Do celebrity deaths distort the public's expectations?

[mycrofft]

In my opinion...
The recent tragic death of a talented and really good looking actress due to an epidural haematoma is going to lead to scores of patients demanding CT's and MRI's due to headaches. Let us ask ourselves some questions:
1. Who stands to profit from this (follow the money)? Other than the news organizations of course.
2. Given that such scanners are not as prevalent as BP cuffs, experience periods of compromised or curtailed performance, and the folks reading these results are not robots but human, which patients are going to get the bigger part of this zero-sum competition's resources?
3. What will this do to insurance rates and dwindling public health coverage dollars?
4. Instead of being the gorgeous daughter of famous show business parents, wife to box-office star and mother to two kids, what if she was short, fat, and had traffic warrants? Or was a part-time EMT-B?

Of the most likely CVA's to come from this sort of mishap, an epidural haematoma (versus subdural bleed of any sort, or an unsequesterd transdural bleed) could be the slowest to present given the same rate of haemorrhage due to whatever resistance of the dura to compression there is (versus direct unresisted compression beneath the dura), and the lack of the immediate irritation of the brain matter by direct contact with blood or fragments of skull or foreign matter. Not quite a magic zebra bullet but getting there.

This one would likely have been missed for as long as it was in any event, unless there was a historic component such as extant vascular problems or anomalies, prior trauma, tox screen for alcohol/NSAIDS/any other agents which could mask or exacerbate the onset of symptoms, or even a history of recurrrent unreleated HA's which the pt mistook this for.
So sez me.:sad:

Yes, every case that slips through should promote discussion, but we need "E!" TV and People Magazine to butt out.

 

[AJ Hidell]

This is just a symptom of a greater problem, which is television in general. Because of television, everyone expects wrecked cars to explode. Because of television, everyone thinks that a couple of minutes of CPR is going to save everyone, no matter their condition. Because of television, all these people think that a three week EMT course is going to get them an exciting career as a public safety professional. Somehow, the public learns to live with the disappointment, lol.

But heck, Chris Reeve lived for like two decades after a much worse fall that Natasha Richardson, so really, there's no way to tell the public otherwise.

 

[VentMedic]

But heck, Chris Reeve lived for like two decades after a much worse fall that Natasha Richardson, so really, there's no way to tell the public otherwise.

Correction: He only lived for a little over 8 years after his injury. Some in the public did have a great expectation of him when he promised he would walk again but soon accepted that may not happen and it didn't.

I doubt if Ms. Richardardson's death will bring a massive run to the CT Scanners from everyone that has a headache. When a celebrity dies from a drug overdose you don't see overcrowding at the treatment centers.

Television does give an inaccurate portrayal of many medical situations but for professions like EMS, we fail to tell them otherwise until the person is working in the field or need the service. We don't give the people the full informaton that they will be only getting a BLS truck and not ALS. Thus, in some areas there is as much deception as there is expectation.

When a show biz state like California can keep EMS so messed up and the public still not getting the message about the condition of these EMS systems, it is hard to know what people actually expect even when there are headlines in the news. There will always be someone to tell them how perfect their EMS is and more money should be tossed their way to make them even more perfect or the blame is placed on everyone and everything else for the inadequacies.

And, when it is hard to convince those in EMS the importance of a thorough assessment with a better understanding of A&P to see there might be more to some injuries/diseases than what they have in their one text book or protocol manual, maybe the public should have more awareness and take more control of their own well being.

 

[BossyCow]

It's already started. Skiing without a helmet is already starting to be painted as tantamount to playing russion roulette.

Awareness is a good thing. When a celebrity dies like Reeves or Richardson, or becomes ill like Michael J Fox, it does draw attention to the disorder or condition. Awareness of the dangers can work to help people identify and put a real face on the danger. It's too easy to downplay or distance yourself from your own mortality. When a celeb dies, we all get a look at reality.

It's unfortunate that some will use it to sensationalize, or to blame but, that's human nature. If Richardson died or Reeves died because their weren't wearing a helmet, then all I have to do to avoid being mortal is to wear a helmet. It attaches circumstances and blame to the event which keeps the illusion of safety intact for the rest of us.

I think in this job, most of us know that mortal injuries are a crapshoot. Yes there are things we can do to mitigate the dangers of being a mortal being in a phyisical world, but we've all seen the freak accidents that killed someone that should not have died. We've seen the undeserving walk away from wrecks that left others to die. We've seen the lonely, elderly shut in who just keeps hanging on and on and on and on and on and on... when the vital young person or parent dies.

Bottom line.. none of us are getting out of here alive!

 

[AJ Hidell]

Correction: He only lived for a little over 8 years after his injury.

