Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Abstract

MANY ADVANCES have been made in surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm since Dubost reported the first resection with homograft replacement in 1952. 1 Presently resection with prosthetic graft replacement is considered the treatment of choice and has been employed with a mortality as low as 5% and late survival approaching that for other people of similar age. 2 Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, however, constitutes a surgical challenge. Operative mortality as high as 85% has been reported. 3 An average hospital mortality of 56% in a recent collective review (Table 1) indicates the need for continued improvement of operative and postoperative management of these critically ill patients, if a higher salvage rate is to be achieved. This study, therefore, was undertaken to obtain a more up to date analysis of surgical experience with this fatal condition and, if possible, determine the factors influencing the results of operative management. Materials and Methods