Problem: Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are a serious medical condition that often requires surgical intervention. For elective repair of AAA, endovascular repair has shown reduced patient morbidity and mortality, and shortened hospital length-of-stay. For ruptured AAA, the treatment of choice has been open surgical repair. However, recent practice of endovascular repair for ruptured AAA has shown a decrease in short-term patient mortality when compared to open repair. Methods: The clinical trials used for this literature review were identified using PubMed search via Weill Cornell Medical Library. The review included clinical trials within the last ten years that focused on endovascular and open repair for abdominal aortic aneurysms, as well as endovascular repair and open repair for ruptured AAA. Results: Results of this literature review demonstrated that for endovascular repair of AAA, there are lower short-term rates of death and complication with the survival advantage more stable in older patients. For patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms, endovascular repair can reduce short-term (30-day) perioperative mortality in the older population in hospitals that are trained and well-equipped in endovascular repair. Conclusions: While there are lower short-term mortality rates for endovascular repair for abdominal aortic aneurysms, there is no long-term data to suggest that endovascular repair reduces mortality compared to open repair for both elective and emergent procedures.