The OR’s Leading Source of Cutting Edge Surgical Technology
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?
Scientists Create Lab-Made Rat Kidneys
April 16, 2013 5:17 pm | by NBC News | Videos | CommentsA team of researchers in Boston have successfully created functioning rat kidneys using cells from newborn rats. It is a stunning acheivement, and it is also a development that could be a game-changer for the future of kidney transplants.
XBox Kinect: A Tool To Improve Surgery?
April 16, 2013 4:14 pm | by YouTube | Videos | CommentsAn algorithm has been developed for haptic rendering from time varying point clouds captured by an Xbox Kinect RGB-D camera. This technology enables the operator to feel remote objects and receive force feedback from the environment. Could this help improve surgery?
Baby Thriving After Partial In-Womb Surgery
April 16, 2013 3:48 pm | by Associated Press | Videos | CommentsFive months after their unborn daughter had surgery to remove a cyst on her lung, a Colorado couple says the baby is now completely healthy. The mother's placenta served as life support to the half-delivered baby while doctors operated.
Doctor Accused Of Botched Surgeries
April 16, 2013 3:38 pm | by CBS News | Videos | CommentsThe Colorado state medical board filed 14 counts of unprofessional conduct against Dr. Warren Kortz, and now the federal government is investigating the claims that he made critical surgical errors. Here is the story on what transpired.
Doctor: Marathon Victims Had Metal In Wounds
April 16, 2013 11:49 am | News | CommentsMassachusetts General Hospital's chief of trauma surgery says doctors removed "a variety of sharp objects," including pellets and nails, from the wounds of victims of the Boston Marathon explosions. Dr. George Velmahos said Tuesday that in his opinion the metal fragments came from the bomb and not from the environment.
Energy Efficiency Could Increase Infection Risks In Hospital Wards
April 16, 2013 11:47 am | News | CommentsThe chance of infection in some hospital wards varies dramatically according to whether the nurses leave the windows open. A University of Leeds-led team studied airflow in a "Nightingale" ward—a classic hospital ward design that traditionally accommodates two rows of up to 30 beds—by using tracer gases to simulate how airborne infections spread.
