| New screening programme saving lives in Surrey |
| Written by Communications Team |
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A patient from Woking has had life-saving specialist vascular surgery, as a result of a new screening programme at Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Part of a national initiative, the screening programme for men in the year of their 65th birthday detects a condition known as abdominal aortic aneurysm, which can be life threatening if left untreated. In some older people, the wall of the aorta (large blood vessel that supplies blood to the body) in the abdomen can become weak and expand to form an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Smaller aneurysms are less dangerous, but as they grow the blood vessel wall becomes weaker and the AAA can rupture, which is often fatal. The condition is particularly serious because it does not have any symptoms, but specialist treatment for AAAs detected through screening is highly effective.  Picture shows (l to r): Mrs. and Mr. Ladham with Consultant Vascular Surgeon Mr Tahir Ali Richard Ladham from Woking was the first patient to have an aneurysm detected by screening at Ashford and St. Peter’s that was then safely treated with specialist endovascular keyhole surgery at the Trust. Said Mr Ladham: “I had no idea I had anything wrong with me till I had my screening at St. Peter’s Hospital. I was very concerned about the results but the surgery was done really quickly, which was brilliant, and I was back home within the week.” Mr Tahir Ali, Consultant Vascular Surgeon who performed Mr Ladham’s surgery, said “This is a major milestone to have our first screened patient treated and his life saved before his aneurysm could rupture, and I am delighted at the successful outcome for Mr Ladham.” As well as being an accredited national AAA screening centre, Ashford and St. Peter’s is a specialist centre for vascular surgery and part of the Surrey Vascular Network. Lead Vascular Consultant Mr Kieran Dawson says “We are very proud to be providing aneurysm screening for local people in Surrey as part of the national programme. We expect that many more lives will be saved in Surrey as a result of screening and the specialist vascular surgery we offer patients to treat aneurysms.” |
