For Immediate Release

March 20, 2006

Mercy Memorial Physician Performs Procedure - First in Southern Oklahoma

Ardmore — Thanks to Dr. Britt Morris, a vascular surgeon in Ardmore, 84-year-old Leo Key recently underwent a procedure to repair an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) – the first such procedure in southern Oklahoma.

For Key, fixing his AAA had long meant major surgery, an extended hospital stay and nearly two months of recovery. That is until Dr. Morris gave Key another option. “I wasn’t going to have major surgery at my age and I wasn’t aware of any other options,” said Key. “But when Dr. Morris suggested a much less invasive procedure, that’s when I decided I better do something.”

To repair Key’s aneurysm with an endovascular stent graft, Dr. Morris made two small incisions in the groin and inserted a stent.

Although friends and family suggested Key go to Oklahoma City to have the aneurysm repaired, he wouldn’t budge. “I chose to stay in Ardmore,” said Key. “Why would I go all the way to Oklahoma City when I have everything I need here.”

Dr. Morris, who grew up in Ardmore, has performed numerous AAA stent graft repair procedures, and he came to Ardmore from a Sisters of Mercy hospital in Hot Springs, Arkansas, where he started a AAA repair program.

According to Dr. Morris, 50 to 60 percent of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms are good candidates for the stent replacement procedure. It allows patients who are non-surgical candidates to have a less invasive option.

“This procedure required a lot of coordination of several departments within the hospital. The staff at Mercy Memorial did a great job, and I am confident that this program will be successful for years to come,” said Dr. Morris.

For more information about this procedure, call Dr. Morris’ office, Vascular Associates of Southern Oklahoma, at (580) 223-3216.

Mercy Memorial Health Center is a member of Mercy Health System of Oklahoma and the Sisters of Mercy Health System.