This video shows Les sharing his experience with abdominal aortic aneurysm screening and how it saved his life.
How AAA Screening Saved My Life
Hello, my name’s Les. Ten years ago, when I was in my 65th year, I received a screening invitation to check whether I had an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). The screening program invites men in the year they turn 65 to come for a painless scan to see whether there is an aneurysm.
Les attended his screening appointment and was found to have a 5.5 cm aneurysm, which, of course, came as a shock to him. But it gave him the opportunity to have his aneurysm treated before it became a problem.
On his examination, it was found that he had a large aneurysm. He was told that they recommended open surgery, and he was referred to the vascular services and the aortic team. He ended up having open aneurysm repair. Les couldn’t have asked for better care. He was diagnosed one day and had everything sorted out the next. Three months after that, he was signed off.
He came for his scan, we found it, and he was treated. It essentially saved his life.
So, I would really encourage people to attend their screening appointment when they receive the invitation. It’s a quick, painless test that takes less than five minutes to perform. Overall, the majority of patients receive good results. I can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want to know. It can save your life.
This video shows Max Troxler, a vascular surgeon, explaining abdominal aortic aneurysm screening and its life-saving benefits.
What is AAA and why is it important to attend your screening? With Mr Max Troxler
Good afternoon, my name is Max Troxler. I’m a vascular surgeon and the Clinical Director of the Central Yorkshire Aneurysm Screening Program. I’d like to talk about what an aortic aneurysm is and why it’s important to attend screening.
An aortic aneurysm is an abnormal swelling of the main artery in the body that passes out of the heart and divides into two arteries for the legs. When that artery swells up, that’s what we call an aortic aneurysm. They usually go undetected and cause serious problems when they reach a certain size because they can rupture. If they rupture, most people don’t survive that.
The aortic screening program invites men in the year they turn 65 to come for a painless scan to check if they have an aneurysm. In the year that men turn 65 years old, they receive an appointment through the post to attend for an ultrasound scan to check for the presence of an aneurysm. This screening program performs over 7,000 scans a year, and less than one in 100 men invited is found to have some swelling of their aorta or a small aneurysm.
Most people who come for the screening can be reassured that they do not have an aneurysm. For those who do have an aneurysm, we offer further scans to keep an eye on it. I would really encourage people to attend their aneurysm screening appointment when they receive the invitation. It’s a quick, painless test that takes less than five minutes to perform.
99 times out of 100, there’s no aneurysm, and the aorta is a normal size, which brings reassurance. For the small number of people who do have an aneurysm, it’s best to know that it’s there so you can monitor it and repair it if it ever reaches a size where it starts to become a danger.