Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 24, 2026

Manufacturing Abdominal Aorta Hydrogel Tissue-Mimicking Phantoms for Ultrasound Elastography Validation
Published on: September 19, 2018
An "all comers" policy for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms: how can results be improved?
M C Barry1, P E Burke, S Sheehan
1Department of Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin.
Objective:
To review our experience of a non-selective policy for the treatment of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm to see if the policy was justified, and to identify any preoperative risk factors that adversely influenced outcome.
Design:
Retrospective study.
Setting:
Teaching hospital, Republic of Ireland.
Subjects:
258 patients admitted with abdominal aortic aneurysms between January 1982 and December 1993.
Interventions:
Definitive surgical treatment.
Main Outcome Measures:
Morbidity, mortality, and risk factors.
Results:
In-hospital mortality for all patients was 43% (110/258). Overall, women did worse than men (28/44, 64%, died, compared with 96/214, 45%, p=0.03). The mortality among patients over the age of 80 (23/45, 51%) was not significantly different from that among younger patients (97/202, 48%). Blood pressure, platelet count, and haemoglobin concentration were all significantly lower preoperatively among those who died (p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
Age alone cannot be used to justify witholding definitive surgical treatment. Treatment should be aimed towards reversing haematological and haemodynamic abnormalities preoperatively to try to improve outcome.
Related Concept Videos
Aortic Regurgitation I: Introduction
Aortic Regurgitation III: Medical Management
Aneurysm I: Introduction
Aneurysm II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies
Aneurysm III: Interprofessional Care
Aneurysm IV: Nursing Management

