Vascular disease risk factor management 4 years after carotid endarterectomy: are opportunities missed?
BACKGROUND
Because a large percentage of patients surviving carotid endarterectomy (CEA) subsequently die from a vascular cause, the aim of the present paper was to determine risk factor management for a cohort of patients 4 years after their CEA.


METHODS
Surviving patients who had a CEA within the region administered by the Central Sydney Area Health Service in 1995 were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire to determine vascular risk factors.


RESULTS
Of the 181 patients eligible to participate, 162 returned questionnaires (response rate: 90%). While 106 (65.4%) patients recalled that they had been diagnosed with high blood pressure either before or after their CEA, only 79.2% recalled that their latest blood pressure reading was 'about right for my age'. Nearly one in five (16.7%) who had had their cholesterol level checked in the last 12 months (n = 120) indicated that the reading was 'too high'. Only 76.5% reported taking medications to 'thin the blood'. Almost one-fifth of patients (17.3%) were current smokers. Only 35.2% of patients participated in a level of physical activity sufficient to confer a health benefit. Further, 30.2% of patients were overweight and 14.8% were obese. The majority of patients (98.1%) reported having a regular general practitioner (GP). Of these, 98.7% had visited their GP at least once within the previous 6 months.


CONCLUSIONS
Vascular risk factor management following CEA is suboptimal, inviting the implementation and evaluation of strategies to improve outcomes.
Middleton
Sandy
S
Centre for Applied Nursing Research, South Western Sydney Area Health Service, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Harris
John
J
Lusby
Robert
R
Ward
Jeanette
J
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016894:Endarterectomy, Carotid; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D012307:Risk Factors; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D017741:Survivors; D013997:Time Factors; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*