Abstract
Background and Purpose
The decision to perform decompressive craniectomy for patients with malignant MCA syndrome can be ethically complex. We investigated factors that clinicians consider in this decision-making process.
Methods
A survey including clinical vignettes and attitudes questions surrounding the use of hemicraniectomy in malignant MCA syndrome was distributed to 203 neurosurgeons, neurologists, staff and residents, and nurses and allied health members specializing in the care of neurological patients. These were practicing health care providers situated in an urban setting in Canada where access to health care is covered by national policy and is a human right.
Results
Eighty-eight participants responded to survey. All participants unanimously supported the procedure for young and healthy patients. Advanced age, the presence of aphasia, comorbid medical conditions, and poor baseline functional status were dominant factors associated with increasing reluctance to offer surgical decompression. Patients’ previously expressed wishes were also an important consideration. Eighty-six percent of respondents agreed that withholding surgery is ethically justified if the outcome is perceived as futile.
Conclusions
Health care providers use similar factors to determine if aggressive management is justified given anticipated burden on patient quality of life and extended impact on society. This convergence can be harnessed beneficially for the transparent communication of medical options in the ethically complex setting of decompressive hemicraniectomy post-stroke.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Wilkinson, D.J., and J. Savulescu. 2011. Knowing when to stop: Futility in the ICU. Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology 24(2): 160–165.
Hacke, W., S. Schwab, M. Horn, M. Spranger, M. De Georgia, and R. von Kummer. 1996. ‘Malignant’ middle cerebral artery territory infarction: Clinical course and prognostic signs. Archives of Neurology 53(4): 309–315.
Vahedi, K., E. Vicaut, J. Mateo, A. Kurtz, M. Orabi, J.P. Guichard, C. Boutron, et al. 2007. Sequential-design, multicenter, randomized, controlled trial of early decompressive craniectomy in malignant middle cerebral artery infarction (DECIMAL Trial). Stroke 38(9): 2506–2517.
Juttler, E., S. Schwab, P. Schmiedek, A. Unterberg, M. Hennerici, J. Woitzik, S. Witte, E. Jenetzky, and W. Hacke. 2007. Decompressive surgery for the treatment of malignant infarction of the middle cerebral artery (DESTINY): A randomized, controlled trial. Stroke 38(9): 2518–2525.
Hofmeijer, J., L.J. Kappelle, A. Algra, G.J. Amelink, J. van Gijn, and H.B. van der Worp. 2009. Surgical decompression for space-occupying cerebral infarction (the Hemicraniectomy After Middle Cerebral Artery infarction with Life-threatening Edema Trial [HAMLET]): A multicentre, open, randomised trial. Lancet Neurology 8(4): 326–333.
Schwab, S., T. Steiner, A. Aschoff, S. Schwarz, H.H. Steiner, O. Jansen, and W. Hacke. 1998. Early hemicraniectomy in patients with complete middle cerebral artery infarction. Stroke 29(9): 1888–1893.
Vahedi, K., J. Hofmeijer, E. Juettler, E. Vicaut, B. George, A. Algra, G.J. Amelink, et al. 2007. Early decompressive surgery in malignant infarction of the middle cerebral artery: A pooled analysis of three randomised controlled trials. Lancet Neurology 6(3): 215–222.
Geurts, M., H.B. van der Worp, L.J. Kappelle, G.J. Amelink, A. Algra, and J. Hofmeijer. 2013. Surgical decompression for space-occupying cerebral infarction: Outcomes at 3 years in the randomized HAMLET trial. Stroke 44(9): 2506–2508.
Hofmeijer, J., H.B. van der Worp, L.J. Kappelle, S. Eshuis, A. Algra, and J.P. Greving. 2013. Cost-effectiveness of surgical decompression for space-occupying hemispheric infarction. Stroke 44(10): 2923–2925.
