More radical still, the experimental surgery he performed on his wife offers hope that MS, which afflicts 2.5 million people worldwide, can be cured and even largely prevented.
Isn't that considered a breach of medical ethics, and generally just a bad idea?
The surgery may be experimental as a treatment for MS. But the procedure itself for unclogging the veins sounds fairly straightforward for vascular surgeons, Zamboni included.
I was thinking that operating on family / friends was considered a bad thing. As an example
"physicians generally should not treat themselves or members of their immediate families" because their professional objectivity may be compromised in those situations. Exceptions are allowed for "short-term, minor problems" or "in emergency or isolated settings."
It seems a stretch that he would refuse the treatment from his wife whilst treating 64 other sufferers. The study would have gone through the local ethics committees, probably with second opinions etc. I would be curious as to whether the ethics committee knew his wife would be amongst the trial group but I would find it difficult to condemn him if they didn't.
Experimental surgery is performed all the time, perhaps every day. Sometimes surgeons just do new shit because they find themselves in a novel situation and they have to improvise but more often it's a more calculated decision: weighing the risks and urgency, informing the patient, consulting with other surgeons.
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More radical still, the experimental surgery he performed on his wife offers hope that MS, which afflicts 2.5 million people worldwide, can be cured and even largely prevented.
Isn't that considered a breach of medical ethics, and generally just a bad idea?
Maybe, but consider it from his perspective.
The surgery may be experimental as a treatment for MS. But the procedure itself for unclogging the veins sounds fairly straightforward for vascular surgeons, Zamboni included.
I was thinking that operating on family / friends was considered a bad thing. As an example
"physicians generally should not treat themselves or members of their immediate families" because their professional objectivity may be compromised in those situations. Exceptions are allowed for "short-term, minor problems" or "in emergency or isolated settings."
http://www.aafp.org/fpm/20050300/41shou.html
It seems a stretch that he would refuse the treatment from his wife whilst treating 64 other sufferers. The study would have gone through the local ethics committees, probably with second opinions etc. I would be curious as to whether the ethics committee knew his wife would be amongst the trial group but I would find it difficult to condemn him if they didn't.
Experimental surgery is performed all the time, perhaps every day. Sometimes surgeons just do new shit because they find themselves in a novel situation and they have to improvise but more often it's a more calculated decision: weighing the risks and urgency, informing the patient, consulting with other surgeons.