DECEMBER 2014
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The Surgical Technologist
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551
P O S T - O P E R A T I V E R E C O V E R Y
Recovery depends on the individual and can take a couple
of weeks to several months. Clinical studies suggest that
in the first six months after treatment, patients who have
been treated with endovascular coiling have less disabil-
ity than those with surgical clipping. Beyond six months
after treatment, the amount of disability is about the
same. Long-term results of coiling procedures are uncer-
tain, pending more research to understand the long-term
effects, as some aneurysms can recur after coiling.
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P R O G N O S I S
The prognosis for individuals who experience a rup-
tured aneurysm is dependent on their age and general
health, other pre-existing neurological conditions, location
of the aneurysm, the extent of bleeding (and re-bleeding)
and the time that elapses between the rupture and receiv-
ing medical attention. Research indicates that about 40
percent of those whose aneurysm has ruptured do not
survive the first 24 hours, and as many as 25 percent more
die from complications within 6 months. Individuals who
experience subarachnoid hemorrhaging may have per-
manent neurological damage, while others may recover
with little or no neurological deficit. There can be delayed
