Active not recruitingOBSERVATIONAL

Differences of the Postoperative Outcome for Carotid Surgery Patients Treated by Either Male or Female Surgeons

This research aims to understand if there are differences in how well patients recover after carotid surgery when the operation is performed by a male or a female surgeon. Carotid surgery is a procedure to treat narrowed arteries in the neck that supply blood to the brain. Researchers will use existing information from Germany, gathered between 2012 and 2023, where detailed records of these surgeries are kept. They will compare things like patient complications and re-admissions to hospitals to see if the surgeon's gender plays a role in the patient's recovery journey. This study hopes to add to our understanding of factors that might influence surgical outcomes.

At a glance

Status

Active not recruiting

Sponsor

University Hospital Augsburg

Enrolment target

800

Start

01 Mar 2023

Estimated completion

31 Dec 2024

Carotid Stenosis

What is this study about?

This study is looking into whether there are any differences in how well patients recover after a type of heart surgery called carotid surgery, depending on whether their surgeon is a man or a woman.

Carotid surgery is carried out to help people who have a narrowing in the main arteries in their neck (called carotid arteries). These arteries supply blood to the brain, and narrowing can increase the risk of stroke. The surgery aims to clear these blockages and improve blood flow. Researchers want to see if the gender of the surgeon might affect how patients fare after this important operation. They will be looking at existing patient records, not performing new surgeries.

This research is important because previous studies in other areas, like breast cancer treatment, have hinted that a doctor's gender might sometimes be linked to patient recovery. However, no one has specifically looked at this for carotid surgery before. Germany has very good records for these operations, documenting the details of surgical procedures and patient outcomes since 2012, which makes it an ideal place to study this question.

Key takeaways

This study examines if a surgeon's gender affects recovery after carotid surgery.
It uses existing, anonymous patient data from Germany between 2012 and 2023.
No direct patient participation is required in this study.
The research aims to improve understanding of surgical outcomes for future patients.
All personal information used will be kept private and anonymised.

Who may be eligible?

To be included in this study, you would need to have been at least 18 years old at the time of your carotid surgery. The study is specifically looking at patients who had their carotid revascularisation (the surgery to clear narrowed arteries) between January 2012 and December 2023.

It's important that detailed quality records were kept for your surgery, as this study relies on information from these established quality checks. This means that if your operation wasn't part of a documented quality assurance program, your data wouldn't be included.

The study is open to both men and women, as it aims to compare outcomes across surgeon genders, not patient genders.

Could this study suit you?

Answer these quick questions to see if you may be eligible. This is a guide only — the research team makes the final call.

Are you aged 18 or over?
Did you have carotid revascularisation surgery?
Was your surgery between January 2012 and December 2023?
Were detailed quality records kept for your surgery?

Answer every question to see your result.

What does participation involve?

This study is looking back at existing medical records, rather than involving new patients directly. This means you wouldn't need to do anything or attend any appointments if your data were included. Researchers will simply be using information that has already been collected about your carotid surgery and recovery, if it meets their criteria. Since it's a look-back study, there are no new medications, follow-up tests, or required visits for participants. Your involvement would be completely anonymous, as the researchers would be looking at general patterns in the data, not individual patient identities.

Potential risks and benefits

Since this study is looking at existing data and not involving new treatments or direct patient contact, there are no physical risks to participants. Your privacy is protected as researchers will keep all information anonymous. The potential benefit of this study is that it could help us understand more about factors that contribute to the best possible outcomes for patients undergoing carotid surgery, which could lead to improvements in care for everyone in the future. You always have the right to ask if your data has been included and to request its removal from the study, though because the data is anonymised, this may be difficult.

Locations (1)

University Hospital Augsburg
Verified postcode
Augsburg, Germany

Common questions

What is carotid surgery?

Carotid surgery is an operation to clear blockages in the carotid arteries, which are major blood vessels in your neck that supply blood to your brain.

Why are they studying surgeons' gender?

Previous studies in other areas of medicine have suggested that a doctor's gender might sometimes be linked to patient recovery, and researchers want to see if this is also true for carotid surgery.

Will this study affect my past or future treatment?

No, this study uses existing, anonymised records to look for patterns and will not affect your past treatment, nor will it directly change your future medical care.

Is my personal information safe?

Yes, all patient information used in the study will be kept anonymous to protect your privacy.

Is this study taking place in the UK?

The study is using existing patient data from Germany because of their detailed records for this type of surgery. It's not taking place in the UK.