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Elective surgery to repair an abdominal aortic aneurysm
An abdominal aortic aneurysm occurs when an area of the aorta (main blood vessel) becomes very large or swollen. When this occurs there is a risk of rupture and people often have surgery before complications or symptoms develop. The study evaluated the factors which influence how people fare after having elective surgery in Queensland to treat an abdominal aortic aneurysm. The study found:
- There were 1,340 abdominal aortic aneurysms repaired by elective surgery
- The average age of patients was 72.4 years
- Patients were predominantly male (81.7%)
- Long term outcomes were similar for the two types of elective surgery conducted to repair abdominal aortic aneurysms
- Factors which influence long term outcomes include advanced age, pre-existing illnesses and health complications.
The Data Linkage Queensland (DLQ) linked clinical data to Queensland death data for the research team to analyse.
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