New Delhi: The balloon like bulge in abdomen section of aorta, the main artery that carries blood from heart to the rest of the body, is a ticking time bomb.
And if you have it, you are for sure on a date with death unless the fatal condition is caught and repaired before it bursts.
Rupture in this bulge means a veritable Tsunami of bleeding. Md. Ataur Rahman, aged 65 years from Bangladesh was in the throes of this catastrophe because rupture had already happened. But for the adjacent muscle called psoas, which temporarily had contained the deluge, he was a gone case.
A little jerk would have brought his end. But fortunately for him, he was just in time safely flown to Apollo hospital, Delhi where an efficient team of interventionalists led by Dr (Prof.) N N Khanna, Sr. Consultant Interventional Cardiology & Vascular Interventions
Advisor, averted his impending death.
Talking to Medicare News, Dr Khanna, President, International Society of Endovascular Specialist (ISEVS – Indian Chapter)
said, ‘It was a very high risk intervention and called for deft handling. We carried out an urgent and a totally Percutaneous (without even a small cut) Endovascular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair (PEVAR) of Mr Rehman’s ruptured abdominal aorta. He was discharged on day 3 and subsequently flew back to Bangladesh happily and safely. Mr Rehman, who was a known patient of severe Coronary Artery Disease, experienced excruciating pain in abdomen and back and was diagnosed in Bangladesh to have contained rupture of a huge Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.’
The doctors at Bangladesh had told him that he had very little chance of survival and surgery would be extremely high risk and the option of endovascular repair was not available there.
Fortunately, today there is an effective intervention available to defuse this ‘bomb’ provided it is diagnosed before rupture. But ages ago, it killed Albert Einstein, the great scientist and Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India with impunity. They knew death was brewing in their bellies but medical world had nothing to offer them as help.
Dr Khanna, Chairman, Asia Pacific Vascular Society, further said, ‘Aortic Aneurysm is an increasingly recognized condition. Over the last 3 decades the incidence of AA has tripled, which may reflect the increasing age of the population and improvement in diagnostic methods. More than 35000 deaths per year are directly attributed to AA which is 9th leading cause of death. The risk of rupture in AA increases with increase in its diameter.’
Aneurysms can form in any section of the aorta, but they are most common in the belly area (abdominal aortic aneurysm). The wall of the aorta is normally very elastic. It can stretch and then shrink back as needed to adapt to blood flow. But some medical problems, such as high blood pressure and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), weaken the artery walls. These problems, along with the wear and tear that naturally occurs with aging, can result in a weak aortic wall that bulges outward.
Most aortic aneurysms don’t cause symptoms. Sometimes a doctor finds them during exams or tests done for other reasons. People who do have symptoms complain of belly, chest, or back pain and discomfort. The symptoms may come and go or stay constant.
Aneurysms are often diagnosed by chance during exams or tests done for other reasons. In some cases, they are found during a screening test for aneurysms. Screening tests help your doctor look for a certain disease or condition before any symptoms appear.
