Feature Channels: Surgery

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Differences might exist in the amount of pain medicine given to Latino and white children after surgery, found a new, small study.

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Cardiologists and heart imaging specialists at 15 medical centers in eight countries, and led by researchers at Johns Hopkins, have enrolled the first dozen patients in a year-long investigation to learn whether the subtle squeezing of blood flow through the inner layers of the heart is better than traditional SPECT nuclear imaging tests and other diagnostic radiology procedures for accurately tracking the earliest signs of coronary artery clogs.

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A surgeon and an electrophysiologist last week used a novel, minimally-invasive procedure to treat a dangerous arrhythmia in a 61-year-old lawyer from east Texas. The physicians used only two small incisions, rather than six, which is common.

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How laparoscopic technique allows surgeons to perform colon surgery through small incisions.

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NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital is the only medical center in the United States to offer minimally invasive liver donation for pediatric transplantation. Surgeons use a laparoscopic technique to remove a section of liver from a living donor for implantation in a pediatric patient -- typically a parent donating to their child. The innovative approach promises dramatically improved recovery for the donor.

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Bariatric weight-loss surgery may sound dangerous and complicated, but a Geisinger physician warns that the real danger may be a life of obesity.

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You'd think folks who've had knee replacement surgery -- finally able to walk and exercise without pain -- would lose weight instead of put on pounds, but surprisingly that's not the case, according to a University of Delaware study. Researchers Joseph Zeni and Lynn Snyder-Mackler in the Department of Physical Therapy in UD's College of Health Sciences found that patients typically drop weight in the first few weeks after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), but then the number on the scale starts creeping upward, with an average weight gain of 14 pounds in two years.

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A novel surgery using transplanted bone and cartilage may help young patients avoid a hip replacement after a specific traumatic injury to the hip joint, according to a case study by orthopedic trauma specialists at Hospital for Special Surgery.

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Surgeons are less likely than family physicians or patients to view surgery as the preferred treatment option for low back pain, according to a study in the January 1 issue of Spine.

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Surgery provides better results than nonsurgical treatment for most patients with back pain related to a herniated disk—but not for those receiving workers' compensation for work-related injuries, reports a study in the January 1 issue of Spine.

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Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defects in humans, with one third of affected children requiring intervention in infancy. While neurobehavioral symptoms have been identified in some of these children, a study now suggests that a cooling technique often used in heart surgery does not impair neurological outcomes.

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Preserving organs on ice prior to transplantation, an approach known as cold storage or CS, has been the standard practice in liver transplant for 20 years. Now there is new evidence that a technique called hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) may offer an improvement, according to the first-ever study comparing the impact of the two techniques on transplant outcomes.

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A patient surveillance system implemented by anesthesiologists at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and presented in a study in the February Anesthesiology has proven to dramatically decrease the number of rescue calls and ICU transfers in postsurgical patients, allowing doctors to intervene in more cases before a crisis situation develops.

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Detailed information on the first facial transplantation procedure performed in the United States is presented in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

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Current projections estimate that the number of tobacco-related deaths in China will increase to 2 million annually by 2025. A new study in the February issue of the journal Anesthesiology looks at whether Chinese anesthesiologists are willing to help their patients quit smoking, and ultimately help reduce these projected tobacco-related deaths.

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A simple technique called mirror therapy seems effective in preventing phantom limb pain in patients undergoing amputation of an arm or leg, suggests a study in the February 2010 issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

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Is it possible for cardiac surgery teams to completely eliminate medical errors? That's the goal of an ambitious project—called the "Flawless Operative Cardiovascular Unified Systems" (FOCUS) initiative—being undertaken by the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA). An introduction and update on the FOCUS initiative appears in a special article in the February 2010 issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia.

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A common complication following surgery in elderly patients is postoperative delirium, a state of confusion that can lead to long-term health problems and cause some elderly patients to complain that they “never felt the same” again after an operation. But a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests that simply limiting the depth of sedation during procedures could safely cut the risk of postoperative delirium by 50 percent.

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Loyola among the first medical centers in U.S. to use robotics to treat lung cancer.

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Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center evaluated data over a 36-year period from the National Hospital Discharge Survey and concluded in a paper appearing in the January issue of Archives of Surgery that appendicitis may be caused by undetermined viral infection or infections, said Dr. Edward Livingston, chief of GI/endocrine surgery at UT Southwestern and senior author of the report.

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Obesity is a condition that often follows family lines, but bariatric surgery offers hope for breaking this generational pattern.

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The public, including parents of babies with severe heart defects, is invited to submit questions for inclusion in a tweet chat about surgical approaches for heart defects to be held from noon-2 p.m. Jan. 20 on Twitter.

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New analysis of data from the 2008 Specular Microscopy Ancillary Study (SMAS), a subset of the CDS, found that the preoperative donor cell count of endothelial cells, previously considered to be an important predictor of a successful transplant, did not correlate with graft success.

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A complete evaluation, including an assessment of post-void residual volume, is key when evaluating a female patient for surgery to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI), according to a new clinical practice guideline released today by the American Urological Association (AUA).

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Cardiologists at the University of Illinois and Jesse Brown VA medical Centers are among the first in the Chicago area to offer an innovative approach to commonly performed cardiac procedures that reduce complications, discomfort, recovery time and costs.

