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Recovery From an Abdonimal Aortic Aneurysm

The abdominal aorta is a large vein that runs directly from the heart down through to the abdomen. Stanford Hospital defines an aneurysm is an abnormal enlargement of a blood vein or vessel. An abdominal aortic aneurysm is a spot on the abdominal aorta that fills with blood and enlarges like a balloon. This enlarging occurs because the walls of the aorta at the spot of the aneurysm are weak and cannot properly push blood through, so blood builds up.

  1. Wait and See

    • If you aneurysm is less than 2 inches in diameter, your doctor may take a wait-and-see approach. You will be asked to stop damaging habits such as smoking, which can weaken the walls of blood vessels. You will be given medication to help lower your blood pressure, which helps slow the buildup of blood in the aneurysm and can reduce the aneurysm's size. Your doctor will have you check in every 6 or 12 months to monitor your aneurysm. According to VascularWeb.com, an aneurysm will need surgery to be corrected, but the wait-and-see approach helps avoid surgery in the hopes that a change in lifestyle and the use of medication can help prevent the aneurysm from growing to a dangerous size.

    Open Chest Surgery

    • One surgical approach is where the doctor opens up your chest and physically repairs the aneurysm. According to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, an aortic graft normally made of a specially designed plastic material that can expand and contract with the rest of the aorta is used to repair the weak portion of the abdominal aorta, and then skin from patient is used to cover the graft. According to VascularWeb.com, 9 out of every 10 graft surgeries are successful as long-term solutions. The doctor may require regular follow-ups for as long as three years after the surgery to make sure the graft is working properly.

    Stent-Graft

    • Smaller aneurysms are treated with a special metal tube known as a stent-graft. It is done with a general anesthetic, and the doctor enters through a large vein in the leg. Using microscopic cameras, the doctor can see where they are in the body, and place the stent-graft where it needs to be in the abdominal aorta. According to the University of Chicago Medical Center, the hospital stay for a stent-graft is only a day or two and the person can expect to resume normal activities within two weeks. Regular follow-up visits to the doctor will be needed to make sure the stent-graft is performing properly.

    Ruptured Aorta

    • According to the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center at Penn State University, a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm is a surgical emergency. The loss of blood due to the rupture can be fatal, and the loss of blood to other organs such as the liver can cause those organs to fail.

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