Aortic Aneurysms Explained in 60 Seconds

Aortic aneurysms in 60 seconds. The aorta is the biggest blood vessel in the body. It comes straight from the heart, so needless to say, it's pretty important. If you're a little bit older, have a family history or high blood pressure, or if you've been a smoker or an ex-smoker, then you have a higher risk of having an aortic aneurysm. These can happen in the chest or in the abdomen.

The worrying thing about them is that they grow silently, and suddenly, without warning, they can burst, and if they do, sadly, this is often fatal. […] Screening is a simple matter of either a CT scan for the chest or an ultrasound for the abdomen. So if you're concerned, speak to your local vascular surgeon and get screened today.