Cook Medical mourns the death of a cherished friend, respected vascular surgeon, inventor, and one of the true pioneers of endovascular repair for complex aortic aneurysms, Dr. John Anderson.
The following reflection was contributed by John’s close friend and colleague, David Hartley.
Very early in his vascular surgery career, John recognized the advantages and exciting possibilities of endovascular techniques for repairing aortic aneurysms and became a highly skilled clinician and specialist in the evolving field.
In a collaboration between Royal Perth Hospital, Cook Medical Australia and inventors David Hartley and Dr. Michael Lawrence-Brown, John became one of the first to test the “Perth” endovascular stent graft prototype. John provided valuable experience and feedback to the team working on the graft design, which led to the concept that became the pre-loaded, three-piece Zenith device.
In 1997, John worked with the Cook Australia research team to develop the first fenestrated endovascular graft for complex aortic aneurysms. A year later, he was the first to successfully implant a fenestrated device in a patient.
As a natural extension of his clinical success with fenestrated technology, John was one of the first to expand its application to the treatment of thoracoabdominal aneurysms.
John was a generous and talented teacher of many clinical fellows who visited Ashford Hospital in Adelaide, Australia to work with him, many of whom went on to have their own successful practices and make a considerable impact on the vascular field.
Our deepest sympathies go out to the Anderson family, his many friends and colleagues.
David Hartley, FIR, is a Fellow of the (Australian) Institute of Radiography and a consultant to Cook Medical in Perth, Western Australia.