Monday, October 12, 2009
Preventative Surgery
Why do people wait until they actually have, say, advanced cataracts or heart attacks until they get replacement surgery !?! Surely, if you have a family history of heart disease, say, it makes more sense to apply for the operation some time slightly before the time your ancestors have had the problem (other factors such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels agreeing with the decision, of course). One obvious problem is the scarcity of organs. Obviously, people who are literally dying should get priority over those who can wait - and as far as organs like the heart and the lungs go, that makes sense. But what about problems like arthritis !?! Why wait till the knee cartilage is completely worn down and the knee is screaming with perpetual pain before seeking replacement surgery !?!
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3 comments:
I'm guessing it's cause of the risks associated with surgery...why do it if you don't yet have to?
Oh I'm not asking people with perfectly healthy legs to go change their knees. I'm talking about the poeple who already have moderately severe arthritis which is very painful and crippling, has no cure and which will force them to undergo surgery in a few years time anyway. It's their reluctance to relieve themselves of all that pain now as opposed to an year later that I find strange.
Because the repairs only last so long and then need to be redone and you can't do them too often. Take hip operations.. If you are 50 they want you to hold off because the op only works for 5 to 10 years and then each time they do it it is a little bit worse. That will probably improve in the future with stem cell research , etc. Its a fine balance right now.
I used to be a pert
word was delerac
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