What Could Happen If An Aortic Aneurysm Ruptures?

Rupturing of an aortic aneurysm results in internal bleeding and spreading of the situation to the surrounding vessels. It can lead to death or permanent disabilities. As it is difficult to sense the presence of an aortic aneurysm in its initial stage, it is difficult to tell whether there is an aneurysm and whether it will rupture or not.
In many of the instances, the presence of an aortic aneurysm comes into light during a scan for another disease.

Diagnosing the presence of an aortic aneurysm is possible by using MRI scan, CT scan, angiography, and x-ray. They provide in-depth detail related to an aneurysm along with its shape and size. The location also plays a crucial role in attending to the situation.

Rupturing of an aneurysm occurs only when the size is about 5 centimeters in diameter. It also requires immediate attention, and many of the doctors recommend surgery. If the size is below the stated value, doctors opt for treatment or place the patient under observation and monitor the progress.

When there is a rupture of an aortic aneurysm, the individual suffers from internal bleeding that leads to severe damage to the surrounding nerves and blood vessels. The individual experiences extreme pain in the abdominal or chest, goes into a shock, and probably dies before reaching the hospital.

Treatment for an aortic aneurysm changes from one individual to another. The reason is due to the location of an aneurysm and its size. If the size of an aneurysm is small, the doctor will consider treating it by reducing hypertension and asking the patient to quit smoking, if he/she smokes. Both blood pressure and smoking elevate an aneurysm.

If the size of an aortic aneurysm exceeds the standard value, the doctor admits the patient in the hospital completes a series of tests and takes a decision at the earliest whether to opt for an operation or choose the treatment that helps in reducing the size of an aneurysm. The decision includes considering external factors such as the age of the patient, gender, race, and overall health. The doctor also considers the risk factors that arise due to the aortic aneurysm operation.

The surgical procedures include:

Open Repair: Open repair, where the surgeon will place a metal clip that prevents the flow of the blood to an aortic aneurysm. Also, it will also help in directing the flow of the blood away from an aneurysm preventing the growth and thereby the rupture.

Endovascular Aortic Repair: It includes guiding catheter tube through the groin to the location of an aortic aneurysm. The tube acts as a diversion to the flow of the blood and restricts the communication between an aneurysm and the aorta. Due to this, the chance of rupture becomes low.

Risk factors associated with the aortic aneurysm surgical procedures are high. Therefore, the doctor ensures that the patient remains in the hospital for a few weeks or months depending on the recovery period. During this interval, the specialist will monitor the activity with regular screening images that help in identifying the progress on the condition of the surgery. In rare cases, there is an internal leakage due to the fracture of the catheter tube. In such situations, the individual receives another operation, but the risk associated is very high, and the chances of being alive reduce drastically.

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