
THE MEDICAL STUDIES
1. It is recommended that all men 65-80 years old, women 65-80 years old with a history of smoking or cardiovascular disease, and anyone 55 years of age or older with a 1st degree relative with a AAA receive a 1-time screening ultrasound. Individuals older than 80 can be considered for AAA screening on an individual basis depending on risk factors, life expectancy, and patient choice.
The Canadian Journal of Surgery 2021. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8526155/
2. AAA screening reduced AAA-related deaths by 84.9% among males and 81% among females with overall cost savings.
Vervoort D, Hirode G, Lindsay TF, et al. One-time screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm in Ontario, Canada: a model-based cost-utility analysis. CMAJ. 2024 Feb 4;196(4):E112-E120
3. AAA screening program lead by trained family physicians using hand-held ultrasound was feasible, safe, and reliable tool for the early detection of AAA.
Siso-Almirall A, Kostov B, Navarro Gonzalez M, et al. (2017) Abdominal aortic aneurysm screening programs using hand-held ultrasound in primary healthcare. PLoS ONE 12(4):e0176877
4. Family physicians appropriately trained in AAA screening using point-of-care ultrasound can safely perform AAA screening in an office-based setting.
Blois B. Office-based ultrasound screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm. Can Fam Physician. 2012 Mar;58(3):e172-8
5. Current rates of AAA screening in the US are below 50% with most screening being completed incidentally
Ruff AL, Teng K, Hu B, et la. Screening for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in Outpatient Primary Care Clinics. Am J Med. 2015 Mar;128(3):283-8
6. PoCUS for AAA performed by non-radiologists achieved acceptable sensitivity and specificity for both the detection and measurement of AAA.
Concannon E, McHugh S, Healy DA, et al. Diagnostic accuracy of non-radiologist performed ultrasound for abdominal aortic aneurysm: systemic review and meta-analysis. Int J Clin Pract. 2014 Sep;68(9):1122-9