What is surgical aneurysm repair?
Surgical aneurysm repair is a technique used to treat aortic aneurysms. This weakening of your arterial wall can occur anywhere along the aorta, which runs from your heart down to the front of your backbone.
This type of aneurysm repair is a major open surgery, meaning your chest or abdomen are opened up in order to reach the weakened portion of the aorta.
When is aneurysm surgery needed?
Aortic aneurysms are serious, and potentially deadly. The aorta is the largest artery in the body and the main supplier of blood from the heart. If it were to rupture, you’d suffer an immense amount of internal bleeding quite quickly.
Aneurysm repair surgery is used in these emergency situations to fix the ruptured aorta as soon as possible. It’s also used as a preventive measure when doctors find an aortic aneurysm that is at risk of rupturing.
If you feel a pulsing sensation in your belly with pain along where your aorta travels (chest, belly, back, groin and inner thigh), you may have an aneurysm and need surgery before it breaks open. Along with these sensations, you may also have trouble breathing, fits of coughing or feel hoarse. For sudden, severe pains or sharp, tearing pains in your chest or back, call 911 right away — an aortic aneurysm may have already ruptured.
What are the risks of surgical aneurysm repair?
Repairing an aneurysm saves your life. Your vascular care team will do all they can to minimize the risks of this live-saving procedure. But it is a major, emergency surgery that carries a host of potential complications:
- Bleeding or blood clots
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Breathing difficulties
- Organ, nerve or spinal cord damage
- Infection at the repair site or in your lungs, belly or urinary tract
What steps should I take to prepare for aneurysm repair surgery?
In emergency situations, you’re rushed into aneurysm repair surgery. When your doctor has identified an aneurysm ready to rupture in advance, you may have weeks to get ready for surgery.
To prepare, you will:
- Have a thorough physical exam.
- Undergo a variety of tests to ensure your health and safety throughout the procedure.
- Give your vascular team a thorough medical history and list of medications.
- Refrain from eating, drinking or taking medication on the day of surgery.
- Arrange for someone to meet you at the hospital and drive you home safely.
In addition to prepping for surgery, you should also ready your home for recovery:
- Set up a comfortable sleeping and living space on one floor where you have easy access to everything you need.
- Stock up on food, meals and any house supplies.
- Move everyday items to easy-to-reach places to avoid bending down, reaching high or stepping up to access what you need.
What are the expected results and recovery like after aneurysm repair?
Aneurysm surgery can take as long as four hours and requires a hospital stay of up to 10 days. The success rate is high — 95 to 98 percent — for patients with an aneurysm that hasn’t ruptured. For emergency patients whose aorta has burst, it’s lower.
You will have a long recovery timeline and a long list of specific instructions from your vascular care team, which include:
- Prescription pain medicine to manage your post-surgery pain.
- Surgical wound instructions to care for the incision in your chest or belly.
- Restrictions on bathing, activity, driving, lifting and exercise.