A Silent Killer: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms
Friday, October 15, 2004
Approximately 15,000 Americans die each year from a ruptured aortic aneurysm, making it the 15th leading cause of death in the United States. Most people, however, have no easily recognizable symptoms.
An abdominal aortic aneurysm, also known as AAA, is a bulge or balloon that forms in the abdominal aorta. It can result from vascular disease, trauma or a genetic defect in the wall of the abdominal aorta. If untreated, this condition could result in a rupture of the aorta, usually with fatal results. Less than one in five people survive a rupture of an aortic aneurysm.
"When the condition is caught in time, it is eminently treatable," said Alan M. Graham, MD, Chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Professor of Surgery at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
Small aneurysms are usually not treated immediately, but monitored regularly for increased size. Larger, more rapidly growing aneurysms often require treatment to avoid rupturing. There are two surgical treatment options available: open surgical repair and endovascular repair.
Traditionally, open surgical repair has been used to treat AAAs, requiring a large incision, a five- to seven-day hospital stay and a three-month recovery period. A newer, less invasive procedure, known as endovascular stent-grafting, is becoming more common in the treatment of AAAs. During this procedure, a stent graft, which is a small tube, is inserted through the femoral artery in the groin, and then guided into the location of the aneurysm. The placement of the stent graft seals off blood flow to the aneurysm, preventing further growth and the possibility of a rupture. Endovascular stent-grafting requires only a two- to three-day hospital stay.
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital will demonstrate endovascular stent-grafting during a live webcast on Wednesday, October 20, at 1:00 p.m. Dr. Graham will be repairing an Infrarenal Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, that is, an aneurysm located below the renal arteries. He will make use of a special stent graft by W.L. Gore called the Excluder.
More than 200,000 people are diagnosed with an abdominal aortic aneurysm each year. Because many do not experience any symptoms, doctors frequently discover aneurysms during a physical exam through an ultrasound or CT Scan, also known as Computerized Tomography or a CAT Scan.
The aorta is the body's largest artery, extending from the chest to the abdomen, where it branches, and carrying oxygen-filled blood from the heart to every organ and part of the body.
Smoking, heart disease, high blood pressure or a poor diet can increase a person's chance of developing an aneurysm. The risk can be reduced by quitting smoking, controlling blood pressure or lowering cholesterol. Aneurysms can also be hereditary. Doctors recommend that anyone with an increased risk be screened periodically for an aneurysm.
For the evaluation, diagnosis, and traditional and minimally invasive treatments of vascular disease contact the Vascular Center of New Jersey at (732) 235-7816 (New Brunswick location), or (609) 860-0326 (Monroe Township location).
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Selected as one of four hospitals nationwide to offer the world's first self-contained implantable artificial heart, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.rwjuh.edu) is a 600-bed academic medical center and the principal hospital of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. Robert Wood Johnson is an innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care in medicine. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, and women's and children's care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). The hospital is also a Level 1 Trauma Center and serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.
The hospital has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is ranked among the top 50 hospitals in the nation for both heart and heart surgery and respiratory disorders, according to U.S.News & World Report's 2008 ranking of "America's Best Hospitals." The American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer has rated Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital among the nation's best comprehensive cancer centers. The Leapfrog Group rated Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as one of the 50 exceptional U.S. hospitals, as published in Consumers Digest magazine. Harvard University researchers, in a study commissioned by The Commonwealth Fund, identified Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as one of the top 10 hospitals in the nation for clinical quality. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is also a recipient of the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence for more than 10 consecutive years.
Attention members of the media: For more information on this release, please contact the Department of Public Relations (732) 937-8521.
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