Madras Red Fort Doctors Foundation

When is saving a life "too much medicine"?
Posted on : 31-October-2015

This article by Dr Ranjana Srivastava an Australian oncologist, a Fulbright scholar and an award-winning author appeared in the "Guardian" recently. Many of us have been in similar positions during our working lives.I am sure there are no right and wrong answers to this dilemma. What would you do. I have reproduced the article as it appeared in The Guardian. Read on.........

Body Mass Index in Ethnic Population

Decompression & Fusion in Spinal Stenosis

β Blockers & Surgery

Drug Licensing in India

Endoscopic Gastric Volume Reduction

Parenteral Iron

Sepsis (previously termed Septicaemia)

Salt Friend or Foe

Type II Diabetes and Fruit Consuption

Human Behaviour and Brain Response to Stress

Vaccine for Malaria

Overuse of Proton Pump Inhibitors

Reducing Knee Pain from Osteoarthritis

Rivaroxaban for the treatment of Pulmonary Embolism and DVT

Blood Cholesterol and Statins

Psychiatry in General Practice

Oral Cholera Vaccine - 5 year efficacy in India

Neuropsychiatric side effect with Mefloquine

Obesity Guideline Algorithm

My Tryst with GBS

Drug-Eluting Stents in Women

Beware Tightness of Chest

Pulmonary Embolism

Primary Care Management of Pulmonary Embolism

Parkinson's Disease

Airway Obstruction by Foreign Body

Acute Back Pain & MRI Scan

Prostate Cancer Diagnosis & Treatment

Coronary Artery Calcium Scan

Good Medical Practice

CABG vs PCI long term outcome in multi vessel disease

Misdiagnosis & Unnecessary Surgery

Cushing's Syndrome & Cushing's Disease

Renal and Ureteric Stones

Increased risk of pneumonia with inhaled corticosteroids

Is The Medical Council of India Corrupt

Post Myocardial Infarction Drug Therepy

Vitamin E Supplements May Raise the Risk for Prostate Cancer

New Rheumatoid Arthritis Management Guidelines

Treatment of Stroke - Save a minute - Save a day

Hyperoxaluria and Nephrocalcinosis

Sarcoidosis - Back to Basics

Five a day Fruit and veg improves your health

Chronic Kidney Disease

ARDS-Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Boerhaave's syndrome.- Esophageal Rupture

Commotio Cordis

Fibromyalgia

2nd Opinion for Uterine Fifroid

A Summary of Dementia

Long Q T Syndrome

Stenting in Atherosclerotic Renal Artery Stenosis

Contraindications to NSAID

Whooping Cough

CPR and CCR

Treating Acne Vulgaris

Treatment Strategies for Hepatitis C

Barrett's Esophagus - Role of PPI

Breast Cancer Risks

A new Critical Hormone in Type II Diabetes

Detecting Colon Polyps through Stool DNA

Fibromyalgia

Vitiligo

Importance of Clinical Observation

Shingles (Herpes Zoster)

Multiple Sclerosis

Vaccination for Human Papilloma Virus

Glucose Homeostasis & Diabetes

Cervical Cancer

Capsule Endoscopy

A New Drug for Hepatitis C

Ventricular Arrhythmias

Acute Otitis Media in Children

Treating Hyperkalemia

Insulin inhalation powder to replace Insulin injections

Addisons Disease

Chest Pain

Should We Continue Using Metal on Metal Total Hip Replacements

Anaphylactic Reaction

Hemodialysis On Cardiac Function

Examining a Female Patient

Atherosclerosis

Low Dose Aspirin Cuts Death From Cancer

Do Statins Cause Memory Loss?

Prescribing Statins

Statins

Cancer Prostate and PSA levels

Can Insulin Inhalation Powder Replace Insulin Injections

Blood Transfusion

Effect of BCG vaccination against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in children

Preventable mortality in geriatric hip fracture inpatients

Complete Heart Block in Sarcoidosis

Asthma- New treatment Addition

Atrial Fibrillation

Helicobacter Pylori - Medical Treatment

Precaution against Chikungunya when Travelling

Wearable Diagnostic and Tracking Devices

Consciousness in Vegetative State

Colon Cleansing for Colonoscopy

Diabetic Amyotrophy

Faster Diagnostic Tests for Myocardial Infarction

Wellen's Syndrome

Posterior Cortical Atrophy

Red meat and Colorectal Cancer

Who Owns Patient's Medical Records

Aspirin and Liver Fibrosis

Diabetes in Indians

Informed Consent

Missed Pathology in Colonoscopy

Tension Pneumothorax

Myocardial Infarction with ST segment Elevation

Acute Chest pain

Use of Viekira Pak in Hepatitis C

Ivabradine (Procoralan) - Drug safety advice

Isotretinoin (Roaccutane) Side effects

Non alcoholic fatty liver disease

Dangerous Area of Face

Digital Autopsy instead of a traditional Postmortem

A New Antibiotic in the Making

RISK ASSESSMENT IN ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME

Severity Assessment of Pneumonia in Primary Care

CARDIO VASCULAR DISEASE IN WOMEN

EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF STATINS IN MEN AND WOMEN.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Clostridium difficile in Adults

