INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — More than six million people in the U.S. have an unruptured brain aneurysm right now. Most people don’t even know they have one until it’s too late. Now, a new device is helping to destroy aneurysms before they cause a stroke – or even worse.

“I woke up one morning and had a really bad bloody nose. So, I took my blood pressure and it was over 200 and I thought, ‘great,’” said Judy Sadler.

Judy feared the worst.

“‘Am I gonna have a stroke? Am I gonna die?’” said Judy.

An MRI revealed a brain aneurysm in the front part of her brain – luckily, it hadn’t ruptured.

According to Neurointerventional Surgeon Ian Kaminsky, when that happens – an aneurysm bleeding in the brain – about 10% of people die immediately. The next 20% will not survive the hospital stay. The next third of patients will have a severe disability, and leaving about a third of people who could make it out of the hospital and return back to their life.

A brain aneurysm is a bulge coming off a weakened part of an artery. Surgery involves stents and coils to block off the aneurysm. Kaminsky is part of a nationwide clinical trial testing the contour neurovascular system to shut off the aneurysm without using stents or coils.

The procedure opens inside the aneurysm and blocks the flow from going into it because of how tight that mesh density is. This will destroy the aneurysm. The procedure and recovery time are both shorter. Judy was back at work three days later.

“I try to do at least 4,000 steps a day,” said Judy. “It’s helped me feel better, makes me feel young. I may be 72, but I feel like I’m 35.”

Researchers expect the clinical trial to last another few years before they move towards getting FDA approval. They hope to study the contour device on 200 people across the country, and they’re still enrolling patients.

This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV. Health Spotlight is presented by Community Health Network.