This medical series is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and it really saved lives (plus it’s on Netflix)

Dr. House’s medical series really saved my life! Thanks to one episode, a doctor was able to diagnose the problem and save a person’s life, as reported in February 2014. The Lancet Journal (with the help of magazine).

In May 2012, doctors at the German clinic in Marburg managed to save a 55-year-old man who had recently suffered a serious heart attack. Her symptoms included thyroid problems, heartburn, fever attacks, increasing deafness and vision loss, but the medical profession could not find the source of her illness.

Keep your hands off my house

The patient had no medical history other than double hip replacement. It was this detail that prompted Dr. Jürgen Schaefer to recall a similar case from an episode of the 7th season of the series with Hugh Laurie.

He then suspected, like House in the episode, cobalt poisoning linked to one of the metal hip implants worn by the patient. Suspicions were confirmed by scans and blood tests, and hip prostheses were replaced with ceramic material.

Saved by Season 7 Episode 11!

This decision was correct, because shortly after this change, the concentration of cobalt and chromium in the patient’s plasma (the liquid part of the blood, editor’s note) decreased, and the patient stabilized and gradually returned to normal. a little

The episode in question was The Family Doctor (S07E11, aired February 7, 2011), in which House treats Cady’s (Lisa Edelstein) mother Arlene (Candice Bergen). He really had a heart attack and the problem was really cobalt poisoning.

After the disturbing coincidence, Schaefer told AFP: “It was helpful for me to see Cobalt’s issues in Dr. House. It’s a great example of how well-done entertainment can not only entertain and educate, but also save lives.”