Feature Channels: Surgery

• share
• favorite_border

A 50-year-old New York woman who was diagnosed with a progressive blinding disease at age 13 was implanted with an experimental electronic eye implant that has partially restored her vision. A team led by Dr. Lucian V. Del Priore at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center performed the June 26 surgery -- the first case of its kind in New York.

• share
• favorite_border

Anesthesiologists demonstrate the use of the sedative Dexmedetomidine as safe and effective in reducing the time of the extubation process.

• share
• favorite_border

A study presented at the 2009 ASA Annual Meeting highlights the crucial importance of investigating multiple factors when designing studies that attempt to predict the development of persistent pain in patients.

• share
• favorite_border

Two highlighted studies at the 2009 ASA Annual Meeting provide physicians with information on how to better determine which surgical patients may be at higher risk for developing acute kidney injury following surgery.

• share
• favorite_border

Study suggests that elevated levels of BNP biomarker before surgery may predict length of hospital stay and mortality after primary coronary artery bypass graft surgery better than measurements of BNP levels after surgery.

• share
• favorite_border

In the largest and most comprehensive examination of postoperative vision loss to date, researchers report that POVL rates declined for the ten year period from 1996-2005.

• share
• favorite_border

Anesthesiologists studying the occurrence of persistent postoperative pain have identified four independent risk factors for persistent postoperative pain development and recommend preventative treatment options.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers determine that postoperative administration of dextrose helps to decrease the occurrence of PONV.

• share
• favorite_border

The rates of joint surgery in patients with rheumatoid arthritis peaked in the 1990s and have been declining ever since – suggesting that long-term outcomes are improving for these patients, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Philadelphia, Pa.

• share
• favorite_border

Study offers evidence that a woman’s BMI is not a contributing factors to adverse respiratory events associated with morphine commonly administered near the spine following Cesarean delivery.

• share
• favorite_border

A new review from Sweden finds that diclofenac -- a medication that works for some adults -- relieves acute pain in children after surgery. However, a U.S. researcher is not convinced that the drug is an improvement over standard treatment.

• share
• favorite_border

According to separate studies presented at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress, the decision to undergo breast reconstruction surgery following surgical treatment for breast cancer can be influenced by learning tools and surgeon referral.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers from the East Carolina Heart Institute of the Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, have found that the outcome of surgical repair of aortic aneurysm may be positively impacted by the use of statin drugs. Postoperative complication and mortality rates were among the risks evaluated.

• share
• favorite_border

The impact of surgical workforce shortages could mean increased risk for complications from appendix rupture and perforation when these conditions occur in rural areas, according to surgeon researchers at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH. The research results show that timely health care can be provided with an adequate number of surgeons practicing in rural locations.

• share
• favorite_border

Research conducted at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, shows promising results for the use of an incisionless operation to treat stomach ulcers and other digestive tract perforations. The study highlights the use of natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) and describes the approach’s effects on postoperative complications.

• share
• favorite_border

Findings from tissue engineering research done at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, may one day lead to the restoration of the sense of touch to patients fitted with prosthetic hands, in addition to improving the function of the devices. Based on work with troops wounded in the Middle East, the resulting interface is one step in overcoming the limitations of existing robotic prosthetics.

• share
• favorite_border

Mayo Clinic surgical researchers are reporting a 93 percent success rate in recent animal tests of endoscopic repair of perforated ulcers.

• share
• favorite_border

Prosthetic hand devices used by wounded soldiers have limited motor control and no sensory feedback. But a bioengineered interface, developed at the University of Michigan and made of muscle cells and a nano-sized polymer, could go a long way in creating prostheses that move like a normal hand. Animal studies show the interface may possibly restore a sense of touch.

• share
• favorite_border

A newer, less expensive drug used to suppress the immune system and prevent organ rejection in kidney and pancreas transplant patients works just as well as its much more expensive counterpart, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

• share
• favorite_border

Surgeons from the University of Chicago Medical Center Comer Children’s Hospital have used robotic surgery to reduce both post-operative pain and recovery time following an operation to correct spina bifida-related bladder dysfunction in children. The results of this first-time application of minimally invasive robotic surgery for the affected patient population may lead to more common usage of this method.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, are studying the effects of a bioengineered treatment used to target pancreatic cancer without damaging non-cancerous cells. Using a “Trojan Horse” methodology, the investigators developed a concept that could prolong and improve the quality of life for patients.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles are studying the role of certain molecules in the treatment of angiogenesis in pancreatic cancer. The findings could have implications for halting the development of malignancy-nourishing blood vessels and for creating a new approach to targeting angiogenesis in a more powerful way.

• share
• favorite_border

Older women who receive rehabilitation services after hip surgery from a variety of health care professionals as inpatients are slightly more likely to do better than those who receive usual hospital care.

• share
• favorite_border

There is concern that mastectomy is over-utilized in the United States, which raises questions about the role of surgeons and patient preference in treatment selection for breast cancer. New data from an observational study published in the October 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

• share
• favorite_border

In a first-of-its-kind procedure used a robotic catheter to save a patient’s transplanted lung.

