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or an android. If he hears gears and such, well, he calls in a mechanic to consult. Expect a large consultation fee.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Contrary to popular opinion, the zombie check doesn't *actually* involve listening to the patient's heart or lungs at all. That's just a ruse. Corageous doctors offer themselves up as bait, getting their head within easy lunging distance of of a brain-hungry zombie. They're poised to leap back, of course, and there are usually nurses hidden somewhere nearby, ready to restrain the zombie, but it's still a gambit not without risk.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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"Vital signs are called vital because they are vital." That is, what keeps your blood pressure, pulse, and respiration in physiologic ranges are what keeps you going at the most basic level. These things are heart and lungs.
Just about any disease can cause some problem with the heart or lungs, even what looks to be just a skin disease. Or it can happen without any other symptoms (e.g., "silent" hypertension). If that happens, you can go kaput. Physicians both look bad and don't get paid if you go kaput, so we work to minimize the kaputocity factor.
What you really should be asking is "why are they so interested in my poo?"
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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4 of the 5 of us in my family have IBS. You'd better believe we're interested in our poo. Add in that my oldest daughter seems to have the same problem and my younger is queen of freaking us out, and you'd better believe we mention poo pretty much every conversation we have. Yes, including at the dinner table. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Funny topic cause I was just saw a doctor today for abdominal pain. The PA paused while checking my heart because he thought he heard a mitral valve prolapse, a hereditary condition my mother has though she never told me. Just like that I had a probable cause for a recent onset of dizziness and a history of anxiety.
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote: The PA paused while checking my heart because he thought he heard a mitral valve prolapse, a hereditary condition my mother has though she never told me
If you have that, your dentist will want to know about it, too...
Posts: 9538 | Registered: Aug 2003
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I'm wondering because I could be seeing a doctor for in-grown toe nail and the still listen to my heart and lungs.
Posts: 4 | Registered: Sep 2006
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I went in to get my ears checked and the doctor asked me about my sex life.
"Doc, if my sex life was causing me ear discomfort, I'm doing it wrong. And I certainly wouldn't admit that to you."
Posts: 3486 | Registered: Sep 2002
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Just part of making sure you are okay, Skylark. Even an ingrown toenail could possibly pose a problem if you had some heart murmers, for example, as a deformed valve could serve as a nitus of infection for any bacteria that were floating in the bloodstream. So, for example, if the toenail spot was looking a little infected (or if you might be going far out camping soon, etc), then the most reasonable course of treatment might change.
Just routine stuff, but medicine is complicated. Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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quote:Originally posted by Tante Shvester: Well, at least you got out of the Q-tip shoved down the throat test and the tickle your tummy test.
I particularly like the hit your knee with a hammer test.
The knee reflex test - oh, that brings me back ...
I had a friend who inadvertently taught a (male) doctor to not stand directly in front of the patient while administering that test. Posts: 2034 | Registered: Apr 2004
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Yeah, when I was researching my possible valve-trouble, it mentioned that after a true diagnosis a patient would have to take anti-biotics before surgery or dental work. Infection from either could spread to the valve and cause serious problems.
Makes me wonder why my dentist has never checked my heart.
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Dentists aren't trained to listen to hearts or figure out heart murmers.
On the more practical side, doctors have to "prove" to insurance companies that they are working for their money. It's required to document aspects of a history and a physical exam in order to prove that the case was complicated. You even have to document X number of parameters to meet the standards. So if a person goes in for a problem, but the doctor does no vital sign checking and no descriptions of ANY physical exam, then it is sometimes harder to prove that the doctor did "enough" to charge a certain level visit. E/M coding = evaluation and management coding. It's kinda a habit, now.
And most doctors by this point do the vitals rather automatically at every visit since they are "vital" and easy screens for such basic problems, as CT said.
Another practical reason might be lawsuits. The more documenting a doctor does at a visit, the less chance a patient has of suing for the doctor missing some basic problem like a heart murmuer or wheezing or fever... Documenting more and being comprehensive enough during visits is becoming automatic for younger physicians. The older physicians wrote the shortest notes. Whether they actually examined less, or just documented less, I am not entirely sure.
Posts: 1990 | Registered: Feb 2001
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Did you notice in your reading that the theory that antibiotic prophylaxis for prevention of endocarditis is actually just theoretical, and not proven? The theory is that a little bit of bacteria gets forced in the bloodstreem during dental work, and if the valves aren't normal, then bacteria sticks too easily and the person gets endocarditis. It's not proven. It's a general guideline, yes, but not proven to be important. My understanding is that this is pre-evidence based medicine. Be nice if there are currently studies being done to prove this one way or the other. Apparently this would be hard to do and would be expensive and involve a LOT of patients so we're likely going to go on forever recommending antibiotics for dental work for certain patients... I hate it, personally. Like believing in fairy tales. I need PROOF.
Posts: 1990 | Registered: Feb 2001
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My mom looooves penicillin. She loves it so much she doesn't mind going to the dentist because she gets to take it. (It all stems from the scarlet fever she had when she was four...)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Theca, I did read that it was rare. Course, at the same time, I couldn't find two websites that agreed on anything regarding MVP. I'd be concerned if it wasn't so minor.
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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