News
First-Ever 'Blindfolded' Simulated Procedure Performed Using Robotics
May 1, 2013 10:48 am | CommentsSurgeons at Boston Children's Hospital, using a new man-machine interface, were able to successfully perform simulated robotic surgical procedures using only their sense of touch. Cambridge Research & Development (CRD) has recently completed research on a new haptic robotic interface which provides an enhanced level of tactile feedback allowing robotic operators to perform operations previously problematic and dangerous.
Regional Anesthesia Technique Significantly Improves Outcomes Of Hip, Knee Replacement
May 1, 2013 10:41 am | CommentsA highly underutilized anesthesia technique called neuraxial anesthesia, also known as spinal or epidural anesthesia, improves outcomes in patients undergoing hip or knee replacement, according to a new study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery.
Gastric Bypass Findings Could Lead To Diabetes Treatment
May 1, 2013 10:36 am | CommentsA Lund University research team has shed new light on why gastric bypass often sends diabetes into remission rapidly, opening the door to developing treatment with the same effect. About 85 percent of patients with type 2 diabetes who undergo a gastric bypass procedure recover from the disease within a few days, showing a return to normal blood sugar levels - long before any weight loss.
Lawsuit Accuses Surgeon Of Operating On Wrong Side Of Woman's Brain
April 30, 2013 10:49 am | by Jim Doyle | CommentsThe patient, Regina Turner, 53, of St. Ann, was scheduled on April 4 for a “left-sided craniotomy bypass” at St. Clare Health Center in Missouri, according to a complaint filed in the Circuit Court of St. Louis County in Clayton. Instead, she received a “right-sided craniotomy surgical procedure,” the suit alleges.
Groundbreaking Surgery For Girl Born Without Windpipe
April 30, 2013 10:44 am | by Henry Fountain | CommentsUsing plastic fibers and human cells, doctors have built and implanted a windpipe in a 2 ½-year-old girl — the youngest person ever to receive a bioengineered organ. The surgery, which took place on April 9 here at Children’s Hospital of Illinois and will be formally announced Tuesday, is only the sixth of its kind and the first to be performed in the United States.
Antidepressants Linked With Increased Risks After Surgery
April 30, 2013 10:40 am | CommentsSelective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) – among the most widely prescribed antidepressant medications – are associated with increased risk of bleeding, transfusion, hospital readmission and death when taken around the time of surgery, according to an analysis led by researchers at UC San Francisco and Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass.
Study Finds Possible Alternative to Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery
April 30, 2013 10:36 am | CommentsScientists at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center used a catheter to re-direct the flow of bile from the bile duct into the small intestine, producing the same metabolic and weight-loss benefits as bariatric surgeries such as gastric by-pass. They named the procedure bile diversion, or BD.
Emergency Care Cost Estimates Are Too Low
April 29, 2013 12:35 pm | CommentsThe ER has become increasingly important as a place where people go for acute unscheduled care, however there has been little rigorous analysis of its cost structure. A new cost analysis suggests that emergency care accounts for far more than the commonly accepted 1.9 percent of the nation’s $2.6-trillion annual health care bill. It’s more likely between 4.9 and 5.8 percent.
How Would You Like Your Assistant - Human Or Robotic?
April 29, 2013 12:30 pm | CommentsRoboticists are currently developing machines that have the potential to help patients with caregiving tasks, such as housework, feeding and walking. But before they reach the care recipients, assistive robots will first have to be accepted by healthcare providers such as nurses and nursing assistants.
The Outlook For Medical Devices In Western Europe
April 29, 2013 12:26 pm | CommentsFive of the ten largest medical device markets in the world are in Western Europe; Germany, France, the UK, Italy and Spain. Like all other sectors, the medical device markets will be impacted by the current eurozone crisis in the short term. This is a danger for domestic manufacturing industries, especially in Germany, which rely on demand for exports of their products.
Survey: 84M People Were Uninsured For A Time Or Underinsured In 2012
April 29, 2013 10:43 am | CommentsEighty-four million people―nearly half of all working-age U.S. adults―went without health insurance for a time last year or had out-of-pocket costs that were so high relative to their income they were considered underinsured, according to the Commonwealth Fund 2012 Biennial Health Insurance Survey.
Connecticut Surgical Quality Collaborative Announces Addition of Six Hospitals
April 26, 2013 3:34 pm | CommentsThe Connecticut Surgical Quality Collaborative (CtSQC), a statewide group of 20 hospitals, meets regularly to share quality outcomes including successes and best practices for the benefit of all patients in the state. The CtSQC announced that six additional hospitals are joining this effort.
ACPE Names Brigham And Women's Hospital Winner Of 2013 Leape Ahead Award
April 26, 2013 1:47 pm | CommentsThe annual Leape Ahead Award honors the dedication of Dr. Lucian Leape toward the advancement of efficient, effective, and caring delivery of medicine in the U.S. It also underscores ACPE's strong commitment to patient safety and quality, as well as the lifelong development and support of physician leaders.
Opioid-Related Adverse Events Increase Hospital Stays, Costs Of Care
April 26, 2013 11:03 am | CommentsResearchers conducted statistical analysis to evaluate risk factors that may predispose patients to postsurgical ORAEs and compared differences in length of stay, total hospitalization costs, 30-day readmission rates and inpatient mortality between the patients who experienced an ORAE and those who did not.
Are Living Liver Donors At Risk From Life-Threatening 'Near-Miss' Events?
April 26, 2013 10:57 am | CommentsDonor mortality is about 1 in 500 donors with living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Research of transplant centers around the world found that those with more experience conducting live donor procedures had lower rates of aborted surgery and life-threatening "near-miss" events.