• share
• favorite_border

Dr. Gerald Lawrie, one of the world’s most experienced cardiac valve surgeons, has developed a new approach to the surgical treatment of Barlow’s disease, a condition that severely damages the mitral valve and causes a backward flow of blood between chambers in the heart.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers have developed a virtual surgery tool that allows heart surgeons to manipulate 3D cardiac magnetic resonance images of a patient's specific anatomy to select the best approach before entering the operating room. In the August issue of JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, the researchers detail how the tool helped them plan the surgery of a four-year-old girl born with just one functional ventricle.

• share
• favorite_border

Hispanic children diagnosed with brain tumors get high-quality treatment at hospitals that specialize in neurosurgery far less often than other children with the same condition, potentially compromising their immediate prognosis and long-term survival, according to research from Johns Hopkins published in October’s Pediatrics.

• share
• favorite_border

With the rising popularity of bariatric surgery (BS), there is an increasing need for patients and their doctors to recognize and prevent the potential complications from this weight loss procedure. Neurological complications are one of the risks, and recent studies show that appropriate preventative measures and a multidisciplinary approach can largely prevent the development of postoperative nerve damage, also known as peripheral neuropathy (PN).

• share
• favorite_border

Many skin cancer patients fare just as well when surgeons remove about one inch of normal-looking tissue around the lesion instead of a larger safety margin, according to a new systematic review.

• share
• favorite_border

As seniors may face additional complications from anesthesia, the best defense is to be Informed, have support and be prepared. The American Society of Anesthesiologists encourages patients and their caregivers to use these tips to prepare for their surgery.

• share
• favorite_border

Patients who have their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructed are more likely to have subsequent knee surgery if they are women or are treated by a surgeon who does a low volume of ACL reconstructions, according to a study, conducted by investigators at Hospital for Special Surgery.

• share
• favorite_border

Most comprehensive study to date on ACL surgery finds younger patients and women are more likely to need subsequent surgery.

• share
• favorite_border

Kidneys recovered from deceased donors with acute renal failure (ARF) – once deemed unusable for transplant – appear to work just as well as kidneys transplanted from deceased donors who do not develop kidney problems prior to organ donation, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

• share
• favorite_border

The largest single-institution study of its kind has found few complications in prostate cancer patients treated with radiotherapy after surgery to remove the prostate. Men in this study received radiotherapy after a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test following surgery indicated their cancer had recurred.

• share
• favorite_border

Recent advances in diagnostic imaging techniques and hip arthroscopy procedures are giving physicians better tools with which to treat hip pain. The International Society for Hip Arthroscopy meeting, hosted by Hospital for Special Surgery, brings together surgeons from all over the world to take an in-depth look at hip arthroscopy and its potential benefits.

• share
• favorite_border

The October issue of the journal Anesthesiology contains a study reviewing potential adverse effects associated with the timing of a patient’s heart surgery; but based on this study, there is no bad time of the day or week or year to have elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

• share
• favorite_border

A new technique for reconstructing the palate after surgery for tonsil cancer maintained patients’ ability to speak clearly and eat most foods, a new study shows.

• share
• favorite_border

Physicians at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York became the first in the U.S. to ablate atrial fibrillation using a visually-guided laser balloon catheter. The procedure marks the first time the device—the “Endoscopic Ablation System” manufactured by CardioFocus Inc.—has been used in human clinical trials in this country.

• share
• favorite_border

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is the only hospital in the Delaware Valley offering endoluminal fundoplication.

• share
• favorite_border

The youngest child to receive a DSEK surgery.

• share
• favorite_border

Surgeons remove gall bladders through the belly button to prevent scarring. The procedure also has the potential for less pain.

• share
• favorite_border

Coubital tunnel syndrome is caused by the compression of the ulnar nerve in the elbow. The ulnar nerve is one of the main nerves of the forearm and hand. Most patients with this condition typically experience numbness and tingling in their fingers, along with weakness of grip. Those most affected by this condition often include office workers and others who operate machinery with a bent elbow.

• share
• favorite_border

Patients undergoing brain surgery sometimes are awakened during surgery to talk, so surgeons can steer clear of critical areas. Recent improvements in surgical techniques are improving outcomes.

• share
• favorite_border

A surgical procedure known as LUNA (laparoscopic uterosacral nerve ablation) did not result in improvements in chronic pelvic pain, painful menstruation, painful sexual intercourse or quality of life when compared with laparoscopic surgery that does not interrupt pelvic nerve connections, according to a study in the September 2 issue of JAMA.

• share
• favorite_border

Rate of minor complications increases in surgeries performed after hours.

• share
• favorite_border

Timing is what matters in treating orthopaedic injuries in trauma patients.

• share
• favorite_border

Adolescent and young children of obese mothers who underwent weight-loss surgery prior to pregnancy have been found to have a lower prevalence of obesity and significantly improved cardio-metabolic markers when compared to siblings born before the same obese mothers had weight-loss surgery.

• share
• favorite_border

New computer software trains new and experienced surgeons by tracking every move they make during surgery training.

• share
• favorite_border

UNC brain surgeon Anand Germanwala, M.D. and ENT surgeon Adam Zanation, M.D., collaborated to develop through-the-nose approach to repair a patient's ruptured brain aneurysm.