Smoking Lie Detector

Via Nourishing Obscurity, this little gem:

A simple device for detecting carbon monoxide in the blood may help doctors get an honest answer out of patients who smoke, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

And its intended use?

The device, called a pulse cooximeter, is typically used to test for carbon monoxide levels in firefighters, but it can also detect carbon monoxide levels in people who smoke, offering a powerful tool for educating patients about the effects of smoking.

“We were trying to just solve a little problem,” said Dr. Sridhar Reddy, a lung specialist in St. Clair, Michigan, who presented the study at a scientific meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians in Chicago, along with his 16-year-old son Ashray.

I see. I was given the smoking grilling when I went to see my doctor with a gammy knee recently. Interestingly, she told me there was nothing wrong with my knee – despite it locking up, sometimes painfully, but I was asked how much I smoke. I don’t and said as much, but was mildly irritated at being asked. If I was complaining of chest pains or shortness of breath, then the question would have been reasonable. But, no, we are to be monitored because smoking is the new sin of sins and must not be tolerated – and this little lie detector is for those naughty boys and girls who are less than truthful with their doctor.

“There is no good way to screen people for smoking,” said Dr. Reddy, who encouraged Ashray to take on the study as a school science project.

Why? It’s their business. if it is relevant for a diagnosis and the patient lies, then there will be a price to pay. If it is not relevant to the diagnosis, it is none of the doctor’s business.

“You can ask them directly, do you smoke. But once they say they don’t smoke and they lie about it, they will never volunteer that information,” Dr. Reddy said in an interview.

Yes – and that is their business. Frankly, if my doctor had decided not to take my word for it, I would have walked out of the surgery and been seeking a new GP pretty smartish.

Dr. Reddy now routinely uses the test as part of a patient work-up. And instead of asking whether a patient is a smoker, he presents the test results and asks whether the finding could be related to smoking. His hope is this can become part of routine screening.

I do hope not. If I tell my doctor that I do not smoke, I expect my word to be accepted. I do not expect to be treated like a naughty child who cannot be relied upon to be truthful.

Oh, and my knee? My chiropractor noticed that my pelvis was out of alignment. A bit of manipulation later and the problem has gone. There’s a moral there somewhere…