Lives of older man saved by aneurysm screening service

More than 1,500 elderly men from across South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw have referred themselves to the new abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening since a public campaign was launched in July.

A further 4,500 men in their 65th year have responded to a written invitation for screening since February.

One hundred men who have had the free ultrasound scan have been found to have an aneurysm. Twelve have been diagnosed as having the most serious form of AAA and were said to be at “genuine risk” of suffering a potentially fatal rupture.

Experts say AAAs are largely symptomless and if the men had not taken up the offer of the scan being in a service run by Doncaster and Bassetlaw hospitals, they could have suffered a potentially fatal rupture without ever knowing that they had the condition.

An AAA is an enlarging of the main blood vessel in the body – the aorta – which if left undetected can lead to a fatal rupture.

Vascular surgeon Ray Cuschieri, clinical lead for the NHS screening programme in the area, said: “Lives have undoubtedly been saved here and we are very pleased that so many older men have taken up the offer of being screened for AAAs.

“We are especially pleased that we have been able to identify the men with large aneurysms and have put them into treatment before they could suffer a potentially life-threatening rupture.

“Finding these aneurysms proves that AAA screening is very important. For the sake of a 10-minute scan, we could save your life. For that reason I would encourage all men who are 65 and over to seriously consider the offer of screening.”

In England and Wales, around 6,000 people die every year from ruptured AAAs.