Having an expert tend to you in a time of medical need seems like the best idea right? Especially if that expert is skilled in exactly the kind of serious health event you’re having. Well it looks like this might not exactly be the case.
A friend of ours sent us a link to an article suggesting that if you show up at a hospital having a heart attack, you might not want a world-famous cardiologist taking care of you. Sounds crazy right? Check out the recent JAMA article to see the results of the new study, Mortality and Treatment Patterns Among Patients Hospitalized With Acute Cardiovascular Conditions During Dates of National Cardiology Meetings. Click HERE.
It seems that people who come to the hospital in the middle of a heart attack when all the senior cardiologists are away at a conference, fare better than when the senior cardiologists are present. In the case of this study, having an expert on hand ends up making it worse.
This definitely sounds crazy.
There is speculation as to why this is so, and the best theories center on the number of complex procedures done to you. When senior cardiologists are present, you are more likely to end up with multiple stents. These procedures are high risk procedures. In the end you receive more than you need, potentially leading to further issues.
When all the senior doctors are off at a conference, your care is handled by the younger doctors. The younger doctors, fresh out of their training, are more likely to deliver the optimal medical therapy, using only the clearly indicated interventions and no more. You still receive excellent care, just not everything that happens to be in the available toolbox.
This reveals an ongoing issue in our current medical system. At times people receive more than is needed because it is available. However just because a procedure can be done does not mean it should be done. The potential for making matters worse increases, without improving the end survival of the person. It feels like this study shines a direct light on the issue. We will see how those senior doctors react.
In the end, the best option is to keep yourself healthy so you never get a heart attack. Here at Organic MD we know how to do that, and will follow up with more articles on heart health next year. Until then we hope your days prove to be quiet and free from rushed trips to the hospital.
We wish you peace and health in the coming year.
