News
Boston Bombing: Finding Evidence In The ER
April 19, 2013 9:00 am | CommentsIn the aftermath of Monday's marathon bombing, emergency physicians here are tasked not only with saving lives but also saving evidence. The challenges posed by that dual charge are daunting, but not impossible said Louis Alarcon, MD, of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Report: Lawsuit Over Lap-Band Surgery Ads Is Settled
April 19, 2013 8:54 am | by Associated Press | 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.
Unique Extracellular Matrix Used In Patient Successfully Treated For Flesh Eating Bacteria
April 17, 2013 12:25 pm | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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.
Doctor: Marathon Victims Had Metal In Wounds
April 16, 2013 11:49 am | 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 | 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.
Preop Ketamine May Lower Pain in Fibromyalgia
April 16, 2013 10:50 am | by Ed Susman | CommentsIn fibromyalgia patients undergoing knee or hip replacement surgery, low-dose, intraoperative ketamine appeared to reduce the need for post-surgical opioid therapy, researchers said. Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic and has been used in human and veterinary medicine since 1963.
Researchers Devise X-ray Approach To Track Surgical Devices And Minimize Radiation Exposure
April 16, 2013 10:41 am | CommentsResearchers from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) have developed a new tool to help surgeons use X-rays to track devices used in “minimally invasive” surgical procedures while also limiting the patient’s exposure to radiation from the X-rays.
TYRX Announces First Ever Implantation Of Fully Resorbable Antibacterial Envelope
April 15, 2013 3:33 pm | CommentsTYRX, Inc., the leader in the commercialization of implantable medical devices intended to help reduce surgical site infections, announced today that the first implantation of its new AIGISRx R Fully Resorbable Antibacterial Envelope has taken place at the Quebec Heart and Lung Institute in Quebec City, Canada.
ACS Releases New Book On Lessons Learned From 'Inspiring Quality' Tour
April 15, 2013 3:00 pm | CommentsToday, the American College of Surgeons (ACS) released a limited-edition book, Inspiring Quality Tour: Lessons Learned in the Pursuit of Quality Surgical Health Care, in conjunction with its annual Leadership and Advocacy Summit in Washington, DC. Lessons Learned summarizes the findings of an 18-month effort by ACS to create a national dialogue about surgical quality and patient safety.
Stenting Blocked Bowel Arteries Saves Lives
April 15, 2013 11:17 am | CommentsStenting reopens completely blocked bowel arteries, preventing damage and even death from a condition that causes individuals severe pain and leads to excessive weight loss, notes research being presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 38th Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans, La.
