The heart rate behaviour of 14 emergency doctors was examined in 50 cases of medical emergency service by helicopter. In addition, the subjective stress experienced by the probands was inquired by means of a questionnaire. The alarm and the landing at the site of the emergency resulted in the most marked heart rate increases; also during the period of approaching the patient, his rescue and care, persistent tachycardia could be observed. Recovery began slowly during the return flight, but even 15 minutes after completion of the emergency task the heart rate was still higher than the original value before the alarm had been sounded. Subjectively the total stress was considered to be generally low in the opinion of the emergency doctors. It seems that unconscious mechanisms of repression prevent the actual realistic recording of physical and emotional stress during the emergency service by helicopter.

Background: In clinical practice, treatment recommendations and the patient’s wishes often diverge, facing the physician with difficult choices. Case Report: The clinical course of a 36-year-old patient with ‘platinum-refractory’ ovarian cancer is reported. The patient experienced a symptomatic relapse 7 months after debulking surgery and completion of platinum-based first-line chemotherapy. As she had given birth to a son 22 months before diagnosis, she fought with outmost determination against her disease. Her husband supported her, and both asked for maximal therapy, including intensive care treatment for recurrent respiratory tract infections and total parenteral nutrition (TPN). For the patient, it was of major importance to stay with her family and make sure that her son would be able to remember his mother. Problems related to TPN and progression of disease affected her individual perception of quality of life to a much lower extent than expected and perceived by her caretakers. All professional health care providers were more than once very reluctant to continue treatment and only after extensive counseling gave in to the demand of the patient for further treatment, considering the effort futile – only to be surprised by treatment response and recovery. After 3 years of palliation, the tumor was resistant to all cytotoxic regimens and the patient died 2 months after withdrawal of chemotherapy. Conclusion: This case report illustrates that also in the age of evidence-based medicine individualized treatment beyond proven strategies can offer patient benefit. Taking the child’s development into account makes it impossible to determine the cost-benefit ratio.