‘Pretty big deal’: First outpatient facility TCAR procedure done in OKC

CLINTON, Okla. (KFOR) - Johann Theron remembers even the simple, mundane tasks around his Clinton, Oklahoma home becoming more and more difficult. 

"I couldn't walk from my house to my mailbox and back without being out of breath,” said Theron. “I think it was more serious than what I realized." 

After getting checked out at the CardioVascular Health Clinic in Northwest Oklahoma City, he learned one of his arteries was 95% blocked, the other 75%. 

When asked how close Theron was to having a stroke, Dr. Jim Melton said, “With both sides blocked as badly as they were, he was at very high risk."

It was a terrifying discovery for 60-year-old Theron, who was born and raised in South Africa. He’s lived in the U.S. for about seven years. 

“I thought, did I come to America just to come and die here?” said Theron. 

To treat Theron, this summer, Dr. Melton performed a minimally invasive procedure called Transcarotid Artery Revascularization (TCAR). It became FDA approved in 2015. 

"It's always been done in the hospital setting,” said Dr. Melton. 

However, according to Dr. Melton, he’s the first vascular surgeon in the United States to perform the TCAR procedure in an outpatient facility.

“It's a pretty big deal… We're very proud of it,” said Dr. Melton. 

Dr. Melton said doing the procedure in an outpatient center is a more efficient approach. 

"The cost is approximately 38% to 40% less in this setting than the hospital to do the same procedure, and the infection rates are less just because it's a smaller space,” said Dr. Melton. “He has one on one nursing the entire time he's here." 

Now trips to the mailbox, among many other tasks, are much easier for Theron. He’s fully back to work as a forklift driver. 

"I've been given a second chance on life again,” said Theron.