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A quandary...philosophy
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Djinn
#1 Posted : Friday, February 24, 2012 10:11:14 AM
Rank: Elder

Joined: 11/13/2008
Posts: 1,565
Imagine this scenario...

- A child accident victim arrives at the ER and must receive a blood transfusion IMMEDIATELY;
- The hospital is rather remote BUT is equipped to do the blood transfusion.;
- The child has a rare blood type (say AB);
- The only person available and willing, at least in the next 5-60 minutes (the time within which the blood MUST be given or the child will most certainly die) is HIV positive and perhaps exhibiting early signs of AIDs...

Q: Will you give the blood transfusion? Why or Why not?
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quicksand
#2 Posted : Friday, February 24, 2012 10:37:29 AM
Rank: Veteran

Joined: 7/5/2010
Posts: 2,061
Location: Nairobi
Would give blood plasma. You have not explicitly said there is none, so there must be some.
There. Problem solved. QED.
smile
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MrTyrus
#3 Posted : Friday, February 24, 2012 11:04:44 AM
Rank: Member

Joined: 2/11/2008
Posts: 126
AB = universal recipient. I mean even a dog can donate.
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Magigi
#4 Posted : Friday, February 24, 2012 11:10:24 AM
Rank: Elder

Joined: 3/31/2008
Posts: 7,081
Location: Kenya
Djinn wrote:
Imagine this scenario...

- A child accident victim arrives at the ER and must receive a blood transfusion IMMEDIATELY;
- The hospital is rather remote BUT is equipped to do the blood transfusion.;
- The child has a rare blood type (say AB);
- The only person available and willing, at least in the next 5-60 minutes (the time within which the blood MUST be given or the child will most certainly die) is HIV positive and perhaps exhibiting early signs of AIDs...

Q: Will you give the blood transfusion? Why or Why not?

I would...If the doctors are sure after 60 minutes the child would be no more, why not. He will survive for a few more days/years as he would be put on ARVs
...Secondly during those years a cure could be found...
...Better to have a sick child than no child at all...My thinking
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nostoppingthis
#5 Posted : Friday, February 24, 2012 12:01:10 PM
Rank: Chief

Joined: 8/24/2009
Posts: 5,909
Location: Nairobi
Why do people worry more about HIV than Hepatitis B in blood transfusion??? Hepatitis B is more prevalent...

@Djinn, what do Medical ethics entail? but I would go with @Magigi on this one....except that I will add Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) treatment... the Nevirapine etc
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  | | Edit by user: Friday, February 24, 2012 12:02 PM | Reason: Not specified
Djinn
#6 Posted : Friday, February 24, 2012 12:53:33 PM
Rank: Elder

Joined: 11/13/2008
Posts: 1,565
@magigi and nostopping this - thanks for the response. I'm no medic or such (ergo not knowing abt plamsa and such issues) so I can't answer the rest...and in any case, we'd not want to broaden the philosophical angle by asking for so many variables - in which case we might as well ask if there is an F-16 nearby to fly the patient to a hospital. No variables. Just the facts...dying kid, one donor, remote hospital...transfusion MUST be done.

One line of the Hippocratic Oath (which I Googled being not a medic) states: "I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone."

Irrespective of the blood group and assuming unavailability of plasma etc...but bearing in mind there can only be ONE donor, would such blood still not qualify as GOOD for the patient?

@nostopping this, PEP only works before sero conversion - from what I have read. Ergo in the infected person's blood that has already happened - so no PEP. Just HIV pap!

I think I agree - better expose the kid - save its life with the hope that ARVs can help...and that in that kids lifetime a cure can be found...
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Magigi
#7 Posted : Friday, February 24, 2012 1:03:47 PM
Rank: Elder

Joined: 3/31/2008
Posts: 7,081
Location: Kenya
Djinn wrote:
@magigi and nostopping this - thanks for the response. I'm no medic or such (ergo not knowing abt plamsa and such issues) so I can't answer the rest...and in any case, we'd not want to broaden the philosophical angle by asking for so many variables - in which case we might as well ask if there is an F-16 nearby to fly the patient to a hospital. No variables. Just the facts...dying kid, one donor, remote hospital...transfusion MUST be done.

One line of the Hippocratic Oath (which I Googled being not a medic) states: "I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone."

Irrespective of the blood group and assuming unavailability of plasma etc...but bearing in mind there can only be ONE donor, would such blood still not qualify as GOOD for the patient?

@nostopping this, PEP only works before sero conversion - from what I have read. Ergo in the infected person's blood that has already happened - so no PEP. Just HIV pap!

I think I agree - better expose the kid - save its life with the hope that ARVs can help...and that in that kids lifetime a cure can be found...

...How many beers for me?
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Djinn
#8 Posted : Friday, February 24, 2012 1:29:54 PM
Rank: Elder

Joined: 11/13/2008
Posts: 1,565
Magigi wrote:
Djinn wrote:
@magigi and nostopping this - thanks for the response. I'm no medic or such (ergo not knowing abt plamsa and such issues) so I can't answer the rest...and in any case, we'd not want to broaden the philosophical angle by asking for so many variables - in which case we might as well ask if there is an F-16 nearby to fly the patient to a hospital. No variables. Just the facts...dying kid, one donor, remote hospital...transfusion MUST be done.

One line of the Hippocratic Oath (which I Googled being not a medic) states: "I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone."

Irrespective of the blood group and assuming unavailability of plasma etc...but bearing in mind there can only be ONE donor, would such blood still not qualify as GOOD for the patient?

@nostopping this, PEP only works before sero conversion - from what I have read. Ergo in the infected person's blood that has already happened - so no PEP. Just HIV pap!

I think I agree - better expose the kid - save its life with the hope that ARVs can help...and that in that kids lifetime a cure can be found...

...How many beers for me?


smile I see you are on the Mbuzi Season 6 list - I think abt 5 will help give the above philosophical some legs to walk - so I will endeavor to offload myself to the venue...and there you get 5...
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