Contact: Mike O'Hara
Phone: 507-284-9522 (days) 507-284-2511 (evenings)
Email: [email protected]
Endoscopic Surgery for Adrenal Tumors: Not Quicker, Not Cheaper, but Better for Patients
Dr. Charles H. Mayo performed one of the first successful operations to remove a tumor from the adrenal glands in 1927. After 187 days in the hospital, the patient recovered completely. Today, this relatively rare surgery is commonly done with endoscopes, tiny tubes which enable the surgeon to view and work inside the body through small incisions. In a recent publication in the journal Surgery, Mayo Clinic surgeons compare the results of adrenal surgery done endoscopically with the traditional ìopenî way on a matched set of 100 patients. Their findings mimic those of other comparison studies of minimal access surgery: shorter hospitalizations, fewer complications, quicker return to normal but slightly higher operating room costs. Specific findings:
Endoscopic Open
Mean hospital stay 3.1 day 5.7 days
Narcotic equivalents (pain meds) 28 48
Return to normal 3.8 weeks 7 weeks
Patient satisfaction (1-10 scale) 9 7
Late complications 0% 54%
Operating room minutes 167 127
Adjusted hospital charges $7,000 $6,000
Dr. Geoffrey Thompson, the author of the report, says that minimal access surgery ìis not necessarily easier, quicker, cheaper or safer. But it does have benefits for the patient and for society that are making it the procedure of choice for many purposes, including removal of adrenal tumors.î
For information, interviews, or copies of this article;
Contact: Michael OÃHara, Mayo Clinic External Relations
Phone: 507-284-9522 (days), 507-284-2511 (evenings),
Email: [email protected]
Simple Test Predicts Survival in Heart Failure
With a shortage of transplant organs, the question of who needs a transplant now, versus who can wait, is a critical issue. Mayo Clinic researchers report that a simple, inexpensive blood test can help predict the answer to this question for heart transplant candidates. Their results were reported in the journal Circulation.
In a study at Mayo Clinic of 211 men with heart failure who were awaiting transplants, researchers found that only 34 percent of those with lymphocyte concentrations of less than 20.3 percent (the lower limit of normal) survived for four years, compared to 73 percent of patients who had concentrations above 20.3 percent. Lymphocyte concentration is defined as the ratio of lymphocytes to total leukocytes (any type of white blood cell). Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell found in the lymph tissues which decrease in response to stress.
ìThis investigation reveals that lymphocyte concentration was significantly and independently related to survival. This simple marker is a standard part of the complete blood count and, as such, adds minimal expense or time to the evaluation process. It could aid in the selection of patients for cardiac transplantation,î says Dr. Raymond Gibbons, a Mayo cardiologist.
For information, interviews, or copies of this article;
Contact Shelly Plutowski, Mayo Clinic External Relations
Phone: 507-284-2417 (days), 507-284-2511 (evenings)
Email: [email protected]
Study Finds Good Ice Hockey Goalies Have High Heart Rates and Share Feelings
Competitive sports can be stressful for athletes, sometimes with medical consequences. Mayo sports medicine researchers studied a group of hockey goalies to try to understand the relationship between stress factors and performance. They studied 43 goalies (aged 10-18) attending a hockey camp, monitoring their heart rates in a variety of situations and also testing them regarding anxiety and confidence levels and social support. Some of the findings, reported in the January issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings:
ï Better performing goalies (measured by saves made) had faster heart rates in stress situations and had lower anxiety levels;
ï The ability to share feelings was a quality expressed more often by better performers;
ï Somatic anxiety (sweating and shakiness) was associated with poorer performance;
ï Goalies routinely experience prolonged high heart rates, over 170 beats per minute, sometimes spiking over 200 in stressful on-ice situations.
ï Tests which show feelings of being tense and unable to focus and relax may be useful in identifying a subgroup of young athletes at risk for medical problems related to stress.
ï All the hockey goalies reported being happy with their position.
For information, interviews, or copies of this article;
Contact Michael OÃHara, Mayo Clinic External Relations
Phone: 507-284-9522 (days), 507-284-2511 (evenings),
Email: [email protected]
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