Today Tonight and their 'ethical' reporting have done an article on ASR and other MOM hip replacements. It's reminiscent of the article that ABC aired a little while ago. They took it a step further and made it sound like all MOM devices were trouble in their usual sensationalist style. The class action that has been launched against Du Puy is the catalyst for the article and once again, they fail to address and report any positives of MOM devices nor do they report the exceptional success rates of other MOM devices in the hands of top surgeons.
My comments on the earlier ABC article on MOM resurfacing.
McMinn addresses MOM on the resurfacing site.
I know what Today Tonight is like and I shouldn't let it bother me. It's irresponsible reporting at it's finest and it really makes me mad.
Showing posts with label Media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Media. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
RPA: A bilateral hip replacement on TV!
Last week there was an episode of RPA of a bilateral total hip replacement. The episode is still available on line, if you would like to see for yourself. I don't normally watch medical programs as I don't do to well with the cutting and opening part which is before anything actually happens. I tried to watch the BMHR procedure that McMinn has on youtube but failed to get past the first couple of minutes. I have it on good authority that it is an interesting series of clips (I have a friend who is not squeamish and quite interested in these types of things).
When I got home last week on Wednesday, with my takeaway from work and just about to collapse on the couch, I got a message telling me about it. We'd only just been talking about these types of programs that morning, so I took it as 'meant to watch' tv. In the interests of research, I watched the whole episode to see the bits about the hip surgery. There was a fair amount of unrelated surgical procedures that I had to get through to watch it too! I persisted though and it was actually quite interesting.
I'm not sure that I would have wanted to know that much information pre-op. After the fact it was at it's limit. The cut of the femur was fine, I've come to peace with that part of the op! The hammering in of the acetabular cup using a mallet not unlike the one I have used to put together Ikea furniture, not so much.
The lady having the surgery was probably about 20 - 25 years older than me, so it was a bit of surprise that the surgeon had elected to do a bilateral procedure. The surgeon did say that one of the key reasons that he elected to do it this way was her attitude. Yes, she was healthy enough but attitude was the surgeon's key indicator for success.
The program made it look like a piece of cake. I had a very positive attitude going in and I didn't look anywhere near that good in the first week post-op. It goes to show that everyone reacts differently to surgery and some bodies just handle it better. To be fair, a positive attitude can't make up for the extra two units of blood they gave me before I started to be a bit happier. She didn't have any drug induced hallucinations either which I'm sure made part of the difference! Everyone is different as are their outcomes. You just need to work out what the best possible outcomes are for you and work towards them.
The message really is that you have to have the right attitude going in. You need to try to get up the day after surgery and start rehab. You need to work at it to heal. If you can prepare pre-op to be stronger and more healthy, all the more the better. Give yourself the best possible chance to wake up looking as well as well as this lady was.
I think over the longer term, I have caught up and my walking is better but its probably not a good comparison given that I can't be sure how far post-op she was in the final scenes of the program.
If anyone does watch it from the link above, feel free to add the extra info in the comments and I'll update the post! I just can't bring myself to watch it a second time.
You might want to close your eyes for the mallet. It isn't fun.
When I got home last week on Wednesday, with my takeaway from work and just about to collapse on the couch, I got a message telling me about it. We'd only just been talking about these types of programs that morning, so I took it as 'meant to watch' tv. In the interests of research, I watched the whole episode to see the bits about the hip surgery. There was a fair amount of unrelated surgical procedures that I had to get through to watch it too! I persisted though and it was actually quite interesting.
I'm not sure that I would have wanted to know that much information pre-op. After the fact it was at it's limit. The cut of the femur was fine, I've come to peace with that part of the op! The hammering in of the acetabular cup using a mallet not unlike the one I have used to put together Ikea furniture, not so much.
The lady having the surgery was probably about 20 - 25 years older than me, so it was a bit of surprise that the surgeon had elected to do a bilateral procedure. The surgeon did say that one of the key reasons that he elected to do it this way was her attitude. Yes, she was healthy enough but attitude was the surgeon's key indicator for success.
The program made it look like a piece of cake. I had a very positive attitude going in and I didn't look anywhere near that good in the first week post-op. It goes to show that everyone reacts differently to surgery and some bodies just handle it better. To be fair, a positive attitude can't make up for the extra two units of blood they gave me before I started to be a bit happier. She didn't have any drug induced hallucinations either which I'm sure made part of the difference! Everyone is different as are their outcomes. You just need to work out what the best possible outcomes are for you and work towards them.
The message really is that you have to have the right attitude going in. You need to try to get up the day after surgery and start rehab. You need to work at it to heal. If you can prepare pre-op to be stronger and more healthy, all the more the better. Give yourself the best possible chance to wake up looking as well as well as this lady was.
I think over the longer term, I have caught up and my walking is better but its probably not a good comparison given that I can't be sure how far post-op she was in the final scenes of the program.
