Elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair
Authors - Drs Adam Pichel and Chris Snowden
Date published - 21 September 2011
Elective Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (Drs Adam Pichel and Chris Snowden)
Preoperative
- Epidemiology and Natural History of AAA
- Anatomical types of AAA (including thoracic aneurysms)
- AAA Screening programs – utility and effect on patient mix
- Preoperative assessment for major abdominal vascular surgery
- Cardiac and non-cardiac risk for open AAA
- Indications for EVAR and open surgery
Intraoperative
- Physiological principles behind aortic cross clamping
- Physiological and clinical distinction between Suprarenal and Infrarenal clamping
- Aims of haemodynamic management
- Physiology and clinical management of aortic de-clamping
Anaesthesia
- General anaesthetechniques
- Epidural anaesthesia: indications, contraindications, management, complications
Monitoring regimes including
- invasive pressures
- cardiac output monitoring
- spinal cord function
Postoperative
- Complications following open AAA repair
- Physiological principles behind complications.
- Effectiveness of strategies to reduce complications
- Complications include: renal injury, spinal cord injury
- Requirements for postoperative care
- Requirement for postoperative ventilation
- HDU and ITU care
