Would it be ethically justified to have a trial of aspirin to patients, administ!
Question:
A broad array of randomized trials have demonstrated the benefits of low doses of aspirin for both the primary and secondary prevention of CVD. Most trials demonstrate a 15% to 40% reduction in cardiovascular events with chronic aspirin use.
Unfortunately many of our patients don't consume based on that information. A few who don't relish it much have been innovative to the point of swallowing aspirin only during brief episodes of chest pain maybe once or twice a week. That has had generalist physicians (who weakly boast of belonging to a problem solving specialty)thinking. Is the aspirin effect related to its preventing thrombus formation during acute plaque fissuring in acute coronary or cerebral syndromes or does it have any effect on the chronic stable plaque? If the effect is only on the fissured plaque, which is a one time event does it justify consuming it daily? Would it be ethically justified to have a trial of aspirin to patients, administered only during chest pain?
Answers:
Are you saying to not have them take ASA any other time which would potentially prevent CVD by 14-40%? if that is the case, it will not be ethically justified at all. You can't take away the possible benefit just to have them enrolled in a trial! I would not want to be one of the subjects. Sorry.
Other Answers:
I do not believe it would be ethically justified to have your own clinical trial. There have already been studies and the recommendation that should a person fear they are having a heart attack that they should first call 911 and then chew an aspirin. Also low dose aspirin therapy has also been researched.
By trying another clinical trial you would be violating the Hypocratic Oath of First, do no harm.
Source(s):
http://familydoctor.org/291.xml
http://www.bayeraspirin.com/news/heart_attack.htm
http://www.drdonnica.com/faqs/00000059.htm
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