Ethical aspects of the quality of life in patients with atherosclerosis

The concept of quality of life is an integral characteristic of human physical, psychological, emotional, and social functioning. The disorders associated with atherosclerosis reduce the patients’ quality of life. Surgical treatment improves physical health of patients with atherosclerosis affecting primarily precranial arteries. The decrease in the indicators of physical functioning, role-playing, and bodily pain in patients with atherosclerosis mostly affecting the arteries of lower extremities persists in the late postoperative period. Comprehensive analysis of the broad spectrum of factors, such as clinical and demographic, anatomic, laboratory and instrumental, medical and social, and psychological factors, is the key to successful revascularization associated with the lowest risk of possible adverse events that makes it possible to implement the personalized approach to treatment and rehabilitation of patients. Ethical regulation of the quality of life assessment by the patient, his/her relatives and medical professionals is required. Reconciling the positions of the parties on the issue requires bioethical expertise in studying indicators of the quality of life.