title: Profile of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm referred to the Vascular Unit, Hospital Kuala Lumpur.
abstract: A prospective collection of patients referred with a diagnosis of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) to the Vascular Unit, Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) between February 1993 to July 1995 were analysed. There were a total of 124 patients, with a 85 per cent (%) male preponderance. Malays formed the largest ethnic group contributing about 60%. The median age of the patients was 69 years (range 49-84). Emergency referrals and admission accounted for 46.8% of patients. Hypertension and ischaemic heart disease were the two most common co-morbid medical conditions. The number of patients who underwent surgery was only 56 (45.2%). Of this total, 34 were done electively with an operative mortality of 8.8% (3 pts). The operative mortality for emergency surgery was 59.1%. AAA is relatively common in the older age group, especially in men and it should be actively looked for, as elective surgery can be offered with acceptable morbidity and mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Pahang.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Zainal
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Yusha
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012017:Referral and Consultation