As a journalist, he’s been writing and reading the headlines for years – but it was only in a time of critical illness that veteran broadcaster and author Tom Gilmore inadvertently found himself making them.

Because as he says himself it was ‘by sheer chance’, when he was rushed into hospital last March with an aneurysm a pioneering Galway surgeon deployed a less invasive surgery on him – the first patient in the world to undergo this process.

And as he says now: “Thank God it worked out as otherwise I might not be here!”

The landmark operation was spearheaded by Professor Sharif Sultan, the renowned master of vascular and endovascular surgery at the Galway Clinic – and it has revolutionised the management of renal artery interventions and aneurysms.

A renal artery aneurysm is a bulge or weakened area in the wall of a main artery to the kidney and if it bursts it can be fatal.

The first patient to benefit from this procedure is veteran journalist and broadcaster Tom Gilmore (72) who had been suffering from severe abdominal pain and intermittent incapacitating renal pain. If a renal artery aneurysm of over three centimentres ruptures it can be fatal.

And as Professor Sultan candidly admits, Tom faced a high risk of rupture given that he was diagnosed with a four-centimetre renal artery aneurysm involving four branches.

“Traditionally, the only surgical option would have involved auto-transplanting the kidney to the pelvis and reconstructing the vessels,” says Professor Sultan.

But because Tom had various other medical issues as well, the conventional surgery option would have been more difficult and dangerous.

Instead the cutting-edge approach employed by Professor Sultan and his team provided a much-needed alternative, executed with precision and elegance.

This ground-breaking new medical procedure was performed at the Galway Clinic, which is now pioneering – to give it its medical terminology – Advanced Renal Aneurysm Surgery with C Guard Flow Modulator.

In layman’s terms, Professor Sultan and his team repaired a complex saccular aneurysm of the renal artery, involving three branches, using advanced flow modulation technology.

The C Guard stent, featuring an ultrasound titanium layer, streamlines blood flow and effectively treats aneurysms without the need for open surgery.

This minimally invasive technique allows patients to return home immediately after surgery, revolutionizing renal artery interventions.

Professor Sultan’s innovative application of this technology, originally used for treating carotid artery strokes, to the renal artery exemplifies a significant leap in translational medicine.

“As a result, Mr. Gilmore has experienced a remarkable recovery, showcasing the potential of this advanced technology,” added Professor Sultan.

Tom himself was fulsome in his praise for the professionalism and innovation of Professor Sultan and his team at the Galway Clinic in being the first in the world to pioneer this new less invasive surgical procedure.

“Professor Sultan and his team saved my life by using this new procedure that they have pioneered,” said the broadcaster dubbed the voice of Country Music

The Galway Clinic/Blackrock Health Group, in affiliation with the National University of Ireland and the Royal College of Surgeons, has also issued a statement which hails the successful management of a mega renal aneurysm using the state-of-the-art C Guard flow modulator as a world-wide first.

A spokesperson for The Galway Clinic/Blackrock Health Group stated that it remains at the forefront of medical innovation, offering patients access to the most advanced technologies available worldwide.

It added that this pioneering surgery marks a significant milestone in the field of vascular surgery and underscores the Clinic’s commitment to excellence in patient care.

Pictured: Professor Sharif Sultan, who has pioneered a revolutionary new surgical procedure for treating renal aneurysms at the Galway Clinic which is a first world-wide and (right)  journalist and author Tom Gilmore.