Medicare AAA Screening Benefit Extended to 12 Months

CHICAGo (December 19, 2008) —

A one-time, free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening for at-risk Medicare beneficiaries will be available for 12 months after enrollment beginning January 1, 2009. The benefit became law on February 8, 2006 and was originally offered for a six-month period after enrollment beginning January 1, 2007.

Nearly 200,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with AAA annually; approximately 15,000 of these cases may be severe enough to cause death if not treated. Men who have smoked sometime during their life, and men and women with a family history of AAA qualify for the free screening benefit as part of their Welcome to Medicare Physical Exam.

AAA is an enlargement or “bulge” that develops in a weakened area within the largest artery in the abdomen. The pressure generated by each heartbeat pushes against the weakened aortic wall, causing the aneurysm to enlarge. If the AAA remains undetected, the aortic wall continues to weaken, and the aneurysm continues to grow. Eventually, the aneurysm becomes so large, and its wall so weak, that rupture occurs. When this happens there is massive internal bleeding, a situation that is usually fatal. The only way to break this cycle is to find the AAA before it ruptures.

Although AAA has few symptoms some patients report:

A pulsing feeling in their abdomen
Unexplained, severe pain in their abdomen or lower back
Pain, discoloration, or sores on their feet (this is a rare symptom)

People should see vascular surgeons if they are experiencing symptoms of AAA, or if unrelated tests reveal AAA may be present. Vascular surgeons are the only physicians treating vascular disease today who can perform all the treatment options available, including medical management, minimally invasive endovascular stent graft procedures, or open AAA repair.

Click here to learn more about AAA and other vascular diseases available at VascularWeb.org.

About the Society for Vascular Surgery
The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) is a not-for-profit medical society that seeks to advance excellence and innovation in vascular health through education, advocacy, research and public awareness. SVS is the national advocate for 2,600 vascular surgeons dedicated to the prevention and cure of vascular disease.

###

Society for Vascular Surgery - 633 N. St. Clair, 24th Floor; Chicago, IL 60611; Phone: 312-334-2300 or 800-258-7188; Fax: 312-334-2320; Email: vascular@vascularsociety.org
© 2010 VascularWeb. All rights reserved. Use of the VascularWeb site constitutes acceptance of all of the policies, rules and regulations for the site.