Emergency abdominal aortic aneurysm: maintaining normovolemia

1. Aortic aneurysms occur when atherosclerosis, medionecrosis, or (in rare cases) syphilis leads to a weakening of the arterial wall. Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA); syphilis and medionecrosis most often involve the thoracic aorta. 2. The patient requiring emergency AAA resection represents a true challenge for the surgical team. Mortality rates range from 50% for acute dissection to 70% for rupture. 3. Salvage and processing of intraoperatively shed blood is an important nursing intervention in maintaining normovolemia in the emergency AAA patient; intraoperative autotransfusion offers several advantages.