Doctors in the UK refuse to fix a patient’s broken ankle until he quits smoking:
John Nuttall, 57, needs surgery to set the ankle which he broke in three places two years ago because it did not mend naturally with a plaster cast.Doctors at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro have refused to operate because they say his heavy smoking would reduce the chance of healing, and there is a risk of complications which could lead to amputation.
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{ 5 comments }
In the US he could have had the thing fixed in the first place and he wouldn’t have needed a fusion. No one treats trimalleolar ankle fractures nonoperatively here in the states. Socialized medicine gives you a cast and a slap on the back.
anonymous 5:58,
If you’d read the article, he refused operative treatment at the time because he was afraid of MRSA.
It would be nice if the patient would take some responsibility for his poor decision making.
He chose to smoke for 40 years. He chose to forego necessary surgery. He should make quitting smoking the utmost priority in order to have this elective surgery. There is a strong possibility of complication, given the man’s risk factors. He would be the first one to sue if his leg healed poorly post-operatively, once again, attempting to evade responsibility for poor decision-making.
I don’t think this is a case of socialized versus unsocialized medicine. I think this is a case of risk versus benefit. Surgery for this man may not even work because of how nicotine can harm the healing process. Even in the US there would probably be surgeons saying no to the surgery.
They should offer him Chantix to aid him in quitting. He’s an addict relying on cigarettes to control his mood and stress levels.
He needs the surgery. There is no reason they should not demand he stop smoking and quit until he is healed, as requisite for surgery.
But they should offer assistance in dealing with his addiction, too.
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