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Originally Posted by Jeremy
It comes back to the Hippocratic Oath, which, unless I've misread it, neglects to mention the "you've made your bed, you lie in it" school of medical thought.
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Absolutely right.
Arterial stenosis ( a narrowing of the arteries) can be caused by several things, the most common being a build up of plaque that narrows the lumen (opening of the artery.) I'm not saying that smoking doesn't contribute to the problem because it does. Smoking causes the blood vessels to constrict which will makes it harder for the blood to flow through the already narrow pathway. But it isn't the only cause and the hospital is negligent if they don't determine other contributing factors and treat them.
For the hospital not to treat smokers does indeed violate the Hippocratic Oath. Will they stop treating overweight patients for coronary artery disease until they lose weight on their own first? This can set a terrible precedent.