Experiences with abdominal aortic aneurysms in a district general hospital.

Fifty-four patients who presented with an abdominal aortic aneurysm at a district general hospital are reviewed. Survival was 100% in the 15 patients who underwent elective surgery and 41% in the 29 who presented as emergencies and were operable. In the latter group a coagulation disorder developed in 9 patients, of whom only 1 survived, and the importance of this complication is stressed. Screening of patients over 50 and early referral of all patients with asymptomatic aneurysms is urged if overall survival is to be increased.