What to Ask About Carotid Stenting
Carotid stenting may be new in terms of Food and Drug Administration approval (the FDA approved the first carotid stent in late 2004) but physicians at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin have been performing the procedure for several years, either in exceptional cases or in conjunction with a clinical trial.
While the procedure is not for everyone, patients who are candidates for carotid stenting should consider several things in terms of selecting where their procedure is done and who performs it:
- How is the doctor credentialed? The physician performing the procedure should be board-certified in his or her specialty and be fellowship-trained in interventional treatments for carotid stenting.
- How many procedures has your doctor done? Although FDA approval has been relatively recent, some physicians have performed numerous procedures as part of clinical trials. Ask about your doctor’s success and outcomes. The physicians should be analyzing their outcomes pertaining to patient care. That’s essential for patient safety as well as to help improve care.
- Is your facility accredited and does it conduct research? Selecting a center that combines patient care research and education is important. For example, Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, because they form an academic medical center, have access to the newest technology, the latest clinical trials and the most highly trained specialists.
Everyone deserves the best possible care, and knowledge about the procedure, the physician and the facility can help patients contribute to their own best possible outcome.