Insisting on Antibiotics is not Always the Best Idea
Kevin’s Medical blog covered the tragic case of the Brazilian model Mariana Bridi da Costa aged 20
who had her hands and feet amputated and then dies from Pseudomonas aeruginosa sepsis. She initially presented on December 30th, with kidney stones. She was apparently sent home, and presented again on January 3rd in septic shock
This is a critical situation and mortality (the number of people dying who are admitted with this condition) is in the order fo 40- 50%.
Inappropriate antibiotic use is a major culprit, but it’s a problem that’s often dismissed. So the next time you go to the doctor’s office thinking you need an antibiotic for a cold, think of Mariana Bridi da Costa.
I can’t tell you the number of times I saw this as a physician and felt the pressure to prescribe. It is in part the fault of physicians who have created the expectation and is also partly a result of time pressures – it is a lot quicker to write the prescription than have a 3 minute discussion/explanation on why this is not a good choice in this case. But patients need to help here as well not forcing the issue and accepting the guidance that the Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI) is probably viral and antibiotics are not going to help….
Do you agree – are you an offender (patient or doctor) . Click the comment button to the right and let me know
[...] focused on the issue of patient and physician behavior and the all to frequent insistence on treatment can be a poor choice. It is a poor choice for economic reasons – why pay for a treatment that has [...]