Aortic Aneurysms Flashcards
what is an aortic aneurysms?
Are out pouching or dilations of the arterial wall
what are the causes of aortic aneurysms?
degenerative
congenital
inflammatory
infectious
mechanical
aortic aneurysm may involve the aortic arch and thoracic aorta
however most of the time, they are found where?
abdominal aorta below the level of the renal arteries
the larger the aneurysm, the greater risk for what ?
rupture
what are the 2 main risk factors for patients in developing an aortic aneurysms?
family history
hypertension
patients who have a thoracic aortic aneurysm normally are often dont have any what ?
however if they do have symptoms, what would it be ?
symptoms
very symptomatic
deep diffuse chest pain that could rate to the interscapualr area
patient who have an ascending aortic aneurysm typically will have symptoms like ?
angina
coughing
shortness of breathe
hoarseness
distended neck veins and edema on face and arms if it pressures on the superior vena cava
most of the time patients with the common abdominal aortic aneurysm dont have ?
symptoms
often asymptomatic
how is abdominal aortic aneurysms usually found ?
physical exam or during exam for unrelated problem
how does the physical exam present itself in an abdominal aortic aneurysm ?
describe how it feels like and how it sounds like
pulsatile mass in periumbilical area slightly left of midline
- bruit asucltated over aneurysm
what does a bruit sounds like and mean ?
terbulent blood flow through your vessels
its very rare for patients to get symptoms for abdominal aortic aneurysm however if they do, what are the clinical manifestations?
back pain
epigastric discomfort
altered bowel elimination
intermittent caludicaiton
abdominal aortic aneurysm, patients may experience something called _____syndrome which is ?
blue toe syndrome
where the clots will migrate down to the toes and cause your toes to become cold and blue
what is the most serious complication related to an untreated aneurysm ?
rupture and bleeding
what happens if you have aortic aneurysm rupture for patients that have it in retropertioneal space ? (abdomen)(3)
its a steps
bleeding may be tampondaed
( bleed but eventually run out of space, causes pressures on the vessel and stops the bleeding, this pressures causes severe back pain )
severe back pain
grey turners sign
( back, flank ecchymosis)
what does grey turners syndrome mean?
bruising of your flanks, bleeding in the back of the abdomen !
what happens if you have an aortic aneurysm rupture in your thoracic or abdominal cavity ? (3)
think of the steps for this
massive hemorrhage causes hypoveolmic shock
patients dont survive long enough to get into the hospital
if survive, immediate resusistcitation and immediate surgery
what are some diagnostic studies for aortic aneurysm ?
x-ray
ultrasound
echocardiography
ECG
what is a small aneurysm considered to be ?
what is a large aneurysm considered to be ?
less than 5.4
greater than 5.4