ANEURYSM

WHAT IS AN ANEURYSM?
An aneurysmis an abnormal bulge or "ballooning" in the wall of your artery. Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen - rich blood from the heart to other parts of the body. An aneurysm that grows and becomes large can burst, causing dangerous, often fatal, bleeding inside your body. A dissection occurs when due to an increased pressure of blood, the inner layer of an artery's wall splits open. Most aneurysms and dissections occur in the aorta. The aorta is the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. The aorta comes out from the left ventricle of the heart and travels through the chest and abdomen. The left ventricle is the main chamber of the heart that pumps oxygenated blood into the body.

WHERE DOES AN ANEURYSM OCCUR?

An aneurysm can occur in the aorta in your chest. This is called 'thoracic aortic aneurysm'.

An aneurysm can occur in the aorta in your abdomen. This is called 'abdominal aortic aneurysm'.

Aneurysms can also occur in arteries of your brain, heart, intestine, neck, spleen, back of the knees and thighs, and in other parts of your body.

WHY DOES AN ANEURYSM OCCUR?

An aneurysm can occur due to the following reasons:

Build-up of fatty plaque in your arteries leading to a condition called 'Atherosclerosis'

High blood pressure

Smoking

Deep wounds, injuries, or infections in your blood vessels

A congenital abnormality (a condition that you are born with)

Genetically inherited diseases

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF AN ANEURYSM?

Most patients with aneurysms do not even know they have one, and they are found by accident during a screening test. When patients do have symptoms, they may very depending on the type and location of the aneurysm. Some of the symptoms could be:

Shortness of breath, a croaky or raspy voice, backache, pain in your shoulder or between your shoulder blades

Sudden and severe ripping pain in your chest, which spreads to your back or between your shoulder blades

Sudden stomach pain, lower back pain,or flu-like symptoms

Pain or tenderness below your stomach,loss of appetite or even a stomach upset

Shortness of breath, chest pain, or an irregular heart beat (arrhythmia).

HOW IS AN ANEURYSM DIAGNOSED?
If you have any of the above symptoms, you should see your doctor at once. Your doctor will do a careful physical examination to see if you have aneurysm. If he suspects an aneurysm, he may prescribe an ultrasound or other radiological imaging such as arteriography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) scanning. After these tests, he will be able to ascertain the size and the location of the aneurysm.

HOW IS AN ANEURYSM TREATED?
The future course of your treatment will depend upon the size and location of your aneurysm. It will also depend on your overall health. The treatment options are medication, surgery, and stenting.

Medication
Smaller aneurysms of the aorta will be followed with regular check ups. If your aneurysm does not grow much, it will be left as it is. Sometimes, medications like a beta blocker may be given to reduce your blood pressure and to relieve the stress on your aortic walls.

Surgery
The traditional and most common type of surgery for aortic aneurysms is open abdominal or open chest repair. It involves a major incision in the abdomen or chest. General anaesthesia is needed for this procedure. Surgery of aneurysms involves replacing the weakened section of your vessel with an artificial tube, called a graft. The surgery takes 3 to 6 hours, and the patient remains in the hospital for 5 to 8 days. It often takes a month to recover from open abdominal or open chest surgery and return to full activity.

Stenting
This is a newer and much less invasive way to repair an aneurysm. It is also called an 'endovascular repair'. The aneurysm is not removed, but a stent graft is inserted into the aorta to strengthen it. An endovascular stent graft is a tube composed of fabric supported by a metal mesh called a 'Stent'. The graft reinforces the weakened section of the aorta to prevent the aneurysm from rupturing. Endovascular repair surgery reduces recovery time to a few days and greatly reduces time in the hospital. However, not every patient might be a candidate for this procedure.

FOLLOW UP CARE
After surgical treatment of an aneurysm, you may feel weak and lack energy. These symptoms are not unusual. However, take it easy and avoid undue stress and straining / lifting for around six weeks after the operation. Go far regular check ups to ensure that your recovery is proper.

CARDIAC CARE AT ARTEMIS
Artemis Health Institute (AHI), Gurgaon, has one of the most advanced cardiac care facilities in the country. These include diagnostic facilities such as Treadmill Test (TMT), Echocardiography (colour Doppler), stress Echocardiography, 24 hours Holter monitoring, Ambulatory BP Monitoring, Stress Thallium test, 64 slice CT angiography, coronary and peripheral angiography and electrophysiological study. Artemis and doctors for world-class treatment of all cardiac diseases in the form of coronary angioplasty, bypass surgery, valvularplasty/valve replacement surgery, radio frequency ablation and pace maker implantation.

ENDOVASCULAR SUITE AT ARTEMIS
Follow up care is an essential element of the overall treatment plan. Regular checkups are advised to detect any changes in health as early as possible.

CARDIAC CARE AT ARTEMIS
Artemis Health Institute is pleased to introduce the first hybrid endovascular operating room in India. This combines an operating room with an angiogram suite. This enables us to perform the very latest minimally invasive cardiovascular operations, including thoracic and abdominal stent grafts.