first line of treatment is the Endovascular Aortic Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) for patients with favorable anatomy. EVAR is a covered stent inserted into healthy portions of the aorta above and below the aneurysm.
EVAR is typically for patients who aren’t good candidates for open surgery due to their medical history or current medical conditions. But about 40 percent of these patients also aren’t good candidates for the EVAR treatment option due to an extension of the aneurysm into the thoracic aorta.
Rather than performing a more invasive open vascular surgery, Carle Health now offers another advanced treatment option, the Thoracoabdominal Branch Endoprosthesis (TAMBE). TAMBE is a custom stent graft which incorporates multiple branched stent-grafts to assist safe blood flow.
TAMBE relieves pressure on the aorta walls while also enabling blood flow into critical branches of the abdomen. This prevents both thoracic and abdominal aneurysms from growing larger or rupturing.
“TAMBE represents a major advancement because it allows us to treat these thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms with a minimally invasive, endovascular approach while still preserving blood flow to critical organs. Prior to TAMBE, these patients required high risk operations with extended hospital stays that, in many cases, required treatment in major academic medical centers,” Brian Beeman, MD, FACS, Vascular Surgery, Carle Foundation Hospital, said.
Through the combined efforts of the Carle Health vascular surgery, anesthesia, critical care, neurosurgery and nursing teams, the health system completed the first TAMBE procedure in October of 2025.
“Launching this program allows us to deliver cutting-edge aortic care close to home, and ensures patients have access to therapies that were once only available at a handful of national centers,” Dr. Beeman said. “This success reflects the institution’s long-standing commitment to advanced vascular and aortic care, as well as the multidisciplinary infrastructure required to safely perform highly complex endovascular and open vascular surgery operations.”
The decision to use the TAMBE procedure typically occurs after exploring a combination of minimally invasive techniques to assess the patient’s condition. In some cases, the patient’s condition is not vascular but mimics vascular disease and does not require interventional treatment.
“We look at the entire patient,” Tom Dooley, MD, Vascular Surgery, Carle Health Methodist Atrium Medical Office Center, said. “Some of their problems are in fact not vascular, and we direct them to the proper specialist for what the real underlying pathology is.”
Candidacy for this procedure is also determined by a review of the patient’s medical history and risk factors to ensure their aorta and branch vessels are suitable for the TAMBE procedure.
“We rely on medications to control blood pressure, lower their cholesterol levels, lower their inflammation levels, and prescribe specific medications to limit their symptoms,” Dr. Dooley said. “Only after all of the above have been treated, do we consider intervention.”
“TAMBE is particularly well suited for patients who are poor candidates for open thoracoabdominal repair due to age, prior surgeries, or other medical conditions,” Dr. Beeman said. “While open surgery remains an important option for some patients, TAMBE expands our ability to treat individuals who previously had very limited or no safe treatment options.”
The TAMBE also offers advantages to the healing process over older methods of treating AAAs.
“We used to have to burn holes in grafts to allow stenting and preservation of blood flow into the vessels. However, altering their design from the initial intended use makes them more prone to long-term issues,” Scott Painter, MD, Vascular Surgery, Carle Health Methodist Hospital, said. “TAMBE seeks to address this issue, since pre-operative CT scans allow better device and stent size matching to the patient-specific anatomy.”
Outside of TAMBE, Carle BroMenn Medical Center, Carle Foundation Hospital and Carle Health Methodist Hospital provide a range of other minimally invasive and open procedures to treat vascular disease.
Like TAMBE, the Zenith Fenestrated AAA Endovascular Graft (ZFEN) device is also available to treat more complex aneurysms involving the arteries that give blood flow to the kidneys, intestines or abdominal organs.
“Both of these devices come with excellent results and without the need to adjust any of the ‘indications for use’, making them more reliable for a long-term treatment of aortic aneurysms,” Dr. Painter said.
Recovery after the TAMBE procedure is less demanding on patients than with open surgery. They typically spend less time in the hospital and can return to daily activities more quickly.
“While close follow-up and long-term imaging surveillance are still required, patients often report a smoother recovery overall,” Dr. Beeman said. “I walk with my TAMBE patients in the halls by day two post-op to ensure they can function well at home prior to discharge.”
The health system is thrilled to bring this groundbreaking procedure to more patients in 2026.
“This success reflects the institution’s long-standing commitment to advanced vascular and aortic care, as well as the multidisciplinary infrastructure required to safely perform highly complex endovascular and open vascular surgery operations,” Dr. Beeman said. “Offering the Thoracoabdominal Branch Endoprosthesis at Carle Health reflects a broader commitment to innovation, collaboration, and patient-centered care.”
For more information about vascular surgery services at Carle Health, visit Carle.org.
