Feasibility and Safety of Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) in a District General Hospital: A Retrospective Study of 10-Year Outcomes.

BACKGROUND

Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) represents a pivotal advancement in the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).

OBJECTIVE

The primary objective of this study is to present a comprehensive overview of the EVAR service in a district-level vascular centre and to compare it with the national outcome to outline a service model for other district general hospitals.

METHOD

Patients who underwent an EVAR procedure from 2015 over seven years were included. Retrospective data were collected from post-EVAR surveillance, and the National Vascular Registry (NVR) database was included.

RESULT

A total of 99 patients were included. Most of the patients (96%) who underwent EVAR were over 65 years old at the time of the procedure and predominantly male, accounting for 90%. The 30-day post-EVAR mortality rate was low (0.9%). Most of the patients had no primary endoleaks (80%), which was almost comparable to the national standard (82.5%).

CONCLUSION

This study showed the feasibility of successful implementation and safety of the EVAR program in a small district-level hospital. The outcome was comparable to the national standard. This study has identified the strengths and areas for improvement in the EVAR programme in such a setting.