Prevention and management of surgical complications during repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Abdominal aortic aneurysms can be repaired with a mortality rate of 3 per cent or less under optimal conditions. To achieve these results, every effort must be made to prevent disastrous surgical complications in this elderly population. This review covers some of the more common and serious complications associated with aneurysm repair: their causation, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The majority of these complications are preventable with a carefully planned and executed operation. The result will be a patient with a normal age-adjusted life expectancy.