Innovative medical device helps Georgetown doctor save motorcyclist’s life after crash

GEORGETOWN (KXAN) — A routine ride on a motorcycle this spring suddenly took a turn for the worse for Leander local Alfred Peterson.

“I ran into the side of a vehicle and it threw me about 20 yards,” he said. “Then, the vehicle parked on my leg.”

Suffering several broken bones and life-threatening damage to his aorta, the 41-year-old was placed in a medically-induced coma.

To prevent catastrophic bleeding, local doctors had to act fast.

Dr. Nicolas Zea, of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons says they needed to close the aorta off at both ends.

Together, he and Dr. Mark Felger implemented the GORE TAG Thoracic Branch Endoprosthesis device.

“It was an operation that lasted less than an hour, as opposed to an operation that could have lasted three or five hours,” Dr. Zea said.

This surgery was the first of its kind on a trauma patient in Williamson County.

“The TBE device allowed us to seal the tear in his aorta, but also preserve blood flow to his left arm,” Dr. Zea explained. “Sort of sealing a tear of an existing pipe by deploying a new pipe from the inside.”

Nine weeks after the crash, Peterson was finally released from the hospital.

His wife Christina calls her husband a superhuman.

“When I finally got to see him and he looked at me, I really realized that I didn’t want to ever live without him,” she said.

As the father of three young boys, Peterson continues to heal today and credits his surgeons for saving his life.

“Very fortunate for all the advancements in medical capabilities that saved my life,” he concluded. “The technology is amazing and it’s the reason I’m here today.”