Dr Willms provided an excellent brief review of treatment considerations for patients with phantom limb pain [BCMJ 2021;63:291]. Dr Willms correctly indicated that phantom limb pain is not solely a result of centralized pain but a number of patients with phantom limb pain have centralized neuropathic pain. Dr Willms did not review standard pharmacological treatment for patients with centralized neuropathic pain.

During these unprecedented times, we really need to be mindful of our limited resources. As an orthopaedic surgeon, I am seeing more and more unnecessary musculoskeletal MRI scans ordered for arthritic problems. This is increasing the wait list for the investigation and adding a great deal of cost to our system. The government keeps spending more to keep up with the demand for the scans. However, we really need to focus on establishing better criteria for when to order the scans to decrease unnecessary tests.

Cystic fibrosis treatment has changed drastically in the last 50 years, and as a result, the median age of survival has risen from 4 years in 1960 to 52 years in 2018. In BC in 2020, 62% of residents with cystic fibrosis (CF) are adults, requiring treatment for issues like metabolic bone disease, diabetes, and depression. An effort by CF Canada to coordinate and streamline patient care has finally borne fruit in three significant projects supported by the Specialist Services Committee (SSC).

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References

Background

Egg donation involves using eggs from a fertile woman to create a pregnancy in an infertile woman by means of in vitro fertilization (IVF). The woman receiving the egg will not be genetically related to the child but will be considered the birth mother.[1]