Risk, Las Vegas, and "The Deer Hunter"

Risk is inherent in every medical setting. Emergency medicine is an especially risky specialty for both patient and emergency physician, eg, the risk of death from trauma and the risk of adverse outcome from medical intervention that can't wait for more favorable circumstances. Risk assessment (the numerical quantification of certain risks) and risk acceptability (the qualification of risks as acceptable or not) are helpful concepts in understanding risk. Comparing the risks and attitudes toward these risks of gambling in Las Vegas and the movie "The Deer Hunter" with emergency medicine demonstrates the need for emergency physicians to become involved in measures designed to promote prophylactic risk avoidance.