You’re most likely just feeling your pulse in your abdominal aorta. Your aorta is the main artery that carries blood from your heart to the rest of your body. It runs from your heart, down the center of your chest, and into your abdomen. It’s normal to feel blood pumping through this large artery from time to time.

: the great arterial trunk that carries blood from the heart to be distributed by branch arteries through the body — see heart illustration.

Aortic: Pertaining to the aorta, the largest artery in the body. “Aortic” is in common usage as, for example, in an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

The aorta is the main artery that carries blood away from your heart to the rest of your body. The blood leaves the heart through the aortic valve. Then it travels through the aorta, making a cane-shaped curve that allows other major arteries to deliver oxygen-rich blood to the brain, muscles and other cells.

The aorta is the largest blood vessel in the body. This artery is responsible for transporting oxygen rich blood from your heart to the rest of your body. The aorta begins at the left ventricle of the heart, extending upward into the chest to form an arch.

5 Ways to Care for Your Aortic Valve

1. Eat a heart-healthy diet. People with high cholesterol may see their aortic valve narrow much faster than people with healthy cholesterol levels.
2. Keep blood pressure in check.
3. Quit smoking.
4. Keep your teeth and gums healthy.
5. Get your heart murmur checked.

Yes, you can live with an aortic aneurysm, and there are many ways to prevent dissection (splitting of the blood vessel wall that causes blood to leak) or worse, a rupture (a burst aneurysm). Some aortic aneurysms are hereditary or congenital, such as bicuspid aortic valve, infection or inflammatory conditions.

“Severe physical or emotional stress increases blood pressure to the point where the tensile limit of the aortic tissue is overwhelmed, causing the rupture.”

When the aorta is weak, blood pushing against the vessel wall can cause it to bulge like a balloon (aneurysm). A thoracic aortic aneurysm is also called a thoracic aneurysm, and aortic dissection can occur because of an aneurysm.

Endovascular repair for thoracic aortic aneurysm

1. Open-chest surgery. Open-chest surgery to repair a thoracic aortic aneurysm generally involves removing the damaged section of the aorta and replacing it with a synthetic tube (graft), which is sewn into place.
2. Endovascular surgery.
3. Emergency surgery.

Abnormal enlargement or bulging of the aorta, the largest blood vessel of the body, is not an unusual condition. Health-care professionals refer to this as aneurysm of the great vessel, or aortic aneurysm. The enlargement usually affects only a small part of the vessel, so bulge is a more accurate description.

Sudden death can also occur. In some cases, patients might experience symptoms without a rupture. These patients may get a warning of abdominal pain or escalating back pain. If the aneurysm is in the chest only, the individual may experience chest or upper back pain.

approximately 2 cm

The most important way you can slow the progress of an aneurysm is to control your blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, the extra force pushes against the walls of the aneurysm causing it to expand.

The larger an aneurysm is, the greater the chances are that it will rupture. It is estimated that an abdominal aortic aneurysm that is over 5.5 cm in diameter will rupture within one year in about 3 to 6 out of 100 men. That’s why surgery is often recommended.

Most aneurysms grow slowly at a rate of about 3mm (1/8th inch) per year but larger aneurysms can grow more quickly.

Five-year survival expectancy was 65% for intact AAA and 41% for ruptured AAA (P < . 001). Cardiovascular deaths unrelated to the AAA occurred in 35% and cancer-related deaths in 29% of deceased patients.

The study found that short-term crude, or actual, survival rates improved among patients who underwent surgery to repair a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. The relative survival rate held steady at about 87 percent. On average, patients who underwent repair for a ruptured aneurysm lived 5.4 years after surgery.

Endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair is surgery to repair a widened area in your aorta. This is called an aneurysm. The aorta is the large artery that carries blood to your belly, pelvis, and legs.

Who is a candidate for endovascular repair of a thoracic aneurysm? You may be eligible for endovascular stent grafting if your thoracic aneurysm has not ruptured and the aneurysm is 5 centimeters or more in size.

Aortic dissection is life threatening. The condition can be managed with surgery if it is done before the aorta ruptures. Less than one half of people with a ruptured aorta survive. Those who survive will need lifelong, aggressive treatment of high blood pressure.

Signs and symptoms that your aortic aneurysm has ruptured can include: Sudden, intense and persistent abdominal or back pain, which can be described as a tearing sensation. Low blood pressure. Fast pulse.

An aortic rupture occurs after there is trauma to the aorta such as that from a motor vehicle accident or a penetrating injury. This can make diagnosis difficult because the patient often has multiple traumatic injuries with symptoms that may mask the ruptured aorta.

If your aortic aneurysm ruptures, you will feel a sudden and severe pain in the middle or side of your abdomen. In men, the pain can also radiate down into the scrotum. Other symptoms include: dizziness.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Drinking alcohol at moderate levels — two or more drinks per day — appears to be a risk factor for abdominal aortic aneurysm in men, researchers found.

For this surgery, your doctor makes a large incision in the abdomen to expose the aorta. Once he or she has opened the abdomen, a graft can be used to repair the aneurysm. Open repair remains the standard procedure for an abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR).

Popular foods that are bad for your aortic health include the following:

• Fatty meats, such as red meat.
• Fried foods.
• Refined, white carbohydrates.
• Sugary drinks, such as soda.
• Fatty oils, such as margarine and butter.
• Processed, packaged foods.
• High cholesterol foods.
• Full-fat dairy products.

Caffeine can cause an increase in blood pressure,4 perhaps putting those who harbour an intracranial aneurysm and who drink six cups or more of caffeinated coffee per day at increased risk for rupture compared with those who drink less or do not drink coffee at all.

Those with aortic aneurysm may participate in cardiac rehabilitation. Low- to moderate-intensity exercise appears to be safe and effective. Care must be taken to keep the risk of dissection, expansion, and rupture low during exercise.

Reduce the amount of sodium and cholesterol in your diet. And eat lean meats, lots of fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Avoid strenuous activities. Things like shoveling snow, chopping wood, and lifting heavy weights can actually put strain on an existing aneurysm.