Too Sick

Too much health care and too little care for the sick?

In the Nordic countries much health care and preventive medicine takes place in general practice. And among general practitioners (GPs) there is an ongoing debate on whether they should devote more or less time to preventive measures and health care. There has been much debate on whether the benefi ts of preventive health care truly outweigh the costs and the adverse effects. Some GPs fear that...

Too Dangerous to Dip? Marine Pollution Makes Swimmers Sick

Reports of illness after exposure to marine water appear to be increasing, and there is evidence that the rate of infection is proportional to both the amount of time swimmers are exposed and the levels of pollution in the waters where they swim. In this issue, researchers from Harvard University led by Sarah E. Henrickson conclude that human activities are contributing to illnesses associated ...

When is a patient too well and when is a patient too sick for a liver transplant?

1. Liver transplantation is currently offered as a therapeutic option for patients with a wide range of end-stage liver diseases. 2. Conventional wisdom suggests that patients who receive a liver transplant have a greater expected lifetime when compared to comparable candidates on the waiting list. 3. The model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scoring system is an excellent predictor of morta...

too long a thrombus in transit: complication of femoral venous cannulation in a sick neonate

Anesthetic concerns in trauma victims requiring operative intervention: the patient too sick to anesthetize.

Trauma is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Timely acute care anesthetic management of patients following traumatic injury may improve outcome. Recognition of highly-mortal injuries to the brain, heart, lungs, liver, and pelvis should guide trauma-specific management strategies. Rapid intraoperative treatment of life-threatening conditions following injury includes the use of 'contro...