Patients’ preferences do not always match maximisation of lifespan. Patients’ preferences do not always match maximisation of lifespan. Respondents were randomly allocated to one of five groups. Each respondent chose between the certainty of 1 year of lifespan gain and a % chance of 10 years of lifespan gain. The different % chances offered to the five groups were 2%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 50%, respectively, equivalent to a mean life expectancy increase of 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2 and 5 years. The bars show the proportion of respondents in each group choosing the certainty option or the % chance option. We have shaded in grey the respondents who were choosing an option with lower mean life expectancy. As the probability offered increased, progressively more respondents chose the % chance option. Nevertheless, at each offered probability, many respondents preferred the option that gave the lower mean life expectancy (grey columns). Judith A Finegold et al. Open Heart 2016;3:e000343 ©2016 by British Cardiovascular Society