Transporting AAA pt?

[medichopeful]

Think about what "AAA" is an abbreviation for. I see what your saying, but your thinking of a different condition.

Oops! That's what I get for posting on the fly without really thinking!

 

[medichopeful]

Minor point... if the AAA is in the abdomen, blood won't (and can't) pool in the thoracic cavity as there's this thing called the diaphragm that gets in the way...

:rofl: See my response above!

 

[LondonMedic]

Minor point... if the AAA is in the abdomen, blood won't (and can't) pool in the thoracic cavity as there's this thing called the diaphragm that gets in the way...

It can however, pool against the diaphragm and decrease respiratory compliance.

 

[ArcticKat]

I'd argue heavily against this. If they're actively bleeding from an AAA, I'd worry seriously about the hemorrhaged blood pooling in the thoracic cavity, throwing off the intrathoracic or intrapleural pressure.

Read my other post.

It can however, pool against the diaphragm and decrease respiratory compliance.

Except that they'll be dead by then anyways.

 

[Akulahawk]

It can however, pool against the diaphragm and decrease respiratory compliance.

Believe it or not, I was actually typing something very similar to that and had to go do something else...

 

[Medicus]

For completeness, I just want to point out that AAAs are extremely common and you have all transported many patients with AAAs without even knowing it. The vast majority of patients are asymptomatic and will not require surgery.

When they start to become symptomatic, that is when you need to worry.

-Medicus

 

[Voodoo1]

For completeness, I just want to point out that AAAs are extremely common and you have all transported many patients with AAAs without even knowing it. The vast majority of patients are asymptomatic and will not require surgery.

When they start to become symptomatic, that is when you need to worry.

-Medicus

Interesting. Could you explain please? I wonder how an abdominal aneurysm would be asymptomatic and not require surgury. I would think that the pt would be in quite a bit of pain and most certainly be symptomatic if there was an AAA.

 

[LondonMedic]

Interesting. Could you explain please? I wonder how an abdominal aneurysm would be asymptomatic and not require surgury. I would think that the pt would be in quite a bit of pain and most certainly be symptomatic if there was an AAA.

A "AAA" is an abdominal aortic aneurysm, it is a vascular malformation, most of the time is not bleeding, leaking, tearing or rupturing, it is pain free, asymptomatic and bloody hard to diagnose on examination (outside of anorexics). Most of them are detected by chance and monitored until they are large enough to warrant the risk of surgery (currently 4.4cm in the UK). They rupture (or tear or bleed or leak) much less often.

What you, in the pre-hospital field, commonly refer to as an "AAA" is actually a ruptured aneurysm.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001215/

 

[usalsfyre]

An aneurysm is simply a "ballooning" of the blood vessel due to weakness of the vessel wall. As such, AAA is very common in older patients, typically just above where the aorta bifurcates into the femoral arteries due to the natural area of high pressure this creates.

What we are concerned with in EMS are rupturing or dissecting aneurysms. This is when the wall of the vessel actually tears.

 

[Voodoo1]

Thank you both LondonMedic and Usalsfyre for the clairification.