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When the wall of a blood vessel
weakens,
a balloonlike bulge, called an aneurysm, sometimes
develops. This happens most often in the abdominal
aorta, an essential blood vessel that supplies blood to
your legs. The aorta is the largest blood vessel (artery)
in your body, running from the heart down through
your chest and abdomen.
A bulge in that vessel is called an abdominal aortic
aneurysm (AAA). If the bulge expands to the point
of breaking through one or more layers of the artery’s
wall, it can become a fatal bleed.
Every year, 200,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed
with an AAA, and about 15,000 die. A ruptured AAA
is the 15th leading cause of death in the country and
the 10th leading cause of death in men older than 55.
But if an AAA is found in time, doctors can often
successfully treat it with medicines or surgery.
Silent symptoms
In most cases, abdominal aortic aneurysms cause no
symptoms and are found when a patient is being
evaluated for another medical condition. However,
if you have a family history of AAA and feel sudden,
severe pain in your abdomen or back, seek immediate
care. These symptoms may signal that you have
developed an AAA, possibly one in the process of
rupturing.
COMMUNITY
VASCULAR HEALTH
Jackson Hospital vascular surgeons and other
doctors in a wide array of specialties collaborate as
a multidisciplinary team to provide coordinated,
comprehensive care. This collaborative approach
means doctors can evaluate you and develop a
treatment plan.
Jackson Hospital uses the most current imaging
tests to accurately diagnose abdominal aortic
aneurysms. Tests may include ultrasonography,
computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) and others. Jackson Hospital physicians
have extensive experience performing surgery to
repair abdominal aortic aneurysms using endovascular
surgery and open abdominal surgery.
Expert care for you
The Joint Commission has certified Jackson Hospital
as the first hospital in Alabama for the surgical repair
of AAA. All areas of the AAA patient’s care were rig-
orously evaluated by a surveyor expert in the field of
AAA surgery and found to exceed standards of care.
During each patient’s hospital stay, our AAA Center
of Excellence nurse meets with them to discuss their
care and address any questions they may have. An in-
terdisciplinary team of caregivers also meets regularly
to review AAA patients’ care to ensure they received
excellent care.
Another first for Jackson
JACKSON HOSP I TAL CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE AMI (HEART ATTACK )
Abdominal aortic
aneurysm
SURGERY
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Jackson Hospital