For treating abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), a rupture in the main artery in the abdomen, the current first line of treatment is the Endovascular Aortic Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) for patients with favorable anatomy. EVAR is a covered stent inserted into healthy portions of the aorta above and below the aneurysm.
EVAR is typically for patients who aren’t good candidates for open surgery due to their medical history or current medical conditions. But about 40 percent of these patients also aren’t good candidates for the EVAR treatment option due to an extension of the aneurysm into the thoracic aorta.
Rather than performing a more invasive open vascular surgery, Carle Health now offers another advanced treatment option, the Thoracoabdominal Branch Endoprosthesis (TAMBE). TAMBE is a custom stent graft which incorporates multiple branched stent-grafts to assist safe blood flow.
TAMBE relieves pressure on the aorta walls while also enabling blood flow into critical branches of the abdomen. This prevents both thoracic and abdominal aneurysms from growing larger or rupturing.
“TAMBE represents a major advancement because it allows us to treat these thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms with a minimally invasive, endovascular approach while still preserving blood flow to critical organs. Prior to TAMBE, these patients required high risk operations with extended hospital stays that, in many cases, required treatment in major academic medical centers,” Brian Beeman, MD, FACS, Vascular Surgery, Carle Foundation Hospital, said.
Through the combined efforts of the Carle Health vascular surgery, anesthesia, critical care, neurosurgery and nursing teams, the health system completed the first TAMBE procedure in October of 2025.
“Launching this program allows us to deliver cutting-edge aortic care close to home, and ensures patients have access to therapies that were once only available at a handful of national centers,” Dr. Beeman said. “This success reflects the institution’s long-standing commitment to advanced vascular and aortic care, as well as the multidisciplinary infrastructure required to safely perform highly complex endovascular and open vascular surgery operations.”
The decision to use the TAMBE procedure typically occurs after exploring a combination of minimally invasive techniques to assess the patient’s condition. In some cases, the patient’s condition is not vascular but mimics vascular disease and does not require interventional treatment.
“We look at the entire patient,” Tom Dooley, MD, Vascular Surgery, Carle Health Methodist Atrium Medical Office Center, said. “Some of their problems are in fact not vascular, and we direct them to the proper specialist for what the real underlying pathology is.”
Candidacy for this procedure is also determined by a review of the patient’s medical history and risk factors to ensure their aorta and branch vessels are suitable for the TAMBE procedure.
“We rely on medications to control blood pressure, lower their cholesterol levels, lower their inflammation levels, and prescribe specific medications to limit their symptoms,” Dr. Dooley said. “Only after all of the above have been treated, do we consider intervention.”
“TAMBE is particularly well suited for patients who are poor candidates for open thoracoabdominal repair due to age, prior surgeries, or other medical conditions,” Dr. Beeman said. “While open surgery remains an important option for some patients, TAMBE expands our ability to treat individuals who previously had very limited or no safe treatment options.”
The TAMBE also offers advantages to the healing process over older methods of treating AAAs.
“We used to have to burn holes in grafts to allow stenting and preservation of blood flow into the vessels. However, altering their design from the initial intended use makes them more prone to long-term issues,” Scott Painter, MD, Vascular Surgery, Carle Health Methodist Hospital, said. “TAMBE seeks to address this issue, since pre-operative CT scans allow better device and stent size matching to the patient-specific anatomy.”
Outside of TAMBE, Carle BroMenn Medical Center, Carle Foundation Hospital and Carle Health Methodist Hospital provide a range of other minimally invasive and open procedures to treat vascular disease.
Like TAMBE, the Zenith Fenestrated AAA Endovascular Graft (ZFEN) device is also available to treat more complex aneurysms involving the arteries that give blood flow to the kidneys, intestines or abdominal organs.
“Both of these devices come with excellent results and without the need to adjust any of the ‘indications for use’, making them more reliable for a long-term treatment of aortic aneurysms,” Dr. Painter said.
Recovery after the TAMBE procedure is less demanding on patients than with open surgery. They typically spend less time in the hospital and can return to daily activities more quickly.
“While close follow-up and long-term imaging surveillance are still required, patients often report a smoother recovery overall,” Dr. Beeman said. “I walk with my TAMBE patients in the halls by day two post-op to ensure they can function well at home prior to discharge.”
The health system is thrilled to bring this groundbreaking procedure to more patients in 2026.
“This success reflects the institution’s long-standing commitment to advanced vascular and aortic care, as well as the multidisciplinary infrastructure required to safely perform highly complex endovascular and open vascular surgery operations,” Dr. Beeman said. “Offering the Thoracoabdominal Branch Endoprosthesis at Carle Health reflects a broader commitment to innovation, collaboration, and patient-centered care.”
For more information about vascular surgery services at Carle Health, visit Carle.org.
Categories: Redefining Healthcare
Tags: Aneurysm, Branch, Cardiology, Endoprosthesis, Surgery, Thoracoabdominal, Vascular