(Under)Valuing Surgical Informed Consent

It is 7:00am on Monday morning and the surgical department has gathered for Morbidity and Mortality (M&M) conference. Picture the following case presentation. A 75-year-old male presents to the hospital with a necrotic right great toe. He is admitted and a work-up in the vascular lab identifies him as having severe right-sided peripheral arterial disease. The attending tells the team during rounds to consent and book the patient for surgery. The resident then goes to obtain consent for a right lower extremity angiography, possible angioplasty, possible stent, and possible amputation.
Source: Journal of the American College of Surgeons - Category: Surgery Authors: Tags: Ethics Source Type: research