CardioExchange Archive

March 13th, 2014

rAAA Patients More Likely to Get Surgery and Survive in the U.S. Than in England

Larry Husten, PHD

Patients with a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) have better outcomes in the United States than in England according to a new study published in the Lancet. Researchers at the University of London compared hospital data from 11,799 rAAA patients in England with 23,838 rAAA patients in the U.S. They found that U.S. patients were more likely than […]

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January 27th, 2014

USPSTF Issues Draft Recommendations on Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening

Nicholas Downing, MD

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now says that the evidence is insufficient to weigh the benefits and harms of screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in women aged 65 to 75 who’ve ever smoked. In its previous 2005 guideline the USPFSTF clearly advised against screening for all women. An updated review by the Task Force […]

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November 21st, 2012

What’s The Best Treatment For Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm?

Larry Husten, PHD

Endovascular repair of AAA (abdominal aortic aneurysm) gained enthusiastic acceptance after initial results from three trials (EVAR 1, DREAM, and OVER) found an early survival advantage for endovascular repair compared to open repair. Some of the enthusiasm waned, however, after long-term results from the first two trials found no difference in survival between the groups […]

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September 18th, 2012

Screening for AAA Comes Under Renewed Scrutiny and Criticism

Larry Husten, PHD

A 2007 Medicare initiative to increase AAA (abdominal aortic aneurysm) screening in appropriate patients failed to prevent AAA rupture or reduce all-cause mortality, according to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The larger implications of the study are unclear, but two accompanying papers, an invited commentary and a perspective, emphasize the darker side […]

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