In an editorial published today in the European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Leslie Hamilton – former president of the Society for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland and regional director for professional affairs at the Royal College of Surgeons of England – discusses the question of when an emerging technology should enter the therapeutic arena. Commenting specifically on the Personalised External Aortic Root Support (PEARS) he argues that, following a precedent set in a recent Supreme Court case, surgeons have a responsibility to provide information on all appropriate medical procedures to allow the patient to make an informed decision. He suggests that patients should be made aware of the PEARS option. You can read the article here.