A group of Canadian surgeons were surprised to find that the 42 year old man they were operating on had dark-green blood.
Analysis revealed that the blood discoloration was caused by sulfhemoglobinaemia, which happens when a sulfur atom becomes attached the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin protein present in blood.
The condition was likely caused by the patient's migraine medication, sumatriptan, which contains a sulfonamide group.
After going off sumatriptan, his blood returned to normal within five weeks.
Sulfhemoglobinaemia usually goes away as red blood cells regenerate, but can necessitate a transfusion in extreme cases.http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn12024&feedId =online-news_rss20
Seriously - bet nobody mentioned that side effect to the man.
Pip
Documented informed consent is a big issue in healthcare. Working in surgery, it's amazing how many patient's get to the pre-op area and have no real idea about the risks and complications associated with the surgery they are having.
I can only imagine the same goes in the general practice setting. Unfortunately, many people don't ask questions. They just take whatever medication or follow whateve treatment plan their doctor prescribes.
I bet it's also an INCREDIBLY rare side effect. I mean, I can understand why no one would come right and and go "well, by the way, your meds MIGHT turn your blood green" if it's a rare side effect. You can't expect doctors to list *every* possible side effect of a med. They can tell you the main risks, the scary ones to look out for, etc etc. And pharmacies give you a good listing of other side effects as well. It's really a 50/50 responsibility. It's just as much the patients responsibility to know whats going into their body as the docs.
You're right Katie, to a certain extent. But the ULTIMATE responsibility lies with the physician. Many patients have limited access or resources, so the physician MUST provide informed consent so these patients can make informed decisions about their healthcare. I see it on a daily basis, and most physicians barely brush the surface when it comes to documented informed consent. Sad, but very true.
Because you also have to take into consideration cultural, educational, and socioeconomical factors. Many patients don't even know they SHOULD be asking these questions, hence, the ultimate responsibility lies with THE PHYSICIAN.
Perhaps, instead of expecting the docs to be listing all of these incredibly rare side effects, the doc could simply say "If you need any further information, don't hesitate to ask."
Oh wait, they already DO that.
Katie - I'm not trying to argue with you. There's no doubt it would be so much easier (for the physician anyway) if all he had to say was "If you need any further information, don't hesitate to ask."
It just doesn't work that way however, for the very reasons I already stated. All I can tell you is that I work in healthcare, and documented informed consent is a HUGE problem.
You sound like you were very fortunate to have a pro-active Mother who asked all the right questions, and it sounds like you also learned from her to be pro-active with your own healthcare. Unfortunately, that's not the case with many people.