CONTINUOUS
PILL APPLAUSE
Here's what some of your colleagues had to say about
our July 30 poll question, "Do you think it's safe to
use the pill to suppress menstruation?":
Poll question comments:
This has been done by physicians (GPs, OBGYNs, PEDs,
ENDOs) for as long as I've been in practice (20 years).
I have done the same with great results. Of course,
the safe way to answer is to say we don't have enough
evidence.
- I discuss it as an option
for most of my pill patients, but I do find some women
have more difficulty with spotting when the pill is
used continuously. It's my understanding that this
method of pill use is quite common in Europe.
- We have enough experience to
establish safety.
Click
here for the full poll results and our new poll question.
SAVED
IN CANADA
I'm a researcher at Lawson Health Research Institute
in London, ON. Although I have always been aware of
the benefits of research, it was not until my personal
experience that I realized the incredible impact of
health research on people's lives. So that others can
appreciate this, I would like to share my story.
My daughter delivered a pre-term
infant at 24 weeks gestation on March 28, 2006. My wife
and I drove to Brampton Hospital from London in time
to see our granddaughter, Margaret Josephine (MJ), for
a brief moment before she was taken to the Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.
Surfactant, a drug that helps protect neonates' lungs,
was injected into the amniotic fluid just prior to delivery
and also given immediately to MJ when she was born.
For six weeks, MJ had to be intubated. I thought we
would lose her as chest x-rays showed that lung opacities
were appearing and growing.
The respirologists, neonatalogists
and pediatricians switched her to different forms of
ventilation, including high frequency oscillations.
As well, MJ was given a high dose of caffeine. Finally,
after many interventions, MJ was successfully extubated.
On May 18, my granddaughter appeared on the national
CBC news promoting hospital-based research, in particular
highlighting a study on the use of caffeine to help
neonates.
If Dr Charlie Bryan of Toronto
had not developed the high frequency ventilation methods
that assist with breathing, my granddaughter would probably
not be alive — but she is now home without any
respiratory assistance.
If Dr Fred Possmayer of London,
ON, had not found a way to produce artificial surfactant,
my granddaughter would probably not be alive and at
home.
If Dr Barbara Schmidt of Hamilton
had not studied the effects of caffeine in preemies
and learned of the risks and benefits, my granddaughter
would probably not be alive and at home.
When I left the NICU for the first
time I was concerned for MJ's health, but I was also
proud of the difference that hospital-based research
has made and how it would save my granddaughter. I am
delighted to be playing a part in health research and
hope my work, like that of other researchers, will also
add to the quality of life of Canadians!
Frank Prato, PhDScientist,
Lawson Health Research Institute Professor, University
of Western Ontario, London, ON
Got a comment? Lay it on us! Fax:
514 397 0228; email: [email protected];
snail mail: National Review of Medicine, 400 McGill
Street, 3rd Floor, Montreal, QC, H2Y 2G1
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