Nationwide Analysis of Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in Portugal (2000-2015).

Objective Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) is a lethal condition that requires acute repair to prevent death. This analysis aims to assess the nationwide trends in rAAA admission, repair and mortality in a country, Portugal, without national screening for AAA. Methods rAAA registered in the hospital administrative database of the National Health Service and all nationally registered deaths due to rAAA based on death certificate data were analysed. Three time periods (2000–2004, 2005–2009, and 2010–2015) were compared in patients ≥ 50 years old to assess the variations over time. Results A total of 2 275 patients ≥50 years old with rAAA were identified in the two databases from 2000 to 2015. The age standardised incidence of rAAA was 2.78 ± 0.24/100 000/year in 2000–2004, 3.17 ± 0.39/100 000/year in 2005–2009 and 3.21 ± 0.28/100 000/year in 2010–2015 (p  Conclusion Overall, the incidence of rAAA in Portugal has been stable over the past 10 years. The rates of admission, repair, and death due to rAAA repair seem to have reached an inflection point and are now decreasing. Mortality outside the hospital remains a matter of concern, warranting further planning of streamlined transfer networks and vascular surgical departments.