Paul Jones, M.D., Presents at German Seminar

Paul A. Jones, MD, is known regionally for taking on high complexity cardiovascular cases with success. As the first performer of an FDA-approved carotid stent procedure, his work is known worldwide.

Most recently, Jones’ medical knowledge took him to the Leipzig Interventional Course, held in Leipzig, Germany. This four day course appeals to a large number of medical professionals, with 2012 attendance at 3,607 persons from more than 60 countries. Held January 23-26, Jones was one of 42 from the United States.


Dr. Jones presents at a hospital health fair

Speaking under the category ‘Innovative Technologies for Complex SFA Occlusions,’ Jones provided a presentation on endoluminal bypass in-stent renosis: put simply, treating blockages in arteries of the legs with a percutaneous (non-surgical) bypass.
Topics like Jones were promoted not only through speaking presentations. The Liepzig Interventional Course provides a quite different hands-on experience with live case transmissions shown throughout the course. These video transmissions provide coverage of different interventional approaches and techniques.
Jones, chief of cardiovascular services at Mercy Hospital’s Heart & Vascular Center and medical director of cardiovascular services at Franciscan Physicians Hospital, pioneered the stenting procedures now commonly performed in northwest Indiana.
Procedures done in local catheterization labs save the patient trips to Chicago and beyond.

“I’ve provided over 1,000 carotid stenting procedures and over 10,000 cardiovascular procedures in my career. If you look at the success rate in the population of endovascular cases compared to conventional open surgery, my outcomes compare quite favorably,” says Jones.

Jones medical knowledge comes from not only years of education and experience, but from a drive to pursue clinical excellence.

“When I was in academic medicine, it was clear that the traditional or standard medical treatment strategies for cardiovascular disease all too often fell short of offering optimal care to patients,” states Jones.

“Since I developed the first successful graft stent approximately fifteen year ago, I’ve continued to be active in various clinical research products primarily involving the management of cardiovascular disorders. Through these efforts, I’m able to focus on developing hospital as well as office-based clinical cardiovascular programs.”

Jones believes these programs will shape the future of cardiovascular procedures.

“We’ve revolutionized how we manage cardiovascular disease and we are again rapidly shifting away from conventional surgery. Management of cardiovascular disease is evolving to an almost completely nonsurgical approach and conventional surgery as we know it will become almost obsolete.”

Training and organization of these programs will be central to managing a population of individuals with cardiovascular conditions. Jones and others are working to provide a template in which those programs find success. Jones, seeing early on the need for these programs, started the Jones Endovascular Institute.

Says Jones, “I developed the Jones Endovascular Institute ten years ago for the primary purposes of focusing on and developing clinical practices, and providing services to high risk patients who are ideally not surgical candidates.”

The path is paved for comprehensive care provisions through his program, notes Jones.

“We’ve developed a group of physicians focused on these same initiatives. I ensure that they’re properly trained so that clinical and technical skill sets are at a level providing the best possible cardiovascular service.”

With ground work set and efforts under way, patients in the next decade and beyond will receive a higher level of cardiovascular care through Jones’ approach.

“I’m trying to develop a model that will have a sincere impact on clinical outcomes in terms of bridging the gap for access of services,” states Jones. “Once you do that, you can have a true impact on the natural prevalence of the disease and the economy.”

Hopes are high and work is still under way, but Jones and partnering providers know that continued education will eventually break the cycle of limited accomplishments.

Jones states, “If we can be successful with this venture, we will have a sustainable impact on cardiovascular disease states.”

Distinguishing Honors

In 1999, Dr. Paul Jones was featured in Chicago Magazine’s “20 World Class Doctors.” He was recognized by the American Heart Association in 2002, receiving the “Chicago Heart Award.” Jones was named one of the Top Doctors of Chicago in 2011, and U.S. News and World Report honored him for Revolutionized Cardiovascular Physician for Care and Treatment of Carotid Artery Disease in 2005.

