Comments on: House – Episode 7 (Season 2): “Hunting”

By: sara

sara — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:17:03 +0000

Just started watching house. I liked the soap opera part of this episode but was left dumbfounded by the dumbness of the medical staff. After Cameron got the patient’s blood in her eye, I would have expected a lot more precaution taken my the medical staff including goggles and a face mask to avoid any more similar incidents but lo and behold, every doctor/ nurse after that incident continues shoving their faces in him. laaaaame (and i am not even a doctor )

By: ecoli

ecoli — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 09:28:32 +0000

OK, so I never watched this episode (and I am not a doctor either), but the treatment of AIDS here bugged me:
1. As far as I know, kidney failure and uremia are VERY BAD. Yes, there are dialysis machines, but they are not a full substitute, often in short supply and have lots of problems. AIDS is probably less dangerous than uremia, so the transplant viable.
2. HIV going from the eyes and mouth to the genitals in a day? Nonsense! That’s a hemorrhagic fever (think Ebola), not AIDS, if anything.
@Cantare: Agree that HIV+ rules out a transplant, but wouldn’t informed consent be a way around it – especially if it’s his mother and kidney failure is bad?
@Zabby: AIDS does NOT arbitrarily favor infections, just these where CD4+ cells matter. Per PubMed, the cold is not one of them and the flu only just so (though I am not an immunologist)

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:15:45 +0000

Cameron orders the Kveim-Siltzbach test for Sarcoidosis, and they get the results back in less than a day, when in reality in takes 4 to 6 weeks to see a reaction.

Results are also unreliable in patients who have been on steroids (like they Kalvin), and in patients who are immunosuppressed (such as AIDS patients, like Kalvin).

By: Billy Trouson

Billy Trouson — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:04:55 +0000

Anyone find it interesting that Camero gets HIV infected blood coughed all over her and she decided it wasn’t a good idea to remove her blood-stained clothes?

In the scene right after she gets exposed, when she’s talking to the doctor she’s wearing the same blood-stained blouse she was wearing in the previous scene!

I get that the blood coughed on her face is of greater concern but I think most of us would, ya know.. take OFF the clothes splattered with HIV+ blood.

By: andyw185

andyw185 — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 04:24:44 +0000

A patient with diabetes has to be treated, now add that she has to be treated for hiv, a highly aggressive medicine, her body would be overloaded and could damage her liver (adding it to kidney failure). the whole purpose of transplanting is to make better quality of life, not worsening it, and perhaps she would’ve lived maybe for another 6 months of suffering, and causing in her son the problem of having to live with only one kidney.

By: Cantare

Cantare — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:30:57 +0000

I used to work for an eye bank. Being HIV positive is a ruleout (one of many) for organ as well as cornea donation.

By: Lee

Lee — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:06:36 +0000

Hahaha! I totally agree with Zabby. And yes, please Scott – - find time to enlighten us on this matter (that which has been pointed out by Zabby). Geez I am so in love with this House series!!!!!!!

By: Zabby

Zabby — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 06:35:07 +0000

@Curtis: I don’t think we ever got the full story on that. I’m pretty sure the dad just wanted someone to blame it on.

@Raznor: My only comment to you is that is quite unlikely. I agree with Elyse. Exposing a dying woman to HIV and possible AIDS could have been the stupidest thing that they could have done! HIV suppresses the body’s immune system, true. Even if something like transplanting a kidney from an HIV positive man to a diabetic woman could or would have been REMOTELY ethical, no SANE doctor would have ever done anything as stupid as that. HIV lowers the bodies immune system to allow other infections, such as a common cold, or pneumonia, to come in and kill a person. It could easily kill a person who has diabetes. It could easily kill me, a freshman in college, who plays tennis, and is in perfect health (except my back). So, it would be highly stupid, moronic, obtuse, foolish, ludicrous, laughable, unwise, senseless and highly unethical (NOT TO MENTION STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) for anyone with HIV and/or AIDS to give any body part to someone without HIV/AIDS.

I’m thinking about general practice for either dentistry or as an M.D. That’s the reason I know so much about HIV and AIDS. I’d have to know so that I don’t accidentally get infected. But we really need Scott’s input on this. SCOTT!!!!!

By: Elyse

Elyse — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:59:00 +0000

@Rod…That was my EXACT question!

@Raznor: I HIGHLY DOUBT! they would give someone a kidney with aids…that seems like a big no no to me. But someone with a medical background would probably know more than me *hint hint?*

By: Curtis

Curtis — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:52:20 +0000

One thing that bothers me about this episode (and in other episodes when it comes up) is how the patient’s mother died because he was unable to donate his kidney. What about dialysis? Kidney transplantation isn’t really considered life-saving, although the goals are to improve quality of life and prolong it as well.

People can live for years on dialysis, often waiting four or five years before they get a kidney. On average, at least from a rotation in a dialysis unit, many might only last half that long, but the majority of these are people on dialysis because they weren’t compliant in controlling their blood pressure or diabetes in the first place, so they’re not compliant with the numerous restrictions placed on them after their kidneys kick the bucket.