key: cord-0736899-payr9mei
authors: Sterpetti, Antonio V.
title: Telemedicine for screening and follow-up of abdominal aortic aneurysm
date: 2022-03-18
journal: J Vasc Surg
DOI: 10.1016/j.jvs.2021.11.080
sha: 49f04549323688809cd200870568e1c3bc5720eb
doc_id: 736899
cord_uid: payr9mei

nan

Telemedicine for screening and follow-up of abdominal aortic aneurysm I read with much interest the report by Rokosh et al. 1 The suggested guidelines were based on the evidence that postoperative surveillance is required to reduce the risk of late rupture and aneurysm-related death after both endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair and open surgical repair. Rokosh et al 1 commented "The development of validated strategies to improve patient compliance with post-EVAR [endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair] surveillance represents a critical need, with recent reports noting $50% nonadherence at 5 years." Similar attendance problems have been found for patients with small abdominal aortic aneurysms monitored with serial ultrasound examinations. 2-4 These problems have been accentuated during the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic period. Selway et al 5 reported that only 59% of the 200 interviewed patients who had been followed up with serial scans before the pandemic because of a small aneurysm would attend their surveillance scan appointment. Most of those surveyed were more concerned about catching COVID-19 than their aneurysm.

It is possible that the problems of low attendance to postoperative follow-up and screening appointments could persist and increase in the future. Selway et al 5 have underlined how it will be difficult to return to the attendance rates of the preeCOVID-19 pandemic period. Thus, although it might sound unethical, the critical conditions resulting from the pandemic might provide the stimulus to perfect a new vision of surgery.

Telemedicine offers a variety of horizons, and it could be more applicable, with lower costs, and more easily accepted by patients. A simple application on the cellphone or computer might allow for a sophisticated and accurate ultrasound analysis that could provide all the dimensions of the aneurysm (ie, transverse diameter, difference from the previous examination, elasticity of the aneurysmal wall) and the presence of graft complications. The patients would only apply the ultrasound probe to the navel, and all the information would be sent to the health center. If needed, the patient could be called in for a more detailed study at the clinic. After the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, the improvements in telemedicine will remain and might represent the basis for future patientephysician relationships. The use of telemedicine can facilitate follow-up visits and diffuse screening programs, even for people in distant regions and countries. 

In his letter to the editor, Sterpetti 1 highlighted that patient adherence to preoperative aneurysm surveillance, which has been persistently suboptimal, deteriorated even further during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to exposing the fragility of our global systems of healthcare, the pandemic has also set into motion technological innovations in digital medicine and telehealth that will continue to evolve and profoundly affect the practice of medicine.

Sterpetti 1 suggested patient self-administration of ultrasound examinations through a personal device to improve compliance with aneurysm surveillance. In 1918, Elliott Joslin 2 was among the first to advocate placing patients at the center of the management of their disease by encouraging frequent home urine testing for those patients with diabetes. Empowering patients to autonomously administer self-care has been an initiative supported by the Food and Drug Administration and has been associated with significant cost savings, 3 with home healthcare equipment such as glucometers, infusion pumps, peritoneal dialysis machines, and vacuum-assisted wound closure devices. Spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent transition has occurred to customer-initiated at-home diagnostic testing kits by companies such as Lets-GetChecked (available at: www.letsgetchecked.com) and Everlywell (available at: www.everlywell.com) for the diagnosis of COVID-19, sexually transmitted diseases, and Lyme disease, in addition to celiac disease, prostate and colon cancer, and the evaluation of testosterone, thyroid, liver, and cortisol levels, among other home testing kits.

Society for Vascular Surgery implementation of clinical practice guidelines for patients with an abdominal aortic aneurysm: postoperative surveillance after abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

Society for Vascular Surgery implementation of clinical practice guidelines for patients with an abdominal aortic aneurysm: screening for an abdominal aortic aneurysm

A systematic review of surveillance after endovascular aortic repair

The Society for Vascular Surgery practice guidelines on the care of patients with an abdominal aortic aneurysm

Willingness of patients to attend abdominal aortic aneurysm surveillance: The implications of COVID-19 on restarting the National Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Programme