Houston Methodist Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Guidelines

Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (RAAA) is an acute aortic condition that requires emergent intervention and appropriate continuity of care to optimize patient outcomes. We describe the standardized RAAA protocol at the Houston Methodist Hospital Acute Aortic Treatment Center, developed to navigate critical patient transfer periods safely and efficiently, make crucial decisions about surgical intervention, and clearly communicate these plans with other care team providers. Our workflow is organized into five phases: prehospital, preoperative, intraoperative, postoperative, and post-discharge. We identify the transfer center, anesthesia, operating room nursing staff, surgeons, and intensive care unit as key entities of our acute aortic pathology care team. This systematic protocol for the management of acute aortic emergencies such as RAAA identifies critical decision points, potential complications at each stage, and recommendations for best practice.