Rapid Responses to:

RESEARCH: Alison W Halliday, Tim Lees, Dora Kamugasha, Robert Grant, Alex Hoffman, Peter M Rothwell, John F Potter, Michael Horrocks, Ross Naylor, Anthony G Rudd on behalf of Carotid Endarterectomy Steering Group; Clinical Effectiveness and Evaluation Unit, Royal College of Physicians; Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland Waiting times for carotid endarterectomy in UK: observational study BMJ 2009; 338: b1847 [Abstract] [Full text]

Rapid Responses: Submit a response to this article

Rapid Responses published:

Waiting Times for Carotid Doppler after Ocular Transient Ischaemic Attack

Stella J Hornby, Emily Adams   (16 June 2009)

Waiting Times for Carotid Doppler after Ocular Transient Ischaemic Attack 16 June 2009
Stella J Hornby, Associate Specialist Ophthalmologist Oxford Eye Hospital, LG-1 West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DU, Emily Adams Send response to journal: Re: Waiting Times for Carotid Doppler after Ocular Transient Ischaemic Attack	There is a lack of appreciation in eye departments of the urgency of carotid doppler imaging in patients with amaurosis fuagx. In a recent departmental audit 18% of referrals from the eye department for doppler imaging had >70% stenosis and 11% underwent carotid endarterectomy. The average waiting time for imaging was 9.6 days (range 1 -23 days). There is a need for the development of rapid access care pathways for these patients particularly those who are high risk with multiple NASCET criteria to access doppler imaging urgently. Ophthalmology departments have been busy implementing the NICE guidelines for the treatment of wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration and have not been focusing on stroke- prevention. Competing interests: None declared