If anyone does watch it from the link above, feel free to add the extra info in the comments and I'll update the post! I just can't bring myself to watch it a second time.
You might want to close your eyes for the mallet. It isn't fun.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Mr McMinn comments on ABC's Four Corners bash up of hip resurfacing
There was a recent Four Corners program that was rather negative about hip resurfacing and metal on metal prostheses. It focuses on the ASR device that has been recalled and applies these statistics across a field of other devices that have had significant success. (Like the side note of the post 'Six Week Surgical Review', the negative effects of metal ions are overstated compared with research based evidence using larger sample sizes)
Mr McMinn responds to the program with an article on his website: http://www.mcminncentre.co.uk/response-abc-corners-program.html
(McMinn invented the BMHR that I have and has had great successes with his previous invention the BHR resurfacing device. He is regarded as an expert in the field by many and above average survivorship rates clearly support this)
The key statements that resonated with me are:
"It would be unfortunate if the adverse results from a few ill-designed, poorly implanted devices are allowed to throw this excellent treatment option into disrepute."
"It must be remembered however that component malposition is a cause of failure and should be avoided. Choose your device and your surgeon carefully."
Well designed, well implanted devices have changed so many lives for the better. I hope that people looking at resurfacing consider all the research out there and not just the sensational media reports.
Mr McMinn responds to the program with an article on his website: http://www.mcminncentre.co.uk/response-abc-corners-program.html
(McMinn invented the BMHR that I have and has had great successes with his previous invention the BHR resurfacing device. He is regarded as an expert in the field by many and above average survivorship rates clearly support this)
The key statements that resonated with me are:
"It would be unfortunate if the adverse results from a few ill-designed, poorly implanted devices are allowed to throw this excellent treatment option into disrepute."
"It must be remembered however that component malposition is a cause of failure and should be avoided. Choose your device and your surgeon carefully."
Well designed, well implanted devices have changed so many lives for the better. I hope that people looking at resurfacing consider all the research out there and not just the sensational media reports.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Take Charge
I came across this article that was posted on the Arthritis Queensland twitter account:
Health system failing people with arthritis
The article talks about people suffering with arthritis due to the condition not being diagnosed in a timely manner and consequently the patient not being treated appropriately. The full report that the article references is located here.
Whilst I understand how this happens, people need to realise that they need to be their own advocates and if they aren't happy with a brush off or the answer that they have been given they are entitled to seek a second opinion and a third, a fourth or however many it takes to get an answer.
Doctors are human too and can't possibly know everything about everything. If you don't like to question your doctor, you don't have to. Find another one. You don't even have to tell the doctor that you are going to get another opinion. They don't need to know. If you go to a doctor that you don't gel with (or flat out hate which has actually happened to me once), just don't go back, no explanation is required, chances are they won't even follow up with you to ask why you didn't come back. I have tried out lots of doctors of all kinds and the ones I never went back to never called me to find out why I didn't go back.
If your GP suggests that it might be arthritis and sends you off to a rheumatologist, you don't even have to settle for the first one that you see. Get information, ask other health professionals, talk to the Arthritis foundation and see if they have any information days coming up (like this one next Saturday in Brisbane). Find someone that you think you can work with, someone that you can trust, someone with whom you can have open discussion with.
This is the information age. There is a wealth of information out there. Be educated. Understand what quality information is and don't assume that if it is published that it is true. I'm not suggesting diagnosis by Google but be aware and understand the process, the tests, the diagnosis, the medication and self management so that you can live the best possible life that you can.
Health system failing people with arthritis
The article talks about people suffering with arthritis due to the condition not being diagnosed in a timely manner and consequently the patient not being treated appropriately. The full report that the article references is located here.
Whilst I understand how this happens, people need to realise that they need to be their own advocates and if they aren't happy with a brush off or the answer that they have been given they are entitled to seek a second opinion and a third, a fourth or however many it takes to get an answer.
Doctors are human too and can't possibly know everything about everything. If you don't like to question your doctor, you don't have to. Find another one. You don't even have to tell the doctor that you are going to get another opinion. They don't need to know. If you go to a doctor that you don't gel with (or flat out hate which has actually happened to me once), just don't go back, no explanation is required, chances are they won't even follow up with you to ask why you didn't come back. I have tried out lots of doctors of all kinds and the ones I never went back to never called me to find out why I didn't go back.
If your GP suggests that it might be arthritis and sends you off to a rheumatologist, you don't even have to settle for the first one that you see. Get information, ask other health professionals, talk to the Arthritis foundation and see if they have any information days coming up (like this one next Saturday in Brisbane). Find someone that you think you can work with, someone that you can trust, someone with whom you can have open discussion with.
This is the information age. There is a wealth of information out there. Be educated. Understand what quality information is and don't assume that if it is published that it is true. I'm not suggesting diagnosis by Google but be aware and understand the process, the tests, the diagnosis, the medication and self management so that you can live the best possible life that you can.
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