Individual results may vary

In June of 1986, I arrived at the University of Cincinnati, eager to begin my vascular fellowship with Dick Kempczinski, a rising star in the academic vascular community. My arrival coincided with the publication of a groundbreaking, and somewhat sobering, review of the outcomes of carotid endarterectomy in the Cincinnati community, authored by Dick and Tom Brott.1 They found a disturbing stroke rate of 5.1% and mortality of 2.3%, with no statistically significant difference based on the specialty of the operating surgeon —by implication, all specialties were performing the procedure equally poorly.
Source: Journal of Vascular Surgery - Category: Surgery Authors: Tags: Invited commentary Source Type: research