The term 'aneurysm' suggests that a part of a blood vessel that may appear somewhere in the system is swelling or a stick out. If an aneurysm happens in the aorta, the biggest blood vessel in the body, it is either a thoracic aneurysm close to the heart or an abdominal aneurysm found in the aorta's lower part.

If you or someone close to you has ever gotten an aortic aneurysm surgery, you probably already know about the procedure and its aftermath. But if you don't know, there’s nothing to worry about because we got you covered. Abbasi Shaheed Hospital has one of the best Cardiac Surgeons in Karachi and we contacted them to tell us more about aneurysm surgery. This is what they have to say:

Causes
The main causes of aortic aneurysms are hardening of arteries (this condition is called Atherosclerosis), serious injury, smoking, high blood pressure, trauma, and inherited or congenital abnormality.

Symptoms
Unfortunately, the symptoms usually do not show up until it has caused some serious damage to the patient’s heart already. But the common symptoms look like chest or back pain, dizziness, fatigue, palpitations, or shortness of breath.

Experiencing the worst possible back pain can be a sign of a tear or rupture and is an extreme medical emergency.

Diagnosis
The common methods for the diagnosis of the disease are chest x-ray tests, MRI scans, or a CT scan. The tests are really efficient and accurate and sometimes can even predict the exact size and location of the aneurysm. However, doctors usually make patient’s go through the same scans every 6-12 months to get an update on any change in the size or location of the aneurysm

Surgery
For the surgery, the most common method used is when the opening is carved in the chest right above where the aneurysm in the aorta is placed. To maintain circulation during surgery, a heart-lung machine is used. To remove the part of the aorta affected by an aneurysm, surgeons place clamps above and below and then gently remove the desired part.

For the cases where the surgery is too big of a risk, another method is used where surgery is not required. In this method, a device called a stent-graft is placed from the outside of the body through a catheter that is put through an artery leading to the aorta. What this device does is prevents the rupture in the aorta by releasing most of the pressure of blood flowing through the aneurysm.

The surgery department of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital Karachi is really efficient and impressive when it comes to aortic aneurysm surgery.

Recovery
The downtime of the aortic aneurysm surgery is pretty much the same as open-heart surgery. Thus it might take a little while to return to your daily life activities. Nevertheless, you still have to say goodbye to smoking, heavy weight lifting, unhealthy lifestyle, and do whatever is required to maintain normal blood pressure.

Conclusion
You should take full care of yourself, irrespective of the sort of surgery you've undergone. Here, to get your power back, you can learn how to improve your diet, stop smoking, control stress, and workout. All of these steps will help to keep your heart healthy and fit, and your aorta.