For many of us, it happens 115,200 times every day — including weekends and holidays. What’s happening is the miracle of the heartbeat. Add it all up and your heart beats billions of times throughout your life.
Now think of the pressure that repetitive pumping puts on your circulatory system. You can feel the pressure in your pulse in the wrist or beside your throat. Your aorta is the blood vessel coming out of your heart to feed your entire body. You can imagine the pressure your aorta is subjected to every day.
Unfortunately, your aorta can weaken over time due to issues such as a hereditary weakness, a disease such as diabetes, an injury, smoking or high cholesterol, aging or hardening of the arteries (called atherosclerosis).
When the aorta weakens, blood pressure can cause a bulge in the aorta. We call the bulge an aortic aneurysm. Since the aorta is the vessel that carries blood to your brain and the rest of the body, an aortic aneurysm can be dangerous if it continues to expand. The aneurysm can cause a blood clot to develop. If the clot breaks away, it can increase the chances of a stroke. Monitoring an aortic aneurysm requires professional medical care.
You could have an aortic aneurysm and not realized it. Small aneurysms are generally not dangerous if they don’t expand.
An aneurysm can grow for years. If it gets large enough, it can press on nearby organs or block the blood flow.
Symptoms of an aortic aneurysm can vary depending on its location.
Thoracic aortic aneurysm symptoms may include:
Abdominal aortic aneurysm symptoms may include:
If an aneurysm is small, a health care professional may continue to monitor its size and extent. If the aneurysm expands and becomes a more significant concern, surgery may become an option. The doctor will review options with the patient.
In more advanced cases, your aorta can tear or rupture under the pressure, prompting internal bleeding. We call this an aortic dissection. Symptoms include:
If you experience these symptoms, see your health care professional immediately. An aortic rupture is a life-threatening medical emergency.
A new approach for enhancing care
Helping people keep their circulatory systems, including the aorta, healthy and working well is one of the reasons why doctors urge people to exercise, quit smoking, control cholesterol levels and manage conditions such as diabetes.
To enhance the care available to patients who suffer from aortic issues, including aneurysms, tears and ruptures, Aurora Health Care has created the Comprehensive Aortic Center (CAC). It coordinates care provided by a multidisciplinary team of professionals.
The Comprehensive Aortic Center, based in Milwaukee, has three goals:
The CAC has two areas of focus:
A coordinator works closely with patients and directs the services of the CAC. The coordinator for all CAC services can be reached at 844-WI-Aorta.
Surgical procedures are performed at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center. Patients will receive their follow-up care at their home health care centers.
If you have questions or concerns about your heart health or the health of a loved one, visiting your local health care professional is an ideal first step. If advanced care is needed, a collaborative team of specialists is available to help through the Comprehensive Aortic Center.