← Back to dossier
Patient handout

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (surveillance + rupture)

PRODUCTION

1. Your condition

This handout is for abdominal aortic aneurysm (surveillance + rupture). Your care team identified this based on: pulsatile abdominal mass on exam (svs 2024).

Other reasons your team may use this plan: abdominal/back pain + hypotension/syncope — rupture suspicion (esvs 2019; svs 2024); us/ct showing infrarenal aorta >=3.0 cm (svs 2024; esvs 2019); nhs / uspstf aaa screening — men 65-75 / select women (uspstf 2019; esvs 2019).

2. Your medications

Take these medications exactly as prescribed. Do not stop or change a dose without talking to your provider.

MedicationStarting doseHowWhenWhat it does
atorvastatin40-80 mgPOonce dailyESVS 2019; SVS 2024 — statin reduces CV mortality in AAA; pleiotropic effect on aneurysm growth uncertain
aspirin81 mgPOonce dailyCV mortality benefit; not aneurysm-specific (SVS 2024; ESC 2024)
lisinopril10-40 mgPOonce dailyBP control to <130/80 (SVS 2024); ACEi acceptable, no aneurysm-growth-specific evidence
losartan50-100 mgPOonce dailyMarfan benefit — COMPARE trial (Radonic EJCTS 2012); reasonable in CTD AAA (ESC 2024)

Plan: AAA — surveillance + medical optimization + repair (ESVS 2024 / NICE NG156 / SVS 2018)

3. When to call your provider

Contact your care team if any of the following happen:

  • New abdominal/back pain → ED rupture rule-out (SVS 2024)
  • Rapid expansion >1 cm/y → vascular surgery for early repair (SVS 2024)
  • New connective tissue features → genetic / vascular consult (SVS 2024)

4. When to seek emergency care

Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room right away if you have:

  • Pain + known AAA OR triad of pain + hypotension + pulsatile mass (SVS 2024)(life-threatening)
  • AAA expansion >1 cm/year on serial imaging (SVS 2024)
  • AAA + fever + elevated CRP + positive BC + FDG-PET avidity (SVS 2024)(life-threatening)
  • Marfan / Loeys-Dietz / vascular EDS with AAA (SVS 2024)
  • Known AAA + abdominal/back pain + hemodynamic instability (SVS 2024)(life-threatening)

5. Follow-up

Long-term smoking cessation; BP and statin optimization; family screening recommendations (SVS 2024; ESC 2024)

6. Sources

Guideline: ESVS 2024 (Wanhainen et al, Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg 2024) + NICE NG156 + SVS 2018 + 2022 ACC/AHA Aortic + 2024 ESC PAD/Aortic

  1. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29766750
  2. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23900119