ETHICAL AND ECONOMIC-ISSUES IN INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY

Complex ethical and significant economic issues are encountered in til e practice of interventional cardiology. The interventionalist must st rive to carefully assess the indications, benefit/risk ratio, and qual ity of life implications of planned therapy, and communicate this best estimate to the patient in understandable terms that allow informed p atient involvement in decisions regarding revascularization strategy. When investigational devices are contemplated institutionally approved protocols should be utilized by individuals without potential conflic t of interest. Ar the same time, when not in conflict with ethical dec isions, economic consequences of device selection must be considered a s well.