The OR’s Leading Source of Cutting Edge Surgical Technology
Report: Lawsuit Over Lap-Band Surgery Ads Is Settled
April 19, 2013 8:54 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsA company that promoted Lap-Band weight-loss surgery has agreed to pay $1.3 million to settle a false-advertising lawsuit, with some of the money going to billboards warning the public about the risks of weight-loss surgery, a newspaper reported Thursday. From 2009 to 2011, five patients died.
The Impossible Workload For Doctors In Training
April 19, 2013 8:45 am | by Dr. Pauline Chen, M.D. | Blogs | CommentsYou can’t keep asking these young doctors to do more and more work in less time without affecting patient care. Until we address the problem of overwork, we’re just playing a shell game. Something more substantial needs to be done to deal with the problem of overwork for young doctors.
Study: Patient Satisfaction Not Necessarily An Indicator Of Surgical Quality
April 19, 2013 8:32 am | by Jordan Rau | Articles | CommentsThe researchers found little relationship between a hospital’s patient satisfaction scores and most quality ratings. “At present, little evidence supports its ability to predict the quality of surgical care,” Heather Lyu, Dr. Martin Makary and the other researchers wrote.
Unique Extracellular Matrix Used In Patient Successfully Treated For Flesh Eating Bacteria
April 17, 2013 12:25 pm | News | CommentsA patient diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis was successfully treated and discharged after ACell MatriStem was used in an effort to save her leg from amputation. Doctors intervened surgically to remove a great deal of tissue in an attempt to stop the bacteria from spreading.
American Laser Society Names New President
April 17, 2013 12:07 pm | News | CommentsThe American Society for Laser Medicine & Surgery, Inc. (ASLMS) has named Jeffrey S. Dover, M.D., F.R.C.P.C. president. Dr. Dover took office at Laser 2013, the ASLMS annual scientific conference held in Boston, Massachusetts, and will serve for one year.
Patients Who Have STEMI Heart Attacks While Hospitalized More Likely To Die
April 17, 2013 11:49 am | News | CommentsIf you suffer a heart attack while walking down the street and are taken to the hospital quickly, your chances of survival are very good. But if you have a heart attack while already in the hospital for something else, you are 10 times more likely to die. That surprising finding comes from a study by University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers.
Study: Number Of Patients At Risk For Unnecessary Thyroid Surgery Is Likely On The Rise
April 17, 2013 11:31 am | News | CommentsA new study shows that the number of patients with thyroid nodules who undergo surgery – increasingly to remove all, rather than part, of their thyroid – has risen by 31 percent over five years. The new data were presented yesterday at the annual meeting of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons, held in Chicago, Ill.
Physician Entrepreneurs Are Key Contributors To New Medical Devices
April 17, 2013 10:28 am | News | CommentsStartup companies founded by physician entrepreneurs are an important source of patents used in developing innovative new medical devices. Device manufacturers gain more from the patents of physician-founded firms than from those of non-physician-founded firms in their subsequent invention and innovation efforts.
Prophylactic Sodium Bicarbonate Infusion And Acute Kidney Injury After Open Heart Surgery
April 17, 2013 10:25 am | News | CommentsContrary to the positive findings of a previous pilot study, administration of a sodium bicarbonate-based infusion to induce urinary alkalinization during and after surgery does not reduce the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) and may even cause harm in patients undergoing open heart surgery.
AllSkin Plus
April 17, 2013 10:15 am | by Viscot Medical | Product Releases | CommentsViscot Medical’s new AllSkin Plus+ is the first prep-resistant ink marker that offers maximum visibility and prep resistance on all skin tones. Its specially-formulated VIXL brilliant blue ink provides enhanced visibility even after prepping with common alcohol-based antiseptics.
CoolDog
April 17, 2013 10:09 am | by CoolShirt Systems | Coolshirt Systems | Product Releases | CommentsCoolShirt Systems offers the CoolDog, a.k.a. the SafetTemp TEC, a new "iceless" personal cooling system. The CoolDog operates quietly and is under two feet high to easily stay out of the way of staff.
PlumePen
April 17, 2013 9:57 am | by Buffalo Filter | Buffalo Filter | Product Releases | CommentsBuffalo Filter’s PlumePen electrosurgical pencil features a sleek compact design that combines precision surgical smoke plume management with electrosurgery in one device. Featuring Flexible Plume Capture (FPC) TechnologyTM, the extendable/retractable capture port lets surgeons customize the placement of the smoke evacuation inlet for optimum visibility.
‘Good’ Patients, ‘Bad’ Patients
April 17, 2013 9:50 am | by Dhruv Khullar | Blogs | CommentsAs we continue to carry out the Affordable Care Act and enter a new era of tremendous change, we must confront our natural tendencies to favor patients we find pleasant — especially when it comes at the expense of those we find less so.
Better Surgical Outcomes Costly For Hospitals
April 17, 2013 9:26 am | by John Gever | Articles | CommentsData from an unidentified 12-hospital system in 2010 indicated that the occurrence of surgical complications boosted the "contribution margin" -- the difference between gross revenues and variable costs associated with patient care -- relative to cases without complications, when they involved the 85% of patients who had Medicare or private insurance.
The Future Of Robotics In The OR
April 16, 2013 5:23 pm | by ABC News | Videos | CommentsMore and more hospitals are using robots and robotic accessories to perform surgery to improve on human performance in the operating room. However, complications and concern are very much on the rise. What's really at issue here? What is the takeaway?
