Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There?
نویسندگان
چکیده
As electrophysiologists we confront the challenge of articulating the risks and benefits of various management options to our patients and their families. Weighing the upfront risk typically associated with an interventional procedure against potential adverse events in the long term is a vexing problem that we frequently face in clinical practice. This discussion involves both the immediate risks of an intervention (doing something) and the protracted risks of observation (standing there). Assessing the risk-benefit ratio of intervening today versus possibly intervening tomorrow when a device malfunction has already occurred is challenging to the experts in the field, let alone patients and their families. It is therefore not too surprising that we often find ourselves, after a long discussion in which we present the salient medical facts and evidence-based reasoning to our patients, we face the question, “What would you do if I was your family member?” Management of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator leads with a known high rate of failure is anxiety-producing for both patients and physicians.
منابع مشابه
Don't just do something, stand there!
Physicians are under tremendous pressure to act, especially in emergencies. ‘Don’t just stand there, do something! After all, you’re a doctor!’, is a common admonition. Nevertheless, oftentimes the best action is inaction. ‘Watchful waiting’ is the term used for this strategy. Physicians should be familiar with clinical tools to decide which of both strategies is appropriate in a given situatio...
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