However, after having a stroke, people often report that they are able to continue to live their lives reasonably happily despite often being quite disabled and having lost their independence.
The DESTINY II data show that people who had surgery were quite happy despite any disability, and this was at a similar level to those who were treated conservatively but with higher survival rates, Dr. Roffe noted.
The ethical implications of this could be considerable, she suggested. It shows that people who have living wills or who decide that they do not want treatment in the event of a stroke could live just as happy a life after the event as before. It therefore begs the question of whether patients should be allowed to decide on this aspect of their care, she added.
The German Research Foundation and the German Ministry of Science and Education financially supported the study. Dr. Hacke had no disclosures. Dr. Roffe was not involved in the study and had no relevant conflicts of interest.