A New Device to control blood pressure

Diabetes Mellitus - The Essentials

Resistant Strain of Malaria Spreading Towards India

Bionic Hand

Adverse effects while managing vascular diseases

Prostate Cancer Cells in Blood Clue to Drug Efficacy

Prophylactic Oophorectomy

Folic acid therapy in prevention of Stroke

Tuberculosis the silent killer in India

Malaria Vaccine

A Breakthrough Drug for Asrhma

Medical Detection Dogs

Replacing sugary drinks with water may reduce diabetes risk

How to Reduce the "HARMS OF TOO MUCH MEDICINE"

ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE- A GLOBAL THREAT

REPEATED ANTIBIOTICS AND TYPE 2 DIABETES RISK

Pelvic Organ Prolapse Surgery

Faster heart rate linked to diabetes risk

MIDDLE EAST RESPIRATORY SYNDROME

Kidney Stones from eating excessive amount of Tofu

Lab Grown Blood to be ready within 2 years

Medical Education and Curiosity

Suffering from heart disease, Stroke & type II Diabetes could knock 23 years off life

Risk of intracranial haemorrage when antidepressants and NSAID are prescribed together

Adjuvant biphosphonate treatment in early breast cancer

New guidelines for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

New Ebola Vaccine - A Game Changer

Loss of Consciousness

Chikungunya - The Facts

Acute Urinary Retention - meta analysis

MUSIC AND POST OPERATIVE RECOVERY

Acute Urinary Retention - Basics

Glucocorticoid Therapy

Post Prandial Hypoglycemia

The Original Hippocratic Oath

Cutting Sugary Beverages Improves a Child's Heart Health

Urolift system for Prostatic Enlargement

DENGUE IN INDIA.

Vitamin D deficiency and tuberculous disease

HIV Treatment and Prevention

Biphosphonate therapy in Breast Cancer

Calcium Intake and Risk of Fracture

Malaria Parasite Opens new window on Cancer Treatment

Improving Hand Function in Quadriplegics

Replacing sugary drinks with water may reduce diabetes risk

When is saving a life "too much medicine"?

A New Injectable Drug to lower Cholesterol

Rudeness in Medical Settings Could Kill Patients

Red Meat and Bowel Cancer

Barbecued meat and chicken can cause Renal Cell Carcinoma

Sinus Bradycardia

First Degree Heart Block

Death Caused by Delay in Treatment

Structured Education of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

A New Drug for Type 2 Diabetes

Contraception & Pulmonary Embolism

Death by Diarrhoea

H Pylori, ITP and vitamin B12 deficiency

PCI or CABG when surgery is indicated in Diabetics?

The benefits of lowering blood pressure in preventing cardiovascular disease

Treatment of Chronic Sinusitis in Adults

PCI outcomes in Hypothyroid Patients

Breast Cancer Screening - USA Guidelines for 2016

What does 2016 hold for the future of cosmetic surgery?

What we know about the Zika Virus

New Genetic Test for every known Inherited Heart condition

Breast Cancer Lumpectomy Patients often need second surgery

Major insight into killer pancreatic cancer

CT and MRI scan - The facts about Contrast Medium

Basic Facts about our Vitamin D levels

Stem Cells will Change Cataract Surgery

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Revisited

Robotic Total Mesorectal Excision for Cancer Rectum

Vitamin D Helps Heart Function Better

High Blood Pressure during Pregnancy

Anticholinergic drugs & Alzheimers Disease

Corn Oil and Health of Heart

Deep Venous Thrombosis

Alarm over Hip Implant

Managing Arthritis in Adults

Statin & Heart Surgery

Aspirin & Stroke

A new method of treating Clostridium Difficile

Caution when prescribing Nicorandil

Extending Life Expectancy in Cancer Pancreas

Usefulness of HbA1C

Soothing music before surgery helps patients relax

Interaction between Miconazole and Warfarin

Metformin for Prediabetes

Using a Smart Knife in Cancer Surgery

A New Drug Cocktail causes Breast Cancer to disappear

Laryngomalacia

Familial Hypercholesterolaemia

Ezetimibe for Hypercholesterolaemia

Glomus Tumour

An Experimental Cancer Drug Kills Superbugs

Caution with Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics

Oral Insulin

Recap on Arrhythmias

Cerebral Palsy & Mental Retardation

Persistent Severe Headache may prove Fatal

SUB ARACHNOID HEAMORRHAGE- ROLE OF CT SCAN

Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP)

Dengue Fever and Platelet Count

Cardiovascular Risk with Tooth Infections

FLU VACCINE FOR PREVENTION OF MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

Bone made by a 3D Printer will be used to heal Fractures

Nano Robots in Medicine

Coronary CT angiography

Foetal Valproate Syndrome

High Dose Statins Will Cut Early Deaths