{"title":"Challenges with medical tourism.","authors":"Helena C Maltezou, Androula Pavli","doi":"10.1097/MCC.0000000000001148","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>With the return of international travels to almost prepandemic levels, the number of patients who travel abroad to seek healthcare services is once again growing rapidly. Nevertheless, the expected benefits of medical tourism may be challenged by serious infectious complications. This review summarizes the evolving published evidence on infectious complications related with medical tourism of the last eighteen months.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>There has been an increase of reported infectious complications in patients who had received healthcare abroad. Such complications were frequently associated with serious and prolonged morbidity, repeated treatments and hospitalizations, high healthcare costs, and occasionally fatalities. A devastating outbreak of fungal meningitis occurred among US residents who underwent epidural anesthesia for cosmetic surgery in two clinics in Mexico. Overall, as of July 5, 2023 there were 31 cases with severe cerebrovascular complications and eight deaths. Infections caused by nontuberculum mycobacteria and Candida sp have been also reported the last years.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>Considering the expected expansion of medical tourism in the forthcoming years, public health authorities and scientific societies should raise awareness of such infections among physicians and other healthcare professionals and issue recommendations for their management. A system to report complications in patients receiving healthcare abroad is needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":10851,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Critical Care","volume":" ","pages":"224-230"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5000,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Current Opinion in Critical Care","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1097/MCC.0000000000001148","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/3/11 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose of review: With the return of international travels to almost prepandemic levels, the number of patients who travel abroad to seek healthcare services is once again growing rapidly. Nevertheless, the expected benefits of medical tourism may be challenged by serious infectious complications. This review summarizes the evolving published evidence on infectious complications related with medical tourism of the last eighteen months.
Recent findings: There has been an increase of reported infectious complications in patients who had received healthcare abroad. Such complications were frequently associated with serious and prolonged morbidity, repeated treatments and hospitalizations, high healthcare costs, and occasionally fatalities. A devastating outbreak of fungal meningitis occurred among US residents who underwent epidural anesthesia for cosmetic surgery in two clinics in Mexico. Overall, as of July 5, 2023 there were 31 cases with severe cerebrovascular complications and eight deaths. Infections caused by nontuberculum mycobacteria and Candida sp have been also reported the last years.
Summary: Considering the expected expansion of medical tourism in the forthcoming years, public health authorities and scientific societies should raise awareness of such infections among physicians and other healthcare professionals and issue recommendations for their management. A system to report complications in patients receiving healthcare abroad is needed.
期刊介绍：
Current Opinion in Critical Care delivers a broad-based perspective on the most recent and most exciting developments in critical care from across the world. Published bimonthly and featuring thirteen key topics – including the respiratory system, neuroscience, trauma and infectious diseases – the journal’s renowned team of guest editors ensure a balanced, expert assessment of the recently published literature in each respective field with insightful editorials and on-the-mark invited reviews.
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