While assessing a patient with an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), the nurse should auscultate for bruits. Which location is the most common site for AAA formation?
Explanation
• 90% of AAAs occur distal to/below the renal arteries.
• Incorrect: Aneurysms distal to the iliac artery are technically aneurysms of the iliac arteries, not of the aorta.
• Incorrect: Suprarenal aortic aneurysms do occur, but are not common.
• Incorrect: Debakey type III aortic dissection occurs in the descending aorta, just distal to the aortic arch (not abdominal).