> I think this may be revelant: > > General surgeon's are judged by other general surgeon's on the number of > appendectomies they perform on perfectly normal and healthy appendixes. The > diagnosis process is difficult, since an appendicitis mimics so many other > illnesses. The ideal is that they take out a bad appendix that has not > burst. If a surgeon waits for it to get worse, the appendix can burst, and > the contents of the bowels leak into the gut, possibly causing a life > threatening illness. But sometimes surgeons misdiagnose and take out a > perfectly good appendix. If 1 out of 10 are healthy, they are considered to > be aggressive enough in their treatment of an appendicitis. If they never or > rarely take out a good appendix, they are considered to not be acting fast > enough (not enough risk). They should change their treatment to be _less_ > sure about the diagnosis, because of the risk is greater if they misdiagnose > and don't operate. Better for them to operate unsure, than to operate when > they know, for when a surgeon knows that an appendix needs to come out, it > has already burst.
> Chad Cooper This is very nice to know! When I was 18 my doctor took mine out but it was perfectly healthy. He then left on a African Safari and I had to wait three days before I was operated on for the real problem. My Uncle was livid. The rest of the fanily was just glad I survived. (Absolutly true story.) Seriously, thanks. Kevin T.
