Articles
Risks And Benefits For Physicians Who Use Social Media/Web 2.0
March 23, 2010 7:28 am | CommentsFrom the newsletter of the AMA, AmMed News: "Social media behavior could threaten your physician reputation and job prospects. Less is more." How do you expect doctors to use social media more when they are "bombarded" with headlines like this? There is little on the positive aspects of social media in this particular article although the AmMed News has published some better, more nuanced and balanced, reports on social media use in the past.
Bone-Hard Biomaterial
March 23, 2010 7:28 am | CommentsFootball players, skiers, tennis players – they all fear a crucial ligament rupture. If the knee ligaments are damaged the patient usually has to undergo a surgery to restore the stability of the joint. In the surgical procedure the torn ligament is replaced by a piece of tendon from the leg, which is fixed to the bone by means of an interferential screw.
When Is the Worst Time To Go To The Hospital?
March 22, 2010 6:31 am | by Pauline W. Chen, MD | CommentsDuring staff cutbacks, hiring freezes and every July when a new class of interns hits the wards, hospital workers everywhere ask themselves one question: “When is the worst time to be a patient in the hospital?” That question crossed my mind one morning during my training when an emergency department nurse warned me about a pileup on a nearby interstate involving a school bus.
What Every Medical Student Should Know …
March 19, 2010 7:06 am | by Bruce Campbell, MD | CommentsThe aim of education is the knowledge not of fact, but of values. - William R. Inge “If there was one thing I would have every medical student learn, it would be this …” The woman was talking to her companion while moving down the clinic hallway.
Purchasing Positioning Equipment
March 12, 2010 4:16 am | by Joey Knight, Vice President Sales, US Surgical Workplaces, MAQUET, Inc. | CommentsWhat are the top three considerations surgical professionals should make when purchasing patient positioning products? March 12, 2010 1. Try to achieve the safest patient positioning with the surgical table. It is important to consider the surgical table and its capabilities to achieve special positions.
Ma, Don't Worry
March 11, 2010 2:08 pm | by Liz O'Brien, Medpage Today | CommentsMy grandmother and her hospital roommate -- aged, tiny, frail, and sporting matching bright pink hairnets. They looked like twins -- two thin shrubs in winter that had each sprouted an improbable, big pink rose. Although sick and scared, my grandmother had admired the pink hairnet on the lady in the next bed, so my mother bought her one too, to make her feel better.
Needlestick Prevention In The OR
March 11, 2010 2:08 pm | CommentsEvery day in the OR, surgeons and surgical staff members may be putting themselves at risk for sharps safety injuries. Both the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the American College of Surgeons (ACS) have called for surgical practices to take steps to reduce the risk of suture needlesticks that can transmit disease to surgical professionals 1,2 .
Learning To Keep Patients Safe In A Culture Of Fear
March 11, 2010 1:13 pm | by Pauline W. Chen, M.D. | CommentsOne afternoon during my training, I watched as one of my closest friends, another surgery resident, was led into the office of the department chief. A week earlier she had been on call when a patient developed a rapid and irregular heart rhythm. He became unconscious and would have soon died if my friend had not stepped in and resuscitated him.
Energized Operation
March 11, 2010 1:13 pm | by Amanda McGowan | CommentsHow technology using different forms of energy has helped to increase patient safety and surgeon efficiency in the OR. March 16, 2010 For years in open surgery, surgeons maintained bleeding by clamping bleeding vessels and tying them off with ligatures. Yet, the idea of using heat to stop blood flowing out of an incision can be traced back to Egyptian times, when heated stones were placed on bleeding blood vessels, says Dr.
The Small Things
March 11, 2010 11:59 am | by Bruce Campbell, MD | CommentsThe elderly man came to the San Salvador Lutheran Medical Clinic nearly blind and almost completely deaf. Our interpreter helped me figure out what he wanted. “How can I help you?” we shouted. "I have a cough and get headaches sometimes. Can I get some medicines?” “Sure,” I said.
Surgery Through A Single Port
March 11, 2010 11:58 am | by Amanda McGowan | CommentsSurgeons have made great advances in developing single port surgery. Still, questions remain with regard to the impact the technique has in improving surgical care, leaving some surgeons to speculate that there is an even better technique on the horizon. March 15, 2010 When Italian surgeon Giuseppe Navarra, MD wrote the first reports of a gall bladder surgery performed through a single port in 1997, he discussed why he thought the technique would not go any further.
Instrument Design Is A Touchy Subject
March 10, 2010 7:10 am | CommentsTactile experiences have played a role in how we evaluate products since the early phases of man’s evolution. It’s especially important in surgery, where an instrument’s tactile properties are essential the surgeon’s ability to use it comfortably and safely … March 10, 2010 By Jeff Kapec, Principal & Executive Vice President, Tanaka Kapec Design Group Designing for touch goes hand in hand with overall industrial design process Every product creates a sensory experience for the user.
But Steroids Fix Everything!
March 9, 2010 5:40 am | by By: SHADOWFAX, MedpageToday Blogger | CommentsRCentor has an interesting article on Sore Throats and Pharyngitis over at MedRants . He writes: “There is a new trend in pharyngitis that has taken hold amongst emergency physicians – the use of steroids to provide symptom relief.” I too have noticed this, and I completely agree with Dr.
It’s Time For Surgery’s Future To Go Under The Knife
March 5, 2010 11:52 am | by Pier Giulianotti, M.D. University of Illinois at Chicago | CommentsIt’s not enough to have mere awareness in robotic surgery; the imperative lies in applying it—and differently. March 8, 2010 Pier Giulianotti, M.D. Recently, I consulted with a leading medical manufacturer about a new surgical tool in development which would expand the depth and scope of robotic surgeries presently available to the medical community.
Automating The Driver Of The Hospital
March 5, 2010 11:52 am | by Amanda McGowan | CommentsIn response to the increased economic pressures and quality concerns facing hospitals today, many facilities are automating their perioperative systems in an effort to boost revenue and improve clinical outcomes. March 8, 2010 No one, no matter how smart they are, can remember everything,” says Susan Almquist-Baldwin, Vice President of Perioperative Systems at North Shore Long Island Jewish (NSLIJ).
