Research paper on deaths

[Celia]

I subscribe to Medscape - a medical journal online - and was very surprised to see the following survey. Would be interested to know what the chiropractors on HP think - and whether they feel it applies to other forms of manipulation therapy?

Taken from Medscape:
From International Journal of Clinical Practice

Deaths after Chiropractic: A Review of Published Cases

E. Ernst
Authors and Disclosures
Posted: 08/30/2010; Int J Clin Pract. 2010;64(10):1162-1165. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing

Objective: The aim of this study was to summarise all cases in which chiropractic spinal manipulation was followed by death.
Design: This study is a systematic review of case reports.
Methods: Literature searches in four electronic databases with no restrictions of time or language.
Main outcome measure: Death.
Results: Twenty six fatalities were published in the medical literature and many more might have remained unpublished. The alleged pathology usually was a vascular accident involving the dissection of a vertebral artery.
Conclusion: Numerous deaths have occurred after chiropractic manipulations. The risks of this treatment by far outweigh its benefit.

[Energylz]

Well I can't read the article as I'm not a member of medscape (and I can't read it from work either)

However, the summary seems a little odd (and biased IMHO)...

Originally Posted by Celia

Objective: The aim of this study was to summarise all cases in which chiropractic spinal manipulation was followed by death.

Which forms of chiropractic were studied? McTimoney (sp?) and/or others?

Design: This study is a systematic review of case reports.

Who wrote the case reports? Where they biased?

Methods: Literature searches in four electronic databases with no restrictions of time or language.

Which databases? Reliable sources or just the internet (which we know does not always contain truthful or unbiased information)?

Main outcome measure: Death.
Results: Twenty six fatalities were published in the medical literature and many more might have remained unpublished. The alleged pathology usually was a vascular accident involving the dissection of a vertebral artery.
Conclusion: Numerous deaths have occurred after chiropractic manipulations. The risks of this treatment by far outweigh its benefit.

I have to laugh at the conclusion.
26 "fatalities" out of how many treatments worldwide? Millions.
"The risks of this treatment by far outweigh its benefit"? What benefits were studied and how many clients who have had successful treatments were studied as part of that? I reckon there's far more deaths caused by orthodox medicine and surgery than from chiropractic. And if it's McTimoney then that's a very gentle form without all the bone cracking techniques of others, so it couldn't possibly cause a dissection of a vertebral artery.

Unfortunaltey, just on that summary, it looks to me like another orthodox medicine biased "peer reviewed" research.

All Love and Reiki Hugs

[Celia]

Hi Energylz - all very valid points and I am sure I am not qualified to comment on most of them. I was just stunned at how final a conclusion it had reached and what an attention grabbing headline title - which didn't really detail any more relevant facts in its summary which is all most will read.

I have saved it to a pdf and tried to attach it for anyone who wishes to read it. Unfortunately its too big. If anyone wants the article - pm me with your email and happy to send it on.

Celia

[nicperrem]

What a strange conclusion to draw of such a limited base of support! hope you dont mind but have PM'd you for a copy Celia

[CarolineN]

I also receive Medscape Celia, but missed this!

Having read it through I think the summary is misleading. It is discussing neck rotational manipulation and is looking at all cases from 1934, worldwide, and the time after the manipulation being up to 58 days! Most of the cases involved had predisposing factors. Then one wonders why when the press gets hold of a report like this they get their facts wrong!

[coerdelion]

Dr Ernst is a well known antagonist to alternative therapies - he writes often on the "uselessness" of Reiki also.

He is heavily biased and attempting to discredit chiropractic by his "study".

Unfortunately, his words have at least academic weight because he is Professor of Complimentary Medicine at Exeter and Plymouth University.

Fx

[New Age London]

The public will continue to do what gets them relief regardless of scare tactics.

[kvdp]

Well, this is just idiotic. Ernst would stop us all going to bed on account of people dying in their sleep. 26 deaths barely rises above the statistical noise, considering the millions and millions of happy patients.

And to place this in context, it is estimated that there are over 7000 deaths each year in the USA from Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory drugs alone. Conservative estimates reckon that hospitals kill, injure, poison and infect over a tenth of those admitted - and they don't actually cure anybody.

If he really cares about patient welfare then he should turn his attention elsewhere. This is not a rational use of resources. Still, now he has lost his job at Exeter, it appears as if he is returning to his old job at GSK, one wonders if papers like this are about keeping the door open with big pharma - handy, given that he is not actually qualified in any complementary therapy.

[coerdelion]

What makes you say he's lost his job at Exeter, kvdp?

Fx

[kvdp]

Hi Fiona, rumours were circulating in the press this summer that his department at Peninsula Medical School had lost its funding and was to close.

On checking, it appears as if the department is not only open and fully functioning, but is recruiting research students.

So I stand corrected on that point.

Apparently the 'Laing Chair' which Ernst holds requires no less lofty a qualification than 'personal experience or involvement in' at least one complementary medical field!

You can see the full list of his credentials in Complementary Medicine here