In 11 days in 8 cities of Vojvodina, southern and eastern Serbia, as part of the abdominal aortic aneurysm screening pilot project, more than 4,000 citizens were examined and about 130 abdominal aortic aneurysms requiring surgical treatment were discovered.
Significant results of the Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Project
12 April 2023
On the occasion of the continuation of the screening project in Belgrade, the Minister of Health of Serbia, Prof. Dr. Danica Grujičić addressed the public at a press conference in front of the Clinic for Neurosurgery at the University Clinical Center of Serbia, where she personally underwent an ultrasound examination of the abdomen, after which her colleagues told her that everything was fine with her health.
"This is just one example of how we can take care of our health. An extraordinary action by my younger colleagues, who showed what those who have ideas can do. We are continuing, in the coming period and we will examine a significant number of citizens, because we do not want to lose human lives. The Ministry of Health together with the Institute for Public Health "Batut" must find a way to continue the action in all those cities where it has not been carried out so far," emphasized the Minister of Health, prof. Dr. Danica Grujičić.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture is one of the most serious medical emergencies, in 80% of cases the patient dies immediately and it is one of the 15 most common causes of death in Serbia and in the world. "The largest number of detected aneurysms are not for surgery yet, about twenty will be for surgery this year, about forty in the next two to three, and the rest will be monitored." In the countries that perform screening, men over 65 years old are the target group and there the frequency is 4%, while in our country the frequency in that group is as high as 13%", pointed out. Dr. Igor Končar, vascular surgeon and member of the Executive Board of the Association of Cardiovascular Surgeons of Serbia.
Less than half of the patients survive the transport to only a few hospitals in our country where these most complex operations are performed, and in the conditions of severe shock in which they arrive, the mortality rate of these operations is 30-50%. When the aneurysm of the abdominal aorta is detected in time, before its rupture, the risk of surgical treatment in specialized institutions is 1-3%. Professor also spoke at the conference. Dr. Marko Dragaš, assistant manager of the Clinic for Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and prof. Dr. Jovica Milovanović, deputy director of the UCCS, and the screening was initiated by the Clinic for Vascular and Endovascular Surgery of the UCCS, which is also the reference national center for emergency aortic pathology, with the great support of the Ministry of Health and the Association of Cardiovascular Surgeons of Serbia.
