Informed consent: what level of risk to disclose with carotid artery endarterectomy?
You are asked to see a 65-year-old man with an asymptomatic high-grade carotid artery stenosis. He is otherwise quite healthy, is receiving appropriate medical management, and has no contraindications for surgery. You recommend a carotid endarterectomy (CEA) as the best prophylactic measure against stroke. During the informed consent process, the patient asks for a specific estimate of the risks. What specific level of risk should you quote to your patient?
Forbes
Thomas L
TL
Division of Vascular Surgery, London Health Sciences Centre, and The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. Tom.Forbes@lhsc.on.ca
D000368:Aged; D000572:American Heart Association; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D016894:Endarterectomy, Carotid / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000941:ethics; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000941:ethics; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000941:ethics*; D008297:Male; D018579:Patient Selection / Q000941:ethics*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014481:United States