Was Canadas health care to blame in actress death?
Could actress Natasha Richardson’s tragic death have been prevented if her skiing accident had occurred in America rather than Canada? This is a legitimate question because of how Canadian and American medical care differs. Canadian health care de-emphasizes widespread dissemination of technology like CT scanners and quick access to specialists like neurosurgeons. While all the facts of Richardson’s medical care haven’t been released, enough is known to pose questions with profound implications for both countries. Richardson died of an epidural hematoma, a bleeding artery between the skull and brain that compresses and ultimately causes fatal brain damage via pressure buildup. With prompt diagnosis by CT scan, and surgery to drain the blood, most patients survive. Could Richardson have received this care? Where it happened in Canada, no. In many American resorts, yes. Between noon and 1 p.m., Richardson sustained what appeared to be a trivial head injury after falling while skiing with
