Aa
metal allergy
what do you do when you find out that you are metal allergic to all 11 coronary stents installed? Stents aren't like hips and knees. Those can be removed if allergic to them. but not stents. Metal allergy to metal implants is nothing new. It's well documented. So why no procedure for stent removal. Not to bright. shouldn't there be formal metal allergy testing before this one product (that can't be removed) is installed?
Well, I can imagine a criminal records database being a powerful thing, but not one containing dna or whether you have an allergy to nickel or not. In an every day job I don't see how this would affect your performance. Most companies ask you to fill in a form regarding your medical history and require a medical to be performed for insurance purposes. If you lie on the form or tell lies in the interview then of course anything could back fire.
Ireneo is right, too many people against it. In a perfect world this would be a great idea but imagine if you are a powerful person such as Oboma or Rush Limbaugh? or even the Queen of England (Elizabeth?).. All that information would be used against you. People such as myself who believe we have nothing to hide would be all for it until our employer checks the medical database.
I have signed papers that allow medical facilities see my medical information and their affiliates. This is for that same quick access from within this specific network, I just hope there's nothing that says affiliate X can give my employer the information.
I have signed papers that allow medical facilities see my medical information and their affiliates. This is for that same quick access from within this specific network, I just hope there's nothing that says affiliate X can give my employer the information.
Your data base might be helpful to some but you can bet there will be plenty of paranoid people screaming invasion of privacy and that somehow they'll use the allergy information against us. There are some folks that would rather die than let anyone know their private information. The DNA sample thing has been discussed but too many people screamed against it.
You can have allergic reactions to anything, including medication specific to saving your life. For example, some people are allergic to Plavix which is needed with drug eluting stents to prevent clotting and death. 24 patients having allergic reactions to Plavix were given antihistimines and a short course of steroids and 21 out of 24 could then continue to take this life saving medication.
With stents, the usual allergic reaction is to the coating, which prevents restenosis but some people do react to the nickel and molybdenum metals. I see your point and think something more could be done to test for allergies. According to figures, around 262 patients out of 2 million have had allergic reactions to different components of the DES but not all were fatal. In statistical form this is low, but still that's a lot of complications which could have been partly avoided.
We have to look at the problems a Cardiologist would face. Imagine a patient arrives at hospital suffering acute MI. Do you, take time to perform numerous allergy tests for all the stent components, the dye used in antioplasty, medications to be used such as blood thinning. By the time all these tests are done, there could be inconsistancies in the results and the poor Cardiologist would have to decide whether to proceed or not.
Would we see more deaths this way? Would the best phylosophy, knowing the low likelihood of allergic reaction, be to just stick the stent in and deal with other problems after?
I know if I had a loved one on the table and Doctors were arguing over whether to proceed or not, and each passing second brought my loved one closer to death, I would be screaming "stick the flamin thing in". That's just my personal opinion.
On a separate note. In the UK they was discussing at one stage about having a national database holding DNA samples of every individual for fighting crime. Maybe we could have something better. Maybe every inhabitant should have lots of allergy tests and other beneficial tests to have the results stored. When a patient arrives at hospital, just bring up the relevant information and the Cardiologist will have the answers at his fingertips immediately. With computers in every home, it seems odd that we have so little information about a person when it's too late.
With stents, the usual allergic reaction is to the coating, which prevents restenosis but some people do react to the nickel and molybdenum metals. I see your point and think something more could be done to test for allergies. According to figures, around 262 patients out of 2 million have had allergic reactions to different components of the DES but not all were fatal. In statistical form this is low, but still that's a lot of complications which could have been partly avoided.
We have to look at the problems a Cardiologist would face. Imagine a patient arrives at hospital suffering acute MI. Do you, take time to perform numerous allergy tests for all the stent components, the dye used in antioplasty, medications to be used such as blood thinning. By the time all these tests are done, there could be inconsistancies in the results and the poor Cardiologist would have to decide whether to proceed or not.
Would we see more deaths this way? Would the best phylosophy, knowing the low likelihood of allergic reaction, be to just stick the stent in and deal with other problems after?
I know if I had a loved one on the table and Doctors were arguing over whether to proceed or not, and each passing second brought my loved one closer to death, I would be screaming "stick the flamin thing in". That's just my personal opinion.
On a separate note. In the UK they was discussing at one stage about having a national database holding DNA samples of every individual for fighting crime. Maybe we could have something better. Maybe every inhabitant should have lots of allergy tests and other beneficial tests to have the results stored. When a patient arrives at hospital, just bring up the relevant information and the Cardiologist will have the answers at his fingertips immediately. With computers in every home, it seems odd that we have so little information about a person when it's too late.
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