'I did not know what was wrong until NHS text'

A man who did not know he had a potentially fatal stomach aneurysm has warned people that ignoring an NHS screening invitation would be like playing "Russian roulette" with your life.

Shaun Flatley, from Rossendale in Lancashire, received a text message from the NHS asking him to go for a routine abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening. These tests are offered to men in the year they turn 65.

Mr Flatley, who said he had never previously heard of AAA, did not realise that the text message would ultimately save his life.

"Ignoring the invite is like Russian roulette," he said. "It's a few minutes that could save your life."

The 65-year-old added: "After clicking the link in the text message, and reading what AAA is, I knew that it was important and I called."

AAA is a bulge in the aorta, the largest blood vessel in the body.

The aorta delivers oxygen-rich blood around the body.

According to the NHS, about 82% of people with untreated AAA will die from it.

Aortic ruptures - which occur in about 1 in 10,000 people annually - are often fatal.

Men over 65 with additional risk factors like smoking, high blood pressure and a family history of aneurysms are particularly susceptible.

Despite feeling well, a 9cm aneurism was found during Mr Flatley's ultrasound screening test in February.

According to the NHS, anything larger than 5.5cm is considered to be large and will require treatment.

"The nurses, who were brilliant, phoned Blackburn Hospital and about an hour and a half later I was in a meeting with the consultant," Mr Flatley said.

"It happened very fast - it was amazing care."

Less than three weeks later, Mr Flatley had an operation to repair his aneurism.

Open repair surgery replaces the weak section of the aorta - the aneurysm - with a piece of man-made tubing known as a graft.

Mr Flatley said he was allowed home to recuperate after eight days in hospital.

The AAA screening test is designed to detect any swelling at an early stage, thereby reducing the patient's chances of a potentially fatal rupture.

Dr Michael Gregory, NHS England's north-west regional medical director, said: "Many men who come forward for screening have never heard of AAA, but the scan is completely painless.

"If there is no aneurysm detected, you don't need to have any more scans and if we do detect an aneurysm, it can be treated early and monitored."

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