A physician loses a malpractice case after “rapid detox” – a controversial practice:
An Oakland County jury awarded the family of a Kansas man $35.3 million Thursday after he died following a controversial detoxification treatment at a now-closed Troy clinic.The verdict was against Dr. Aeneas Guiney, 70, of Grosse Pointe, an anesthesiologist who operated the Project Straight clinic in Troy. Guiney placed patients under anesthesia to allow them to undergo narcotic withdrawal, then provided them with drugs designed to fight narcotic addiction — a practice not widely accepted in the medical field.
Related posts:
- A bizarre malpractice case
- Treating chronic pain with narcotics and avoiding the risk of addiction
- H1N1 rapid tests: Poor sensitivity
- P4P: You need bigger carrots
- Physician attire and malpractice
- Can you reform health care before reforming malpractice?
- Why rapid viral testing for kids with URIs may not help in the ER
KevinMD.com on Facebook
{ 5 comments }
The proper term for detox under anesthesia is “ultra rapid detox”. “Rapid detox” usually refers to giving naltrexone after premedication with various meds commonly used to moderate the discomfort of withdrawel. While there have been some deaths with the ultra rapid detox, the rapid detox procedure is safe, well, tolerated, and quick in the hands of skilled practitioners.
Of course that begs the question of why detox opiate addicts at all when only a tiny percentage maintain any meaningful sobiety afterwards.
“Of course that begs the question of why detox opiate addicts at all when only a tiny percentage maintain any meaningful sobiety afterwards.”
So they can show their “parole officer” or any equivalent entity, that they are trying to follow court orders? So they can continue getting their priviledges and perhaps jeopardize the life of other peaceful-life-loving individuals???
To collect a fee.
Pretty pessimistic bunch here. Why do we bother treating any disease? Everybody is going to die anyway…
I am not pessimistic about everything–just things that don’t work. Only about 10% of opiate addicts maintain sobriety for even a few weeks after detox.
Cheaper and less risky to just stay on the crap.
One group of patients that I see do well are the patients who got hooked after a major medical problem and long hospitalization. Many will just withdraw and stay off without treatment.
No detox is worth the while if there isn’t a promising plan to stay clean afterwards. All this detoxing of people who present to the ER without a plan is a waste of money. Especially the crack addicts, who don’t need medical detox anyway. They come in when crashing, and sign out when the craving cranks up within a couple of days. Why not just say “No” up front unless they make and commit to a specific aftercare program in the first place–and not the same one they have signed onto 15 times in the past.
Crack addicts who maintain their desire to quit long enough to make and keep an appointment–even if it is only 24 hours between the making and the keeping, do much better. Just my experience but the difference is marked.
Comments on this entry are closed.