Outcome of the Swedish Nationwide Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Program
Authors' conclusion
Screening 65-year-old men for AAA is an effective preventive health measure and is highly cost-effective in a contemporary setting.
Study context
- Population
- 65-year-old men invited to the Swedish national abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening program, 2006–201484% attended
- Participants
- 302,957 men
- Exposure
- Introduction of AAA screening vs before screening
- Outcome
- AAA-specific mortality among men ≥65 years
Methodological detailsnationwide, all 21 Swedish counties, linear regression, Markov model projection
- Nationwide
- All 21 Swedish counties
- Linear regression
- Markov model projection
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
AAA-specific mortality
Screening associated with significant reduction in AAA-specific mortality (mean per year of screening)
4.0%, P=0.020
Number needed to screen to prevent 1 premature death
667
Number needed to operate on to prevent 1 premature death
1.5
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Prevalence of screening-detected AAA
- Prevalence
- 1.5%
Patients with AAA operated on · mean 4.5 years
- Operated on
- 29%
Projected national effect (Markov model) · annually
- Premature deaths from AAA prevented per year
- 90
- QALYs gained per year
- 577
- Incremental cost-efficiency ratio
- €7770 per QALY
- Total population 9.5 million
30-day mortality after AAA repair
- Overall
- 0.9%
- Open repair
- 1.3%
- Endovascular repair
- 0.3%
- Open vs endovascular P<0.001
Original publication
Outcome of the Swedish Nationwide Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Program. Circulation. Published 14 September 2016. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it