I m writing a story/personal memoir---my stepfather died in 1995. I believe he had something like a femorial arterial hernia (?). He passed out one day and when they took him to the hospital they operated and it burst while on the operating table, I guess, and all his blood gushed out before they could do anything. Does that sound like the type of condition he might have had and what could have happened back then? Thanks.
It sounds like your father had a femoral artery aneurysm. An "Aneurysm" is a localized dilation of an artery, which can look like a bulge or a balloon on imaging studies like a CT scan or angiogram. Aneurysms are more common in the brain, but they may happen also commonly large vessels such as the aorta and femoral arteries. When these aneurysms grow, they are at an increased risk to pop and bleed, and when this happens there is usually no time to stop the bleeding as it is very brisk. Hope that answered your question. Let me know if you have any further concerns.