Quote:
Originally Posted by doctom54
a) The data on statins (such as lipitor) is not very convincing and to me there are a lot of problems with the study http://www.chestjournal.org/content/132/4/1407.full.pdf
b) You can use Tamiflu 75 mg ONCE DAILY as a prophylactic agent. Studies are for use up to 6 weeks. I have used it in the nursing home for that with good success
c) If you are low on vitamin D, which a lot of geriatric patents are, then it MIGHT be helpful
d) just plain silly
Physicians, nurses and other health care workers use PPEs and do their jobs. There is a risk but it is accepted as part of the profession.
The analogy to a soldier is appropriate. He wears his body armor etc and does his job. He may get wounded or killed but that is accepted. He doesn't deliberately get wounded early so he can get better care.
You stay in the battle until they carry you out. |
I know that the Lipitor data isn't strong, but there is a lot of evidence that it works by decreasing inflammation. I must admit, that I am approaching an age where I guess that I don't need to worry about my "immune storm". There is a thread in the "General Discussion" section on pandemic influenza that posted a couple good papers on Vitamin D which led me to add that to my list. It would be ideal to take prophylactic Tamiflu... if you can get it. The Puget Sound area of the NW is already sold out, and they have a waiting list, until the stockpile meds are released. They haven't announced how they are going to differentiate those that are trying to stockpile meds from those that need it for real disease. There is about zero chance that you will be able to take it for the entire course of even one wave of a pandemic.
I work in a ER with a 65k volume/yr, but we only have a couple reverse flow rooms. If a big pandemic hits, I think that the chance of me avoiding the disease is about zero. The question isn't "if", it's "when".
I like your tactical analogy. If someone told you that you were going to take a high velocity round, but had a choice to take it whenever it arrived, or outside an Emerg Dept, with an IV in, and trauma team ready and available, which would you pick?
I appreciate your comments.