Miljeteig Ingrid, Skrede Steinar, Langørgen Jørund, Haaverstad Rune, Jøsendal Ola, Sjursen Haakon, Norheim Ole Frithjof
Department of Research and Development, Helse Bergen Hospital Trust, Norway.
Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. 2013 May 7;133(9):977-80. doi: 10.4045/tidsskr.12.0779.
Intravenous drug users (IVDUs) have an elevated risk of contracting infectious endocarditis. Most of them have good effect from medical treatment, but some will need valve replacement. Until a few years ago, our hospital withheld valve surgery if patients with intravenous drug dependency and infectious endocarditis came to need a second valve replacement. However, there are no consensus guidelines for treatment of this group of patients, and a dearth of data on the effects and benefits of interventions. Using a method of ethical analysis, we here discuss whether it is appropriate to offer valve surgery to drug users for a second time.
静脉注射吸毒者（IVDUs）感染感染性心内膜炎的风险较高。他们中的大多数人药物治疗效果良好，但有些人需要进行瓣膜置换。直到几年前，如果患有静脉药物依赖和感染性心内膜炎的患者需要进行二次瓣膜置换，我们医院会拒绝进行瓣膜手术。然而，对于这组患者的治疗尚无共识性指南，且关于干预措施的效果和益处的数据匮乏。我们在此采用伦理分析方法，讨论再次为吸毒者提供瓣膜手术是否合适。
