Sam Einsidler looks perfectly healthy now, but almost a year ago, doctors told his mother he might not survive a terrible car accident.

"I said, 'Is there a chance he could die?' and he said, 'Absolutely,'" said mom, Terri Einsidler.

Sam's aorta - the body's main artery - ruptured. In the past, risky open heart surgery was the only way to repair the injury.

"A fair percentage can wind up paraplegic," said Dr. David Neschis of the University of Maryland.

But now, surgeons at the University of Maryland are using a technique that does the same thing - without cutting open the patient's chest.

"That's cool. I didn't even know they could do that," said Sam.

Doctors make a small incision in the patient's groin. Then using x-ray guidance, they feed a catheter through the blood vessels to the heart. A stent, containing a fabric graft, opens inside the aorta to cover the injury and allow blood to flow.

"It's like putting a new pipe inside the old pipe and letting it line, from the inside, the area with the hole in it," said Dr. Neschis.

The success rate is nearly 100 percent and patients recover in a few days.

Contact sports are out, but Sam's now back to playing basketball with his brother.

This same type of procedure has been used to repair aneurysms, but is brand new for torn aortas.

Doctors are hopeful this is a permanent solution, but the surgery is new. They'll have to study patients long term to be sure.