Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Leak: Symptoms, Risks & Emergency Treatment

An abdominal aortic aneurysm may cause gastrointestinal bleeding requiring emergency surgery. Unfortunately, that surgery itself may produce even more potentially fatal internal hemorrhaging.

Identification

• A leaking abdominal aortic aneurysm GI (gastrointestinal) bleed is a phrase that may be utilized for two separate issues relating to aneurysms in the stomach area. A layman may refer to it as such to describe a bleeding aneurysm that demands immediate surgery. A second use of this phrase can indicate a condition where bleeding occurs after surgery.

Significance

• A dissecting abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a split that occurs in the wall of the artery, causing a leakage of blood throughout the abdomen. As the condition continues to tear tissue, a rupture may occur. Either condition is potentially fatal.

Warning

• Nearly half of all patients with a ruptured AAA die from bleeding before reaching the hospital. "Even with surgery, there is 50 to 70 percent mortality rate associated with a ruptured AAA," according to the University of Southern California's Center for Vascular Care.

Features

• An aortoenteric fistula is a rare but often fatal condition that occurs when surgery to repair an aneurysm or other vascular condition brings on gastrointestinal bleeding.

Considerations

• Dr. Mark Tseng of the Brooklyn Veteran's Administration Hospital says that an aortoenteric fistula is 100 percent fatal without additional surgery. It occurs in as many as 2 percent of patients who undergo repair for an abdominal aortic aneurysm.