Women are more likely to die within five years of having elective surgery to repair a weakening in the wall of the aorta or need repeat surgery, according to a recent Rutgers study. Writing in the Journal of Vascular Surgery, Rutgers researchers said the disparity between men and women who undergo the surgery needs to be addressed by including women in early aortic aneurysm screening as well as incorporating more women in clinical trials of aortic medical devices.
“Despite the fact that men are more likely to be diagnosed with and to die from abdominal aortic aneurysm [AAA], women are still under-represented in many clinical trials for the aortic devices used in minimally invasive aortic aneurysm repair,” said William Beckerman, who led the study and is an assistant professor in the Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “As men and women are known to have different aortic anatomy, this study highlights the need for an increased focus on, and inclusion of women in aortic device creation and subsequent trial enrollment.” To read the full story.