Articles
Preventing Surgical Site Infections
October 12, 2012 6:35 am | CommentsIt was not uncommon for surgical patients to develop post-operative fever, infectious drainage from their incisions, sepsis and often death until the idea of sterile surgery came about in the late nineteenth century. Now improved anesthesia and infection prevention practices have allowed surgical advances such as open heart surgery and kidney transplants.
Survivor Of 'Internal Decapitation' Speaks
October 11, 2012 6:29 am | CommentsA car accident left Rachel Bailey, 23, fighting for her life and partially paralyzed, with a type of injury that's usually fatal. Doctors have called her recovery "nothing short of amazing." Baily spoke with TODAY's Jenna Wolfe in an exclusive interview.
'Nerve Harvest' Helps Rebuild Man's Hand
October 11, 2012 6:18 am | CommentsDoctors use bones, nerves and other tissues from man's own body to rebuild his hand. KPLC's Britney Glaser reports.
Less Invasive Back Surgery Offers Comfort
October 11, 2012 5:55 am | CommentsNew minimally invasive lumbar surgery helps patients with troublesome back pain. WJAR's Barbara Morse Silva reports.
Off-Label: Spine Fusion Protein Used In Kids' Surgery
October 10, 2012 5:10 am | by John Fauber | CommentsAn estimated 9.2 percent of spinal fusion surgeries in children used bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) -- a use that was not only off-label, but also costly, according to data culled from more than 8,000 pediatric spinal fusion procedures. The median cost for spinal fusions using BMP was $47,136 versus $43,126 ( P <0.
Good Results From Surgical Valve At 5 Years
October 9, 2012 6:24 am | by Todd Neale | CommentsThe Mitroflow aortic pericardial prosthesis had stable hemodynamics up to 5 years after surgical implantation in older patients with a heavy burden of comorbidities, researchers found. In extended follow-up after completion of a clinical trial, the valve demonstrated minor hemodynamic changes of questionable clinical significance, according Federico Asch, MD, of Medstar Washington Hospital Center at Georgetown University, and colleagues.
Search For Silent Ischemia In T2D Questioned
October 8, 2012 6:09 am | by Ed Susman | CommentsOctober 8, 2012 Screening diabetic patients for evidence of silent ischemia may not be helpful in preventing cardiac mortality, researchers suggested. The goal of screening is to perform coronary interventions, but Ariane Sultan, MD, of University Hospital Montpellier in France, demonstrated there was no difference in outcomes among 76 patients who had silent ischemia detected and who underwent coronary angiography and 39 patients who declined the invasive procedure.
Outcome Poor With Hip Resurfacing
October 5, 2012 6:02 am | by Todd Neale | CommentsFor male patients with smaller femoral heads hip resurfacing does not appear to be as effective as total hip replacement, researchers found. And for women, 5-year implant survival was worse with hip resurfacing regardless of head size, Ashley Blom, PhD, of the University of Bristol in England, and colleagues reported online in The Lancet .
Hundreds At Risk In Meningitis Outbreak
October 4, 2012 6:43 am | CommentsHealth officials are now trying to track down people in 23 states who got epidural steroid injections.
Experimental Stem Cell Therapy May Help Burn Victims
October 1, 2012 10:25 am | by Lara Salahi | CommentsFor more than 40 years, Lesley Kelly of Glasgow, Scotland, lived with third-degree burns that stretched over 60 percent of her body. Kelly was 2 years old when she fell into a bathtub filled with hot water that scorched most of the right side of her body. She lost full range of motion around many of her joints.
Risk Model May Optimize ICD Placement
October 1, 2012 10:00 am | by Chris Kaiser | CommentsA risk model comprised of seven clinical and demographic characteristics may help identify the 10 percent to 20 percent of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) patients at highest risk of death, researchers said. The predictive covariates are chronic kidney disease, age 75 or older, COPD, diabetes, NYHA class III, left ventricular ejection fraction ≤20 percent, and atrial fibrillation, according to Kenneth C.
Knee Replacements -- New Rite Of Passage For Boomers
October 1, 2012 7:00 am | by Lindsey Tanner | CommentsJust like age-defying baby boomers, older folks have seen a surge in knee replacement surgeries, driven partly by a desire to stay active and by joint-damaging obesity. The findings are in a study of more than 3 million Medicare patients, aged 65 and older, who got artificial knees from 1991 through 2010.
No Bleeding Risk From Steroid In Tonsillectomy
September 28, 2012 6:37 am | by Michael Smith | CommentsDexamethasone to control nausea and vomiting after tonsillectomy is not associated with higher rates of serious postoperative bleeding, researchers reported. In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial, the corticosteroid was non-inferior to saline in the risk of bleeding that required inpatient care, according to Christopher Hartnick, MD, of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, and colleagues.