Man, I obviously posted that when I should have been asleep. I meant to say "like a decade", not like two decades. Thanks for the correction. And I completely agree that this event is likely to have any noticeable impact.

 

[LucidResq]

Of the most likely CVA's to come from this sort of mishap, an epidural haematoma (versus subdural bleed of any sort, or an unsequesterd transdural bleed) could be the slowest to present given the same rate of haemorrhage due to whatever resistance of the dura to compression there is (versus direct unresisted compression beneath the dura), and the lack of the immediate irritation of the brain matter by direct contact with blood or fragments of skull or foreign matter.

I've always been told that subdurals often take the longest to present... and I realize you said "given the same rate of haemorrhage" but isn't it true that, in general, epidurals bleed significantly faster than subdurals? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[mycrofft]

lucid, I'm really not sure about relative prevalence of hemorrhage rates.

I do know that I've heard about many more subdurals than epidurals...maybe because the epi's tended to die sooner?

COMCAST news now is headlining that the celebrity in question would have lived if they had sent a helicopter. Oh Mommy....<_<

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidural_hematomas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subdural_hematoma

These would suggest that the epidural bleed, being arterial, may be greater as a rule.

 

[downunderwunda]

There are 2 seperate & distinct issues here. 1. The ability of a celebrity death to assist with research, purcharse of equipment etc, & 2 The expectation that is saddled on all of medicine.

Firstly, life is sacred, so any death is tragic to the family involved, in the case of celebrity, the grief can also involve the wider community, but is none the less tragic. Many celebrities families can see that through their tragedy, the lives of others may be spared & the grief they have suffered may be avoided. As long as this is done tastfully, whats the problem. The problem is that all too often any monies raised is eaten up in administration costs & the associated crap, with minimal amounts going to those who need it.

Secondly, the expectation of shows such as ER, Rescue Me, Third Watch & others is that EMS are miracle workers, that EMS can 'save' anyone. I am told that only 8% of people die on ER!!!!!!!!!!!!! Perceptions are distorted & we can only wish tghat realtiy is shown - Grief does not make for good ratings.

We, as a profession can only do our very best, sometimes we lose some. At the end of the day we need to do our job, slide back into the background & resume our anonymity.

 

[firecoins]

More doctors have died on ER than patients.

 

[EMTinNEPA]

Ok, forgive me, I wound up writing a bit of a dissertation... :wacko:

The thing about the public is that they like to romanticise. They take the things that are exciting about a profession, blow them out of proportion, package them in a nice, little wrapper, and sell them to the public. The public views shows like Third Watch and Emergency! and get the impression that every day holds three cardiac arrests, six MVAs, a man with his foot stuck in factory machinery, two GSWs, and a structure fire or two, because that's all they show. They don't portray the excruciating boredom of sitting around the station waiting for a call, or babysitting during a long-distance IFT, because their ratings would most likely tank.

It's the same with the lives of celebrities. In celebrities, they see things that they are not, and they romanticise celebs as these important figures, because they represent everything people think they want to be.

Then, when something like the Natasha Richardson accident occurs, they show that celebrities are human beings too, and all of that adoration, all of that hero-worship, all of that idolizing seems misplaced. But the public doesn't know how to process this, so they see it as a great tragedy. Bad things aren't supposed to happen to beautiful people, but they do.

Yes, it isn't fair. The universe isn't fair. Yes, it doesn't make sense. But randomness and purposelessness are the way of the universe. Nobody wakes up thinking "I am going to die today." They wake up and live their life just the way they always had been, and then they throw a clot, or they choke on a pretzel, or they get hit by a bus and they're gone.

It happens to hundreds, thousands of people every day. CPR "saves" are extremely rare. I've seen chronic smokers live to be 104 and perfectly healthy young men die tragically at 16, just when they were starting to figure out who they were. This is a random universe we live in. We can have no expectations. We can hope, but that's about it.

The hardest thing to do is to see life the way it is, not the way you want it to be.

 

[firecoins]

There is nothing new here.



Law and Order does not accuratly portray the NYPD or the DA's office in the manner that investigations actually occur. You may get the idea that the ADA and cops know each other and talk. Its a show filmed in NYC and it doesn't even portray NYC correctly.

CSI portrays investigations that take weeks if not months in a minute's time.

COPS and Highway chase shows are obviiously edited to the best parts.

Boston Legal has lawyers and other employees engaging in sex and other acts at work.

High School is broken down in to the usual stero typical groups.

Medium and The mentalist. Are these shows for real? Psychic phenom is b.s. and has no relevance to police work. Cold readings done by magicians can mimick "psychic readings" because they are one in the same.

 

[mycrofft]

The phenomenon of the "celebrity" ...

Good thing it was just an actor and not, say, Oprah Winfrey!