What would you do if?

Question

Assume you have had a 'minor' stroke, cause diagnosed as 80% blockage in the left 'carrotee',vein ( unsure spelling there)
The operation has a 1% chance of causing a stroke while being performed.
The operation is performed while the patient is just under local anasthetic. The vein which feeds the brain is clamped and the surgeon says that in most cases a stroke will not occour? He needs the patient to be awake during the 'rodding out' of the vein proceedure!
If it does cause a stroke , the clamp is removed and a bypass vein is inserted!!
This is another element of risk!.
So let us assume that if the 'full' operation is needed the chances are a total of 2% of having a fatal stroke. thats 2 chances out of 100 operations of 'snuffing it'!!
The alternative? The surgeon says with an 80% blockage the pateint has a 50/50 chance of having a stroke at any time!
The patatient is male 68 years of age, and all tests have been made to ensure he is 'fit' for the op!!
What would you do??

Thanks for the 'carotid' bit aT least I can spell it now!

And thanks also for the 'Angioplasty' bit, so I even know the name of the operation now!

'RenaMac' I did in fact ask the surgeon that question, he told me he had done 280 without any mishap to date, that didnt cheer me up much, I just said, "You must becdue for one anytime now then"?? He was not amused!!

'sharrona' thanks for the 'very young' bit, I feel better already!

'orangenye' thanks for your reassurance, I did try to contact you but something is wrong with your yahoo mail address?

Answer 1

Have the carotid endarterectomy done. Without a doubt!! This is a very common procedure, these docs do it all the time. It sounds scary but all it really is, is the plaque buildup being scraped out of the carotid artery. The carotid is the main artery to your brain. If there is a blockage your brain is not getting enough oxygen and bloodflow. Definately go ahead with the procedure, the benefits well out weigh the risks!!

Answer 2

Assuming the patient is on blood thinners for a period of time prior to the operation, to further lower the chances of a stroke, I'd say to proceed with the surgery. The carotid artery (not vein) is a dangerous place to have such a high percent of blockage. The percent chance of having a stoke during surgery is very low, AND if it DOES happen during surgery, it would be under such close scrutiny and with so many medical personnel present to catch it, the extent of it would seem to be something they could greatly lessen.
On the other hand, having a 50-50 chance (high probability) of having a stroke at any time (perhaps during sleep or while alone, where no one would be able to help for some time) could be fatal.
I would also consider the ages & causes of death for folks in that patient's family & if 68 is young, considering, then certainly you'd want to extend that person's life by performing that surgery. On the other hand, if no one in his family ever lived that long, it could be BECAUSE this surgery was not available to them.

Answer 3

Either way it's scary, but if it were me I'd go ahead with the operation since leaving the condition untreated leaves much higher odds of having a stroke--also if the stroke occurs under supervised conditions (during an operation) there is much higher opportunity for immediate and effective intervention whereas if things go on and the stroke happens when the person is out and about or even home alone--it could be much longer before treatment begins and that makes the recovery slower or even impossible.

Either way, best of luck to you or the loved one facing the decision and I hope all goes well!

Answer 4

wow, sounds complicated!! to be honest, i think i would opt for the op, coz if you think about it, the chances are a lot smaller of the patient having a stroke during the operation than they are of the patient having one if he doesn't go through with the op. also, the cirumstances in which a stroke happens play an important role in the outcome, for example, if the patient doesn't have the operation and suffers a stroke somewhere far from a hospital, the result will probably be worse than if the patient has the stroke on the operating table (already in a hospital where they can treat him asap). i hope you understand what i mean, and that i could be of help...good luck!!

Answer 5

First I'd jokingly ask the doc when the the last stroke happened on his operating table... and if he was due for another or a first. But seriously I'd get the operation done asap, then start eating right and exersizing, unless I was suicidal in which case I'd probably rather jump off a bridge than live knowing at any moment I could have a fatal stroke.

Answer 6

Well, I had the angioplasty. I was out of the hospital that afternoon and back to work the next day.

No problem.

BTW, the vein in question is 'carotid'

Answer 7

I would go to the "BEST" doctor, in the BEST hospital I could search out, that deals with this type of situation.

Mayo Clinic? ?

68 is very young to be facing the alternatives.

That is what I would do!!

Answer 8

I would have my carotid arteries cleaned out. I watched my mother have strokes from her blockages and eventually die from it. H*** no.

Clean me out, baby.

Answer 9

carotid artery

I'd definitely do the surgery. The damage is worse if he lets it go longer.

Answer 10

have the op the odds are much better, be confident you will be fine