Comments on: Quit smoking, or no surgery

By: Hatin' on cigarettes

Hatin' on cigarettes — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 16:56:00 +0000

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.

By: miss-elaine-ious

miss-elaine-ious — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 06:21:00 +0000

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.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 01:17:00 +0000

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.

By: Alison Cummins

Alison Cummins — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 23:21:00 +0000

anonymous 5:58,

If you’d read the article, he refused operative treatment at the time because he was afraid of MRSA.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 22:28:00 +0000

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.