Community mortality after ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm is unrelated to the distance from the surgical centre

Background: Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (RAAA) carries a high community mortality. Raigmore Hospital, Inverness serves Highland Region, an area the size of Wales with a population of 204 000. The aim of this retrospective review was to determine the community mortality and hospital mortality rates from RAAA in Highland Region and to assess whether distance travelled had any significant impact on survival. Methods: Data were retrieved from hospital records, the Registrar General for Scotland and the Information and Statistics Division of the National Health Service in Scotland about patients diagnosed with RAAA between 1992 and 1999. Results: Of 198 patients with RAAA, 131 (66 per cent) were transferred to Raigmore Hospital while the other 67 (34 per cent) died in a community hospital or at home. Of those reaching Raigmore 109 (83 per cent) had surgery, of whom 65 (60 per cent) survived. The overall community mortality rate was 67 per cent while the hospital mortality rate was 50 per cent. The hospital and community mortality rates for patients living within 50 miles of Raigmore Hospital were 60 and 67 per cent respectively, compared with 26 and 68 per cent for those living more than 50 miles away. Conclusion: Distance from Raigmore Hospital had no significant impact on community mortality from RAAA.