Rupture of known XXXX : an ethical dilemma.

@entity1 @entity1755 @entity397 @entity439 @entity204 @entity1028
Elderly @entity1 with @entity1028 ( @entity1028 ) may be deemed inoperable due to the presence of comorbid conditions. Presentation of these @entity1 with acute @entity397 can then result in difficult ethical decisions regarding surgical treatment. Over six years, 80 @entity1 were treated emergently for @entity1755 . Of these @entity1 , 26 (32.5%) had known @entity439 . This study was performed to determine outcome and factors affecting mortality in @entity1 with known AAAs. There were no significant differences between known and unknown @entity1028 groups with regard to operative risk. In the overall group (n = 80), @entity1 delay in seeking treatment averaged 20.4 hours with a trend towards shorter times in those with known AAAs (13.8 hours) compared with the unknown group (23.6 hours; p = 0.09). Medical transport delay, however, was significantly shorter for @entity1 with known @entity1028 (124 minutes versus 230 minutes; p = 0.04). Overall mortality was 56 per cent (n = 45). Those @entity1 with known AAAs had a higher mortality (69%; n = 18) than those with unknown AAAs (50%, n = 27) but this was not statistically significant (P = 0.10). In @entity1 with known AAAs, operative @entity204 was related to @entity1 delay, with an average delay in seeking medical advice of 21.3 hours in nonsurvivors compared with 8.6 hours in survivors (P = 0.04). No other risk or demographic factors correlated with mortality. Despite a known @entity1028 , significant delay in seeking medical advice occurred, and this delay resulted in decreased survival. @entity1 education is imperative if nonoperative treatment is chosen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
