ATAA and CPR

@ghk The simple answer is that, if you need CPR or a defibrillator, your heart has either stopped or is not functioning enough to keep you alive. In that case, you NEED CPR and/or defibrillation to have any chance to stay alive.
As always in the case of heart stoppage, the responders should call 911 first (or instruct a bystander to do it) and begin CPR immediately.
Have you considered getting a neck-worn Medic Alert tag (it would be most easily seen in an emergency) identifying your Aneurysm? Do not abbreviate - spell out "Aortic Aneurysm Call 911". A trained 911 operator will dispatch help AND instruct how to initiate CPR.

Thank you for your response. I have thought about getting a medic alert tag. I would hope that an instant heart stopping event will not occur and if I have an event I can get to an ER before that happens. Someone asked me about it and I just did not know how to respond. Of course it seems that CPR could cause further dilation of the aorta

@ghk Yes, it could affect the aneurysm, BUT CPR is only done when no heartbeat or breathing is detected. Without these, you have only minutes before irreversible brain damage or death, so intervention is not optional.

Thank you again for responding. This group has been most helpful to me

Within a month of learning about my aneurysm, I had a medical tag made through Etsy and it only cost me about six dollars. On the tag, I had inscribed ascending aortic aneurysm, no CPR, my blood type, emergency, contact phone number, my allergies, and my date of birth. Like you, I had the concern that someone seeing me with a chest pain would automatically assume I’m having a heart attack and start pounding on my chest. Not a good scenario!

Good information. Thank you