Banner performs ‘frozen elephant trunk’ procedure in Northern Colorado

GREELEY, Colo. (July 14, 2026) — Cardiac surgeons at Banner North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley recently performed a highly complex surgery to rebuild a patient’s aorta, the main artery carrying blood from the heart. As the first operation of its kind completed at the hospital, this milestone marks an expansion of access to highly specialized aortic care for patients with connective tissue disorders in Northern Colorado.

The complex surgery was performed by Reed Quinn, MD, and Michael Robich, MD, on 76-year-old Loveland resident Dan Schmatz, who has Marfan syndrome. Marfan syndrome is a hereditary connective tissue disorder that can weaken the aorta and increase the risk of life-threatening aneurysms and dissections. In Schmatz’s case, despite several other surgeries, he still had a chronic aortic dissection and aneurysm that required surgery. The procedure performed by Dr. Quinn and Dr. Robich was an ascending aortic and total aortic arch replacement with a frozen elephant trunk technique using the Thoraflex Hybrid graft.

The procedure combined open-heart surgery with minimally invasive techniques and required lowering Schmatz’s body temperature to carefully control blood flow to the brain. Despite its unusual name, the elephant trunk procedure refers to both the cooling process and the shape of the synthetic graft, not the material used.

“The aortic arch is one of the most challenging areas of the body to repair because we are rebuilding the main blood vessel leaving the heart while protecting blood flow to the brain,” Dr. Robich said. “This procedure requires precise planning, advanced technology and an experienced team that can work together seamlessly.”

Schmatz, who had been dealing with a troubling abdominal aortic aneurysm since 2013, had previously traveled to Stanford Hospital in California for several major aortic procedures. Earlier in 2026, when testing showed a chronic aortic dissection and aneurysm extending into his aortic arch, Schmatz’s primary care physician at Banner, Tony Doft, MD, recommended meeting with Dr. Quinn locally instead of traveling back to Stanford.

For Schmatz and his wife, Dixie, receiving highly specialized care close to home meant avoiding the stress, cost of extended lodging during recovery and separation from family that had accompanied past trips to California for surgery.

“I had received excellent care at Stanford, so deciding to cancel that surgery and have this surgery closer to home was a serious decision,” Schmatz said. “Dr. Quinn and Dr. Robich gave us confidence in the plan and in their experience. They treated me like an individual, creating a custom care plan that met my needs for my age. Additionally, the care from the surgeons, nurses and everyone at Banner measured up to, and possibly even surpassed, the care I had received before.”

For Dr. Quinn and Dr. Robich, Schmatz’s case represents the strength of a longstanding surgical partnership. Dr. Quinn previously mentored Dr. Robich at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine, and the two later worked together at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Maryland, where they performed similarly complex aortic procedures. Their history, along with hours of additional pre-operative training with operative, intensive care unit and floor nurses, physician assistants, perfusion, anesthesia and other hospital support staff helped make the surgery possible in Northern Colorado.

“This was not simply about performing a new procedure,” Dr. Quinn said. “It was about ensuring the patient, his family and every member of the care team had confidence that we could deliver the right level of expertise here at Banner.”

Schmatz was discharged six days after surgery and is continuing his recovery with his wife and family in Loveland.

“We are so grateful that in our own backyard, there are surgeons who can rival top surgical teams anywhere in the country,” Schmatz said.

Banner’s cardiovascular team continues to expand advanced cardiac and vascular services across the region, with a focus on providing timely access, specialized expertise and a high level of care in Northern Colorado. Dr. Robich and Dr. Quinn are both accepting new patients at the CardioVascular Institute of North Colorado in Greeley, located at 1800 15th St., Suite 340. Call (970) 810-4593 to learn more.