Sixty eight year old Elaine Hartman was sitting in a chair watching the news when she had a sudden, terrible pain in her stomach. Wondering if it might be a cramp related to a stent recently placed in her renal artery, Elaine got up and walked around a bit to try to reduce the pain.

 

Within minutes, the pain moved to her back as well and Elaine knew something was very wrong so she dialed 911. By the time the ambulance brought Elaine to Inova Fairfax Hospital, she was being kept alive by CPR. Elaine had a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, which is almost always fatal.

 

Abdominal aortic aneurysms are caused when the wall of the aorta expands like a balloon and cannot allow blood to properly pass though the aorta and up into the heart. If these aneurysms rupture, they are almost always fatal because of the amount of internal bleeding and inability for blood to travel to the heart.

 

Luckily for Elaine, CVTSA vascular surgeons are experts in the field of aneurysm repair and Dr. Mukherjee was able to place a catheter through Elaine’s groin and up to the aneurysm. Once that was done, he deployed a stent which sealed off the aneurysm preventing further bleeding.

 

Elaine says she is thankful to have not seen any “bright lights” and that she was able to be treated without major surgery.