Faces of Ethics – Angioplasty
by Jay Stapleton
How is ethics relevant to your team?
Every day we perform procedures on patients of all ages and cultures. Procedures are explained, consents are signed and family members updated on their status. Ethical questions and decision making happen daily in our care environment.
What ethical issues come up in your area?
- There is sometimes a question of a patient’s ability/capacity to understand the procedure being done ie; dementia, age and language barriers.
- Patients we refer for cardiac surgery sometimes exceed wait times by other facilities.
- How do we treat our patients with addiction issues that repeatedly damage heart valves?
- Do we perform a procedure on a patient that exceeds our table’s weight restriction?
