The Octodoc
The more I hear about Dr. Michael Kamrava, who practices some facsimile of reproductive medicine in California, the more outraged I become.
From what I’ve been reading, I am already convinced that he should probably be considered for malpractice based on the Nadya Suleman case because of a departure from standard medical practice. Consider that the American Society for Reproductive Medicine suggests one or two embryo transfers maximum for a woman of Nadya’s age (33), and she received six embryos. Consider that in vitro fertilization, a billion dollar industry which has doubled in terms of procedures to 135,000 with 50,000 live births over the past decade, has also been policed increasingly by the ASRM and that multiple births (triplets or more) have decreased from 7 percent to 2 percent over this period of time. We don’t have proper laws in the U.S. to police medical criminals like Octodoc, but we do have standards of care.
A malpractice claim is unlikely though, because the patient, Nadya Suleman, doesn’t seem inclined to bring a suit. But even if she signed a consent for the embryo transfer, it also seems likely that she is suffering from a psychiatric disorder and was not correctly informed about the risks. Does Nadya know that the risk of postpartum depression in a normal woman, even without her social and financial difficulties, is close to 25 percent?
I was getting ready to blog about the need for the state of California to go after Octodoc’s license on ethical grounds (each state has a medical ethics committee which governs licensure), when I heard about the second case. A 49-year-old woman was apparently impregnated by seven donor eggs (from a woman in her twenties which increases their chance of being viable substantially). She is now carrying quadruplets.
The ASRM suggests no more than five embryos for a woman in her 40s, and if you add to that the fact that the woman herself reportedly only wanted one child, and at her age is at risk for medical complications including high blood pressure and stroke, the handling of her case appears to be another abomination.
Octodoc’s low success rate at successful births is no excuse for tawdry practices. I’m glad to hear that ASRM is investigating him. The state of California should stop him in his tracks.
Dr. Marc Siegel is an internist and associate professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine. He is a FOX News medical contributor and writes a health column for LA Times, where he examines TV and movies for medical accuracy. Dr. Siegel is the author of “False Alarm: The Truth About the Epidemic of Fear
Tags: california, Dr. Michael Kamrava, embryos, Nadye Suleman, Octuplets, vitro fertilization
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I think it is state should prevent him and pay attention to stop such activities in future
Now that this has gained so much national attention, I would love to see, through major media outlets, patients AND doctors of fertility treatment made aware of the option of embryo adoption. I don’t believe patients are told by their doctors (because I don’t believe it’s of any concern to the doctors) what their alternatives are going to be for their “left over” embryos after they have had their children. Of course, Octomom and Octodoc were both completely irresponsible in their respective circles for what has occurred in this particular instance. But, I think sometimes moms may have a tendency to have a doctor implant more than “prudent” because they can’t bear the thought of the rest of the embryos being destroyed or turned over to scientific research (also destroyed…). Embryo adoption is a real, viable, responsible option for those who believe life begins at conception.
Why not make the OCTODOC responsible for the care and raising of these children?
This so called doctor needs to have his license revoked! If he is getting paid in cash and not reporting it that is another charge. Nadya Suleman and Dr. Kamrava should both be in jail. Let the good doctor support those poor babies. What they did is very unethicl and immoral!! Shame. God bless those poor children! Good luck to the taxpayers in California!
That doctor needs his license revoked. He is a immoral, stupid person. Let him support those poor babies!
Dr. Michael M Kamrava should never again be able to practice his quackery. What he did was illegal and unethical…anything for a buck huh! I am a California resident who is completely outraged by the thought of having to pay to support that Brood Mares children! I had two children naturally and work very hard to support them. Call me old fashioned but having children is the ultimate in selfless acts, well its supposed to be. If you cannot have them on your own…ADOPT! There are so many babies and children in foster care that need good safe loving families. Both Nadya and Dr.Kamrava are immoral and should have to support those children financially on their own.
As a physician who doesn’t practice in the area of reproductive medicine, I am not able to discuss the ethics or standards of care related to this case. I am however quite shocked at Dr. Siegel’s use of the term “medical criminal”. I understand that civil, not criminal, law is the category used to approach medical malpractice. Acute public outrage and reaction is not a good barometer to use while setting public policy in these kinds of situations. We’ve seen how the “slippery slope” works on controversial medical and non-medical issues in America in the past. Is it ok now to call physicians who terminate in utero pregnancies voluntarily (perform abortions) – “medical criminals”? Can we put them in Jail as well? All social conservatives and liberals need to think long and hard about how we react to this case. I believe the medical community, using good clinical science and ethics, is very capable of establishing appropriate treatment guidelines in this case, and all others, without the intrusion of a judge, jury or elected politicians trying to help us make these decisions. Whether this happens or not remains to be seen. The final thought on this is – “medical criminal” is not the kind of language that we need to be using.
Thanks for the excellent view, I whole heartedly agree.
This is insane and needs regulation NOW.