When Morton Schimdt came to Portsmouth Regional Hospital for stroke symptoms, it

was discovered that he had brain aneurysm. The team at Portsmouth Stroke and Brain Aneurysm
Clinic was able to build a treatment plan specific to Morton’s condition, who was able to resume
his normal lifestyle right after his procedure. Prevalence ranges from 5-10%, with unruptured
aneurysms accounting for 50% of all aneurysms. Pediatric aneurysms account for only 2% of all
cerebral aneurysms. In the United States, the incidence of ruptured aneurysms is approximately
12 per 100,000 individuals or 30,000 annual cases of aneurysmal SAH.

A brain aneurysm (also called a cerebral aneurysm or an intracranial aneurysm) is a

ballooning arising from a weakened area in the wall of a blood vessel in the brain. If the brain
aneurysm expands and the blood vessel wall becomes too thin, the aneurysm will rupture and
bleed into the space around the brain (Hopskin Medicine, 2020). Surgery and/or endovascular
therapy are the treatment for brain aneurysms, whether they are ruptured or unruptured. During
this procedure, your surgeon cuts a small opening in your skull to access the aneurysm.
(Cleveland Clinic, 2020)

1. In patient condition, why do you think the interventional radiology approach will be more
effective rather than invasive surgery?

Interventional radiologists use the least invasive techniques possible, making only small
incisions when necessary. This often results in safer and more effective outcomes than traditional
surgery. Interventional radiology reduces cost, recovery time, pain, and risk to patients who
would otherwise need traditional open surgery. Because of this, IR has become the primary way
to treat many types of conditions. The treatments IR can effectively perform are ever-changing
and expanding.

2. Explain your nursing responsibilities after surgery.

In general, nursing interventions that are required in postoperative care include prompt
pain control, assessment of the surgical site and drainage tubes, monitoring the rate and patency
of IV fluids and IV access, and assessing the patient's level of sensation, circulation, and safety.

3. Explain the complication that may develop in an aneurysm if untreated.

Increased pressure inside the head can cause coma or death. Vasospasm occurs frequently
after subarachnoid hemorrhage when the bleeding causes the arteries in the brain to contract and
limit blood flow to vital areas of the brain.

Cerebral Aneurysm tackles that role of our brain and how it can be damaged. As future
nurses, it is important to be exposed with cases like brain aneurysm in order to be ready for the
future cases we are about to handle in hospitals. Brain aneurysm can be dangerous if left
untreated, and it the responsibility of the nurse to take care of patients before, during, and after
treatment, that’s why nursing interventions should begin as soon as aortic dissection is suspected.