Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

The cardiovascular system is the most important system in our body. This system is what keeps us alive. Beating on average 30 billion times a year, our heart is never able to stop and take a break. With every beat of our heart, the cardiovascular system moves blood, gases, nutrients, and hormones throughout the intricate vasculature of our bodies. An adult body contains over 60,000 miles of vessels, which can wrap around the world two and a half times. The vessel branching off of the heart is largest artery in our body and is known as the aorta. The aorta supplies oxygenated blood to our body. The aorta runs along the midline of our body and has many other vessels that stem from it to deliver the blood to a specific location. The aorta has several different names, depending on the location in the body. As it comes off of the heart at the left ventricle it is called the ascending aorta. It is located in the anterior mediastinum and is approximately three to five centimeters wide. In the superior mediastinum, at the peak of the aorta, it turns to resemble and upside down U and become the aortic arch. As it pass behind the heart and starts to go down into the thoracic cavity it becomes the descending aorta, more specifically, the thoracic aorta. The diameter of the thoracic aorta is about two and a half centimeters wide. Once the aorta reaches the diaphragm and passes into the abdomen it converts the abdominal aorta. The abdominal aorta is about two centimeters wide. The thoracic aorta runs for about twenty centimeter and the abdominal aorta extends for about fifteen centimeters long.

The aorta has three tissue layers, the intima, the media, and the adventitia. The intima is the inner most, thin layer. It is compose...

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...uld be aware of how fatal this can be if not treated in time. There is no way to prevent this disease, but there are steps that can be taken to lower the risk of getting it; do not smoke, stay health, and have regular screenings.

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