In 2000, Dr. Jones founded the Peripheral Vascular Intervention Preceptorship; an extensive, two day hands-on physician training program for vascular surgeons, interventional cardiologists and interventional radiologists. These programs and others train physicians for the future cardiovascular medicine.

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: The Facts, Stats, and You

Modern society has provided us with some exceptional things: advanced technologies, instantaneous communication, and a developed infrastructure in many areas of our lives. It has also given us the ability to repair health issues like abdominal aortic aneurysms with little complication and no open surgery.

An abdominal aortic aneurysm is an enlargement or weak area in the main blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. An aneurysm of this area is caused by a breakdown of the lining of the vessel. The vessel lining gets weaker, primarily due to age and other risk factors, and consequentially becomes thinner. Eventually, the wall expands and this expansion is the aneurysm.

The Stats
Based on 2011 statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

• Rupture of an AAA carries a risk of death up to 90%
• AAA is more common in men and in people ages 65 and up
• Smoking is associated with a 3-to-5 fold increase in the prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysms

Symptoms of an AAA are felt once the vessel has ruptured, or is leaking. These symptoms can include:

• pain in the abdomen or back
• clammy skin
• nausea and vomiting
• rapid heart rate
• shock

Treatment of AAA comes in two procedure options: open surgical or endovascular repair, with endovascular becoming the preferred choice due to the minimal invasion it requires. The endovascular repair process involves sealing off the aneurysm by placing a graft inside the diseased aorta, allowing blood to flow through freely. This procedure, typically taking one to three hours, is done by Dr. Paul Jones at Franciscan Physicians Hospital.

Dr. Jones, founder of the Jones Endovascular Institute, is Chief of Cardiovascular Services at Mercy Hospital’s Heart & Vascular Center.

In the traditional or open repair, a large cut is made in the abdomen. The vessel is then replaced with a graft made of synthetic material, such as Dacron.

Alternatively, endovascular treatment is done with some of the most definitive imaging machines and catheterization (cath) labs available. Franciscan Physicians Hospital recently completed construction of a new cath lab, the Philips Allura Xper FD20. This lab provides Dr. Jones and his cardiovascular team with the best ability to repair AAA cases, among many other things.

For more information on AAA procedures and a complete online health library, visit our A.D.A.M. Online Health Library.

Getting to Know: Dr. Paul A. Jones

Dr. Paul A. Jones is board certified in interventional cardiovascular medicine and is the leading interventional cardiologist at Franciscan Physicians Hospital. He is also one of the leading interventional cardiologists in the country.

On September 9, 2005, Dr. Jones performed the first completely percutaneous (minimally invasive) Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm (TAA) stent graft procedure. As founder of the Jones Endovascular Institute, he is also renowned as one of the few doctors in the country to perfect the non-surgical repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms. Furthermore, Dr. Jones is a nationally recognized expert in carotid artery stenting.

His expertise in the areas of cardiology, interventional cardiology and internal medicine have brought him numerous opportunities to help patients and teach professionals all over the world.

Let's look past Dr. Jones' exceptional talent to gain a better understanding of his personal life: who he is, what he likes and how this has influenced where he is today.

Born in East St. Louis, IL, Dr. Jones attended Assumption High School and Saint Louis University where he received his undergraduate degree in biology. In high school, Dr. Jones took interest in football and wrestling, and graduated as valedictorian of his class. When asked about how he chose his current profession, he responded: "Divine intervention. I didn't choose it, it chose me." His smile conveyed the honesty of his answer.

Dr. Jones is married and has two children, Paul Jr. and Alexandria. His wife, Dewnzar, is a child psychiatrist. He and his family live in the south suburbs of Chicago. His goals for the next 10 years include developing a Cardiovascular Regional Center of Excellence at Franciscan Physicians Hospital.

Dr. Jones favorites include some of the following:
Food: seafood
Restaurant: Il Mulino
Movie: Old Charlie Chan films
Actor: Jimmy Stewart
Song: Dance with My Father by Luther Vandross

Dr. Jones is an exceptional physician and his accomplishments and interests demonstrate his passion. We are blessed to have him as part of our Franciscan Physicians Hospital team.