General Anesthesia Management of Suspected Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

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Title General Anesthesia Management of Suspected Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Creator Sarah Palmieri
Subject Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA); general anesthesia; medical management; preoperative evaluation; dissection; MSNA
Description Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are the most common form of aneurysms. This case report outlines events that occurred during an open inguinal hernia repair on a patient that had an unknown AAA. Proper anesthetic management of at risk patients and patients with AAAs can greatly improve the safety of induction, maintenance, emergence, and postoperative care. AAA is a weakening of the aortic wall, which results in progressive dilatation that can eventually rupture. The precise pathophysiology is unclear, but they are believed to develop from lipid deposition within the aortic adventitia. Dissection occurs when the damaged tunica interna allows blood to flow into the tunica media, thus creating a false channel that can dissect and rupture under the high aortic arch pressure. Without immediate repair, rupture is usually fatal and is therefore a medical emergency.1 Risk factors for developing an AAA include: male gender, increasing age, smoking, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and genetics.2
Publisher Westminster College
Date 2014-12
Type Text; Image
Language eng
Rights Management Digital copyright 2014, Westminster College. All rights Reserved.
ARK ark:/87278/s6r81pcp
Setname wc_ir
ID 1094115
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6r81pcp