News
Breast Reduction Allows For Direct-To-Implant Option For Prophylactic Mastectomy
April 10, 2013 11:42 am | CommentsIt's difficult enough for high-risk women to face removing their breasts to prevent cancer, and then many are informed they can't have the type of mastectomy procedure they prefer. A new technique uses a two-stage approach to allow women with large or ptotic breasts to become suitable candidates for nipple sparing, direct to implant prophylactic mastectomy.
Value-Based Decision-Making Process Using Single Best Practice To Prevent DVT Reduces Hospital Costs
April 10, 2013 11:02 am | CommentsResearchers report success in using a concept called “value-based analysis,” which simultaneously measures quality and cost and addresses inefficiencies in care. The researchers applied a value-based analysis approach to implementing a single best practice for preventing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in surgical patients and were able to reduce hospital costs in excess of $1.5 million per year.
Decontamination Of Unused Medical Supplies Reduces Healthcare Costs
April 9, 2013 11:20 am | CommentsUsing inventory lists and electronic medical records, researchers projected the annual cost of discarded supplies because of potentially contaminated packages from patient isolation rooms from the six units included in the study to be $387,055.
Prior Chest Radiation Grows Risk Of Death After Heart Surgery
April 9, 2013 11:14 am | CommentsPatients who have open heart surgery for heart disease caused by radiation cancer treatment are nearly twice as likely to die in the years following their surgery compared to similar patients who did not undergo radiation treatment, according to new research.
Copper Surfaces Reduce The Rate Of Healthcare-Acquired ICU Infections
April 9, 2013 10:49 am | CommentsPlacement of copper objects in intensive care unit (ICU) hospital rooms reduced the number of healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) in patients by more than half, according to a new study. The proportion of patients who developed HAI and/or colonization with MRSA or VRE was significantly lower among patients in rooms with copper surfaces.
Robotic Surgery Hot Among Surgeons, But Not Everyone Onboard
April 9, 2013 10:44 am | CommentsThe biggest thing in operating rooms these days is a million-dollar, multi-armed robot named da Vinci, used in nearly 400,000 surgeries nationwide last year. However, there is still debate over whether robotic surgery is at least as good or better than conventional surgeries.
Houston Bariatric Practice Hits Surgery Milestone
April 8, 2013 11:38 am | CommentsDr. Sherman C. Yu at Texas Laparoscopic Consultants has successfully completed his 100th minimally invasive SPIDER gastric sleeve procedure, a significant milestone for a bariatric surgeon offering a new advanced technology. Gastric sleeve is a fast-growing choice for surgically supported weight loss.
Uninsured May Have Better Access To Care Than Medicaid Patients
April 8, 2013 11:16 am | CommentsAn internet survey of AAPS members shows that about 47% of respondents think that it is more difficult for a Medicaid patient, compared with an uninsured patient, to get an appointment with a primary-care physician. Only 26% thought that the uninsured had more difficulty.
Laser Burns Up Inoperable Brain Tumors
April 8, 2013 10:47 am | by Charlene Laino | CommentsA new minimally invasive laser therapy showed promise for burning up inoperable recurrent glioblastomas. The device, which was recently cleared by the FDA, is also being tested on other hard-to-treat tumors. While laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) has been used as an ablative treatment for glioma for more than 2 decades, its development was limited due to technical issues.
Liver Transplantation For Patients With Genetic Liver Conditions Has High Survival Rate
April 8, 2013 10:39 am | CommentsResearchers found that children with genetic disorders that cause fibrosis, cirrhosis, and other liver conditions, which can affect other organs, have a good chance of still being alive five years, even 20 years after a liver transplant operation.
Technique Finds Software Bugs In Surgical Robots And Helps Developers Fix Flaws
April 8, 2013 10:36 am | CommentsResearchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory have demonstrated that methods for reliably detecting software bugs and ultimately verifying software safety can be applied successfully to this breed of robot.
Clinical Data Indicates System Reduces Surgical Site Complications In C-Section Patients
April 5, 2013 4:59 pm | CommentsSmith & Nephew, the global medical technology business, today announces data from two independent clinical evaluations that indicate favorable results in preventing surgical site infections when using the PICO Negative Pressure Wound Therapy System (PICO) post-operatively following a Caesarean section.
CABG Effects On Cognition Resolve Quickly
April 5, 2013 1:31 pm | by Michael Smith | CommentsThe cognitive impairment often reported after on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) usually resolves within 8 weeks of the procedure, researchers reported.
Kidney Outcomes Worse For Uninsured
April 5, 2013 12:59 pm | CommentsUninsured patients are more likely to progress to kidney failure and die from it than those who are covered by public or private insurance, researchers reported.
Study: Not All Patients Benefit Equally From Hip Or Knee Replacement
April 5, 2013 11:16 am | CommentsOnly half of people with arthritis who had a hip or knee replacement reported a significant improvement in pain and mobility after surgery, according to a new study.