Uhl, E., F.W. Kreth, B. Elias, A. Goldammer, R.G. Hempelmann, M. Liefner, G. Nowak, M. Oertel, K. Schmieder, and G.H. Schneider. 2004. Outcome and prognostic factors of hemicraniectomy for space occupying cerebral infarction. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 75(2): 270–274.
Carter, B.S., C.S. Ogilvy, G.J. Candia, H.D. Rosas, and F. Buonanno. 1997. One-year outcome after decompressive surgery for massive nondominant hemispheric infarction. Neurosurgery 40(6): 1168–1175.
Holtkamp, M., K. Buchheim, A. Unterberg, O. Hoffmann, E. Schielke, J.R. Weber, and F. Masuhr. 2001. Hemicraniectomy in elderly patients with space occupying media infarction: Improved survival but poor functional outcome. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 70(2): 226–228.
Walz, B., C. Zimmermann, S. Bottger, and R.L. Haberl. 2002. Prognosis of patients after hemicraniectomy in malignant middle cerebral artery infarction. Journal of Neurology 249(9): 1183–1190.
Kent, D.M., H.P. Selker, R. Ruthazer, E. Bluhmki, and W. Hacke. 2006. The stroke-thrombolytic predictive instrument: A predictive instrument for intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke. Stroke 37(12): 2957–2962.
Saposnik, G., M.K. Kapral, Y. Liu, R. Hall, M. O’Donnell, S. Raptis, J.V. Tu, M. Mamdani, and P.C. Austin. 2011. IScore: A risk score to predict death early after hospitalization for an acute ischemic stroke. Circulation 123(7): 739–749.
Strbian, D., A. Meretoja, F.J. Ahlhelm, J. Pitkaniemi, P. Lyrer, M. Kaste, S. Engelter, and T. Tatlisumak. 2012. Predicting outcome of IV thrombolysis-treated ischemic stroke patients: The DRAGON score. Neurology 78(6): 427–432.
Juttler, E., and W. Hacke. 2011. Early decompressive hemicraniectomy in older patients with nondominant hemispheric infarction improves outcome. Stroke 42(3): 843–844.
van der Worp, H.B., and L.J. Kappelle. 2011. Early decompressive hemicraniectomy in older patients with nondominant hemispheric infarction does not improve outcome. Stroke 42(3): 845–846.
Staykov, D., and R. Gupta. 2011. Hemicraniectomy in malignant middle cerebral artery infarction. Stroke 42(2): 513–516.
Beauchamp, Tom L., and James F. Childress. 1979. Principles of biomedical ethics. New York: Oxford University Press.
Mann, Joel Eryn, and Hippocrates. 2012. Hippocrates, on the art of medicine. Studies in ancient medicine, Boston, MA: Brill.
Schneiderman, L.J., N.S. Jecker, and A.R. Jonsen. 1990. Medical futility: Its meaning and ethical implications. Annals of Internal Medicine 112(12): 949–954.
Brody, B.A., and A. Halevy. 1995. Is futility a futile concept? Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 20(2): 123–144.
Honeybul, S., G.R. Gillett, and K. Ho. 2013. Futility in neurosurgery: A patient-centered approach. Neurosurgery 73(6): 917–922.
Saposnik, G., A.K. Guzik, M. Reeves, B. Ovbiagele, and S.C. Johnston. 2013. Stroke prognostication using age and NIH stroke scale: SPAN-100. Neurology 80(1): 21–28.
Saposnik, G., S. Raptis, M.K. Kapral, Y. Liu, J.V. Tu, M. Mamdani, and P.C. Austin. 2011. The iScore predicts poor functional outcomes early after hospitalization for an acute ischemic stroke. Stroke 42(12): 3421–3428.
Ntaios, G., M. Faouzi, J. Ferrari, W. Lang, K. Vemmos, and P. Michel. 2012. An integer-based score to predict functional outcome in acute ischemic stroke: The ASTRAL score. Neurology 78(24): 1916–1922.
