Life is about so much more: Patients' experiences of health, well-being, and recovery after operation of abdominal aortic aneurysm with open and endovascular treatment-A prospective study.

Different surgical treatments for abdominal aortic aneurysm can lead to different perceptions of health and well-being. The aim of this study was to describe patients' well-being, sense of coherence (SOC), and experiences of surgery after open and endovascular treatment one month and one and 2 years after the procedure. Seventy six patients participated (40 open repair; 36 endovascular aneurysm repair). The study was conducted using the SOC questionnaire, and specific questions about patients' experiences of the surgical treatment and well-being. After 2 years, no patient regretted the operation or considered it to be the most difficult experience they had ever had. Twenty percent of the patients were worried about complications one month after the operation. Both groups experienced difficulty in returning to normal activity after surgery at one month. At one and 2 years after the surgery, patients in both groups stated that it was other things in life that affected their well-being. The endovascular aneurysm repair group reported a significant decrease in SOC from baseline until one year (P = .012) and 2 years (P = .033). The open repair group reported a significant decrease after one year (0.033). The operation did not affect patients' way of thinking about the disease. Patients in both groups stated that it was other circumstances in life that affected their well-being one and 2 years after the treatment, which could indicate that long-term follow-up would not be necessary from a patient perspective. The operation affects patients' well-being a short time after the operation.