Find out how a series episode, in this case of “Dr House”, saved the life of a real patient.
The Dr House medical series has indeed saved a life! Thanks to one episode, a doctor was able to diagnose a problem and save a man’s life, as reported in February 2014 by Lancet Journal (via The Journal).
In May 2012, doctors at the German clinic in Marburg managed to save a 55-year-old man who had just suffered a serious heart attack. His symptoms included thyroid problems, heartburn, bouts of fever, increasing deafness and loss of vision, but without the medical profession finding the source of his illness.
Leave your hands on my House
FOX Dr. House
The patient had no medical history except for a double hip replacement. It was this detail that made Dr. Juergen Schaefer tick, reminding him of a similar case from an episode of season 7 of the series with Hugh Laurie.
He then suspected, like House in the episode, cobalt poisoning, linked to one of the metal hip implants worn by the patient. The suspicion was confirmed by scans and blood tests, and his hip prostheses were replaced with ceramic material.
Saved by episode 11 of season 7!
This decision was the right one, because shortly after this change, the concentration rate of cobalt and chromium in the patient’s plasma (the liquid part of the blood, Editor’s note) decreased and the patient stabilized and gradually returned to normal. little.
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Cuddy and House
The episode in question was Family Doctor (S07E11, aired February 7, 2011), in which House finds himself treating Cuddy’s (Lisa Edelstein) mother Arlene (Candice Bergen). She had indeed suffered a heart attack and the problem was indeed cobalt poisoning.
Following this disturbing coincidence, Schaefer declared to AFP: “It was helpful for me to see the cobalt issues in Dr. House. It all demonstrates beautifully that well-executed entertainment is not only capable of entertaining and educating, but also of saving lives. lives”.