Arnaout, O.M., S.G. Aoun, H.H. Batjer, and B.R. Bendok. 2011. Decompressive hemicraniectomy after malignant middle cerebral artery infarction: Rationale and controversies. Neurosurgical Focus 30(6): E18.
Juttler, E., J. Bosel, H. Amiri, P. Schiller, R. Limprecht, W. Hacke, and A. Unterberg. 2011. DESTINY II: DEcompressive Surgery for the Treatment of malignant INfarction of the middle cerebral arterY II. International Journal of Stroke 6(1): 79–86.
Foerch, C., J.M. Lang, J. Krause, A. Raabe, M. Sitzer, V. Seifert, H. Steinmetz, and K.R. Kessler. 2004. Functional impairment, disability, and quality of life outcome after decompressive hemicraniectomy in malignant middle cerebral artery infarction. Journal of Neurosurgery 101(2): 248–254.
Curry Jr., W.T., M.K. Sethi, C.S. Ogilvy, and B.S. Carter. 2005. Factors associated with outcome after hemicraniectomy for large middle cerebral artery territory infarction. Neurosurgery 56(4): 681–692.
Woertgen, C., P. Erban, R.D. Rothoerl, T. Bein, M. Horn, and A. Brawanski. 2004. Quality of life after decompressive craniectomy in patients suffering from supratentorial brain ischemia. Acta Neurochirurgica (Wien) 146(7): 691–695.
Wood, G.G., and E. Martin. 1995. Withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining therapy in a Canadian intensive care unit. Canadian Journal of Anaesthesia 42(3): 186–191.
Cook, D., G. Rocker, J. Marshall, P. Sjokvist, P. Dodek, L. Griffith, A. Freitag, et al. 2003. Withdrawal of mechanical ventilation in anticipation of death in the intensive care unit. New England Journal of Medicine 349(12): 1123–1132.
Becker, K.J., A.B. Baxter, W.A. Cohen, H.M. Bybee, D.L. Tirschwell, D.W. Newell, H.R. Winn, and W.T. Longstreth Jr. 2001. Withdrawal of support in intracerebral hemorrhage may lead to self-fulfilling prophecies. Neurology 56(6): 766–772.
McCabe, M.S., and C. Storm. 2008. When doctors and patients disagree about medical futility. Journal of Oncology Practice 4(4): 207–209.
Moratti, S. 2009. The development of “medical futility”: Towards a procedural approach based on the role of the medical profession. Journal of Medical Ethics 35(6): 369–372.
Court of Appeal for Ontario. 2011. Rasouli v. Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Supreme Court of Canada. 2013. Cuthbertson v. Rasoul, SCC# 34362.
Svantesson, M., P. Sjokvist, H. Thorsen, and G. Ahlstrom. 2006. Nurses’ and physicians’ opinions on aggressiveness of treatment for general ward patients. Nursing Ethics 13(2): 147–162.
Sibbald, R., J. Downar, and L. Hawryluck. 2007. Perceptions of “futile care” among caregivers in intensive care units. CMAJ 177(10): 1201–1208.
Frick, S., D.E. Uehlinger, and R.M. Zuercher Zenklusen. 2003. Medical futility: Predicting outcome of intensive care unit patients by nurses and doctors—a prospective comparative study. Critical Care Medicine 31(2): 456–461.
Racine, E., M.J. Dion, C.A. Wijman, J. Illes, and M.G. Lansberg. 2009. Profiles of neurological outcome prediction among intensivists. Neurocritical Care 11(3): 345–352.
Acknowledgments
This study was not supported by any direct source of funding, but was enabled by resources available to Dr. Judy Illes. The authors declare no financial conflicts of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
ESM 1
(DOCX 45.3 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mendelsohn, D., Haw, C.S. & Illes, J. Convergent Expert Views on Decision-Making for Decompressive Craniectomy in Malignant MCA Syndrome. Neuroethics 7, 365–372 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12152-014-9206-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12152-014-9206-3