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Mesothelioma: A Killer
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Doctors ask UK court to decide on ill baby's fate
Last Updated: 2004-09-30 12:30:01 -0400 (Reuters Health)
LONDON (Reuters) - Doctors asked a High Court judge Thursday to rule whether they have to keep alive a seriously ill baby who has been in constant hospital care since her premature birth 11 months ago.
Consultants from Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust in southern England want to be allowed to let Charlotte Wyatt to die if she stops breathing.
"The consultants are of the view that Charlotte has life-limiting conditions and that, despite their best efforts, she has no feelings other than continuing pain," the hospital trust's lawyer told the court.
"Her quality of life is both terrible and permanent and they cannot see a way in which it could significantly improve."
But Charlotte's committed Christian parents, Darren Wyatt, 32, and Debbie, 23, argue she has a real chance of survival and that the hospital should do all it can to keep her alive.
The couple, from Portsmouth, who are expecting another child, visit Charlotte every day in hospital, often with their 20-month-old son Daniel. The hospital told the court that Charlotte weighed one pound when she was born premature at 26 weeks, required ventilation for her first three months and now weighs 12.4 pounds.
She has no visual awareness, does not respond to sound and does not even respond to cuddling.
The hearing is scheduled to last two days, and the judge is expected to reserve his ruling until next week.
Copyright © 2004 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
"Statin" drugs help all patients after angioplasty
Last Updated: 2004-09-29 16:30:24 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New research suggests that all patients who undergo angioplasty should receive cholesterol-lowering "statin" drugs, such as Zocor and Lipitor.
The findings, which appear in the medical journal Heart, indicate that such therapy is equally beneficial for patients with stable angina or unstable angina. Both types of angina involve chest pain caused by a temporary drop in blood flow to the heart, but the symptoms are more predictable with the former.
Previous reports have suggested a benefit of statin therapy in patients with stable angina. In contrast, little is known about statin treatment in patients with unstable angina, Dr. Chi Hang Lee of University Hospital Dijkzigt in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and colleagues note.
To investigate, the team analyzed data from 1658 patients who were enrolled in a previous study and classified as having stable or unstable angina. The subjects had been randomly assigned to receive a statin called fluvastatin or inactive "placebo" after they underwent angioplasty, a procedure to clear their blocked arteries, and were then followed for 4 years.
Fluvastatin-treated patients with both types of angina experienced similar reductions in cholesterol levels. The drug also reduced the risk of adverse heart events in both groups to a similar degree, but did not affect the overall risk of fatal or non-fatal heart attacks.
The authors suggest that early statin therapy should be given to all patients after angioplasty, regardless of their initial cholesterol level or type of angina.
SOURCE: Heart, October 2004.
Copyright © 2004 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
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