Aortic and vascular emergencies

Published on 14/03/2015 by admin

Filed under Emergency Medicine

Last modified 14/03/2015

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Chapter 16 Aortic and vascular emergencies

ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURYSM

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) affects approximately 2% of the population with a peak incidence between 70 and 75 years of age and a significant male predominance. Ninety-five percent of AAAs occur below the level of the renal arteries. The most common life-threatening complications of AAA seen in the emergency department are rupture or threatened rupture.

The risk of rupture increases with aneurysmal size. The 5-year risk is 1–2% when the aneurysm is less than 5 cm in diameter and rises to 20–40% when the diameter is greater than 5 cm.