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Worth magazine has selected Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute as one of the United States’ top 25 hospitals for cardiac bypass surgery.

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A multi-disciplinary team of Penn researchers, including diabetes, weight loss and bariatric surgery experts, are conducting a study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to determine if bariatric surgery, either gastric bypass or adjustable gastric banding surgery, is more effective than lifestyle modification to reduce weight and ultimately treat Type 2 diabetes.

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Bariatric surgery is a procedure designed to help patients lose weight, but what may be even more important is that it can also help resolve diabetes for patients with this disease.

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Most breast cancer surgeons’ practices do not follow standards associated with the best quality of care, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. These standards include consulting with other specialists and providing resources and education to help patients make treatment decisions.

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Total hip and total knee replacement surgeries are highly successful and very common procedures for people experiencing pain associated with degenerative joints. With a new hip or knee, and postoperative care prescribed by their doctors, most patients are able to regain a more active lifestyle with considerably less pain.

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Work-hour restrictions and generational differences are compromising the learning experience. Changes are needed in the programs that train orthopedic surgeons, according to a study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery.

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A minimally invasive surgical approach developed by head and neck surgeons at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The da Vinci Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Sunnyvale, California) has been cleared for TransOral otolaryngologic surgical procedures to treat benign tumors and select malignant tumors in adults.

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A vascular surgical technique pioneered at UT Southwestern Medical Center and designed to replace infected aortic grafts with the body’s own veins has proved more durable and less prone to new infection than similar procedures using synthetic and cadaver grafts.

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Delores Evans of Durham, N.C., received a kidney from her own adult son at UNC Hospitals after he died in November 2008. On New Year's Day Delores will honor her son, and help promote organ sharing, as a participant in the Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif., riding on the Donate Life float sponsored by OneLegacy, the Los Angeles-area organ and tissue donor services organization.

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Routinely used to treat patients for heart attack or high blood pressure, beta blockers are known for their role in helping to protect the heart. A new study in the January issue of the journal Anesthesiology looks at the effects of beta blockers on surgical outcomes, revealing that the cardioprotective effects of the medication could be compromised by acute surgical anemia.

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The successful use of ether to anesthetize patients was the first great milestone in the history of surgical anesthesia. But the discovery might have occurred earlier—and medical history written differently—but for a scientific error by another physician, according to an article in the January issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

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Experiments in one of the oldest forms of life on Earth are helping to answer basic questions about how general anesthesia works, according to a study in the January issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

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When Craig Harrison found out he would be the first patient in North Texas to have robot-assisted lung-tumor surgery, an operation performed at UT Southwestern Medical Center, he wasn’t nervous at all.

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Over three decades, a world-recognized medical team at UC San Diego Medical Center has spurred the evolution of a complex surgery to destroy dangerous clusters of arteries and veins in the brain. Integrating innovative approaches in radiology, anesthesia, and surgery, the team has perfected a method to systematically starve these abnormal brain lesions, artery by artery, vein by vein.

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With the advances in sinus endoscopy, many tumors can now be removed directly through the nose, avoiding the need for facial incisions or a craniotomy. Complications are decreased and recovery is faster.

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The Cedars-Sinai Center for Weight Loss has received re-accreditation as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence from the American College of Surgeons. This is a nationally–recognized acknowledgement of the high quality of care provided at Cedars-Sinai to patients who have bariatric surgery - such as lap-band, gastric sleeve or gastric bypass.

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Physicians should be comfortable referring some patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) for effective stroke prevention surgery, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The findings indicate that CKD patients gain a significant benefit from the procedures without an increased risk of dying from surgical complications.

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Results of a preliminary study by scientists at the National Institutes of Health and Johns Hopkins show that “mini” stem cell transplantation may safely reverse severe sickle cell disease in adults.

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In men undergoing prostate surgery, excessive fluid absorption can lead to dangerously low sodium levels. Adding a small amount of glucose to the irrigation fluid used during surgery can help anesthesiologists to prevent this rare but potentially serious complication, reports a study in the December issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

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Defibrotide, a novel drug which modulates the response of blood vessels to injury, was markedly more effective than standard treatment in post-stem cell transplant patients with hepatic veno-occlusive disease, a life threatening toxicity of transplant caused by blockages in tiny blood vessels of the liver, according to a study led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists.

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A minimally invasive, catheter-based cardiac assist device - the Impella 2.5 - is credited with saving the life of 86-year-old Rose Lombardo of Hazleton. Grandmother to seven and great-grandmother to another 12, Rose was "at death's door" after suffering concurrent heart attacks, according to her daughter, Gabriella Norgard.

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Minimally invasive techniques have become standard for many procedures, from the removal of the gallbladder to angioplasty, but the approach is now only beginning to be available to patients with spinal conditions. The surgical team at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center's Spine Center aims to bring the benefits of minimally invasive surgery for patients with intractable back pain, stenosis, spinal deformity, even spinal cancer.

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One of the first total abdominal colectomies performed, including reconstruction of the intestinal tract by reconnection of the remaining small intestine to the rectum, via single-incision laparoscopy.

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Surgical treatment three weeks after injury showed similar results to those who receive early intervention.

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Early identification of foot injuries can help prevent need for surgical intervention.