NHS Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Screening
NHS Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Screening
An NHS Screening Service
The NHS AAA Screening Programme is available to all men over 65 in England.
InHealth delivers both the North London and South London AAA Screening Programmes.
What is AAA Screening?
Who’s at risk of an AAA?
Your Screening Invitation
About Your Screening Test
About Your Test Results
About Our AAA Team
What is AAA Screening?
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
The aorta is the main artery that supplies blood to your body. It runs from your heart down through your chest and abdomen (tummy). As you get older, the wall of the aorta in your abdomen can become weak and balloon out. This is called an abdominal aortic aneurysm or AAA.
Treating an AAA early greatly reduces the chance of it causing serious problems.
AAA Screening
Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening looks at the aorta for an aneurysm.
In England, all men and people who were assigned male at birth (AMAB) are invited to attend AAA screening when they turn 65.
Arranging an appointment
If you live or work in London or East Surrey, you’re over 65 and have never been for AAA screening, you can find out more or arrange an appointment by contacting our bookings team:
Telephone 0333 009 6971
Email inl.aaa.nl.sp@nhs.net
Telephone 0333 202 2160
Email inl.slaaasp@nhs.net
Feedback & requests
If you have any feedback about our service, please email us at yourexperience@inhealthgroup.com
Who’s at risk of an AAA?
Those at a higher risk
Men and AMAB people are 6 times more likely to have this type of aneurysm than women and those assigned female at birth (AFAB).
Aneurysms can happen in all men and AMAB people. However, there’s a higher chance if:
you’re aged 65 and over.
you smoke.
you have high cholesterol.
you have high blood pressure.
anxiety from being told you have a potentially life-threatening condition.
About your screening invitation
Your screening invitation
When you get your invitation, read the information carefully and decide whether you want to take up the invitation.
If you’re unsure, you can read the NHS Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm screening info here to help you decide, or talk to a trusted local health professional.
Why should you be screened?
An AAA will often cause few or no obvious symptoms, but if it’s left to get bigger, it could burst and cause life-threatening bleeding inside your tummy.
About 8 in every 10 people who have a burst AAA die before they get to hospital or do not survive emergency surgery to repair it.
Screening can pick up an AAA before it bursts. If an AAA is found, you can choose to have regular scans to monitor it or surgery to stop it bursting.
The screening test is very quick, painless and reliable. Research suggests it can halve the risk of dying from an AAA.
Choosing not to be screened
It’s up to you to decide if you want to be screened for AAA. While there are clear benefits of screening, you should also consider the possible risks. There’s no risk from the screening test itself, but there’s a risk of:
anxiety from being told you have a potentially life-threatening condition.
serious complications of surgery carried out to treat an AAA.
You can read more on the AAA screening short form patient decision aid here. Call us and ask to be removed from its list if you do not want to be screened.
Venues we screen from
We have screening sites in all London boroughs, as well Surrey venues in Mole Valley, Reigate & Bansted & Tandridge plus we have weekend appointments regularly available. Click here to see the current list of London Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Programme locations.
Accessibility
When you receive your appointment, please contact the staff at the screening centre if:
you’ve access issues that prevent you attending your appointment or may cause difficulty during your appointment.
you require an interpreter during your appointment.
you require any other help or want to have someone with you during the scan.
Screening for the transgender community
Whether you’re a trans man, trans woman, identify as non-binary or describe your gender in another way, it’s important you’re aware of which screening services you’re eligible for. Click here to find out which screening services you’re eligible for as a non-binary or transgender person.
The invitation leaflet
The invitation leaflet is available in several languages and formats. Click here for the English leaflet and to choose an alternative language.
About your screening test
Your screening test
At the screening centre, a health professional will check your details and explain the test. You’ll have a chance to ask questions. Your appointment will usually take no more than 20 minutes with the test itself taking around 10 minutes.
It’s ok to eat before your scan. But if you can, avoid having a heavy meal to help the person doing your test get a clearer image.
The person doing your test will:
ask you to lie down and lift up, or unbutton, your top.
apply a cool jelly to your abdomen.
move a small scanner over your skin.
take measurements of your aorta from an image on a screen.
Sometimes the technician might not be able to see your aorta clearly. This is not anything to worry about. If this happens, you’ll be asked to have another scan, usually on a different day.
About your test results
Your test results
After the scan the person who carried out the ultrasound will tell you your result straight away. You’ll have one of four results:
No aneurysm found
You will be discharged from the service and will not need to be screened again.
Small AAA
We will recall you in 12 months for a surveillance scan. If it is your first appointment with us, you will be offered an appointment with a vascular nurse specialist.
Medium AAA
We will recall you in 3 months for a surveillance scan. If it is your first appointment with us, you will be offered an appointment with a vascular nurse specialist.
Large AAA
We will refer you to your local vascular treatment centre to be further assessed.
Your GP will be sent a copy of your result letter. If you have an AAA, you will also be sent a letter with your results so you can discuss your results with your GP.
Lifestyle changes you can make if you’ve got an AAA
There are some lifestyle changes you can make to try to prevent an AAA getting bigger or bursting:
get your blood pressure checked regularly.
stop smoking.
drink less alcohol.
eat a healthy, balanced diet and reduce the amount of fatty food and high-cholesterol food that you eat.
aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity (like brisk walking) most or all days of the week.
keep a healthy weight.
Following this advice can also help you reduce your risk of developing an AAA. For more information, read the NHS Better Health guide here.
About our AAA team
Mr Michael Jenkins
Consultant Vascular Surgeon
Clinical Director
Miss Becky Sandford
Consultant Vascular Surgeon
Associate Clinical Director
Mr Mital Desai
Consultant Vascular Surgeon
Associate Clinical Director
Ms Yaa Dufie Baffour- Awuah
North London Programme Manager
Ms Fran Dixon
South London Programme Manager
