Patient & Staff Safety
Monitor Shows When Patients Wake Up During Surgery
January 24, 2013 12:15 pm | Videos | CommentsThe new device helps surgeons understand a condition termed "anesthesia awareness", where patients wake up during surgery but are unable to communicate this to surgeons and OR nurses.
Smoking Cessation More Successful When Quitting Before Surgery
January 23, 2013 10:36 am | News | CommentsLung, head and neck cancer patients who smoked before surgery are more likely to relapse than those who had quit before surgery, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers say. They found that smoking-relapse prevention interventions are needed immediately after surgery to help prevent relapse.
Interventional Treatment Can Save Mom, Prevent Hysterectomy
January 23, 2013 10:22 am | News | CommentsUsing tiny balloons to temporarily block blood flow to the uterus during a high-risk Caesarean-section delivery can save the life of the mother while preventing hysterectomy and preserving fertility, suggests research being presented at the 25th annual International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET).
Minimally Invasive Approach To Ruptured Aneurysms Better Than Open Surgery
January 23, 2013 10:06 am | News | CommentsPatients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are more than twice as likely to survive if they have minimally invasive repair than if they have open surgery, suggests a 10-year study being presented at the 25th annual International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET).
Regular Aspirin Use Could Lead To Increased Macular Degeneration
January 22, 2013 1:25 pm | News | CommentsRegular aspirin use appears to be associated with an increased risk of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is a leading cause of blindness in older people, and it appears to be independent of a history of cardiovascular disease and smoking.
PT In The ICU Benefits Bottom Line
January 22, 2013 1:08 pm | News | CommentsIn a study evaluating the financial impact of providing early physical therapy for intensive care patients, researchers at Johns Hopkins found that the up-front costs are outweighed by the financial savings generated by earlier discharges from the intensive care unit and shorter hospital stays overall.
Outcomes Of Attending Surgeons After Overnight Trauma Shifts
January 22, 2013 12:33 pm | Articles | CommentsBased on their findings, the authors concluded that performance of general surgery operations the day after an overnight in-hospital trauma shift did not affect complication rates or readmission rates. At this time, there is no compelling evidence to mandate work-hour restrictions for attending general surgeons.
Dear Patients: Thank You
January 22, 2013 12:18 pm | by Maria Yang, MD | Blogs | CommentsThank you for nearly kicking me in the face when I tap on your knees to test your reflexes. Thank you for peeing all over me after I remove your diaper.Thank you for answering questions that, in any other context, are completely obnoxious and rude.
Alternative Medicine Use High Among Children
January 21, 2013 1:21 pm | News | CommentsChildren who regularly see specialists for chronic medical conditions are also using complementary medicine at a high rate, demonstrates recently published research from the University of Alberta and the University of Ottawa.
Tobacco, Obesity Focal Points For President's Second Term
January 21, 2013 10:38 am | by David Pittman, MedPage Today | Blogs | CommentsThe second term of an Obama administration will be marked for implementing key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but the president also wants to focus on lowering tobacco use and obesity rates.
Blood Test Can Help Identify Risks Of Death
January 18, 2013 11:59 am | News | CommentsA simple, inexpensive blood test performed on trauma patients upon admission can help doctors easily identify patients at greatest risk of death.
HHS Awards $1.5 Billion To Support State Insurance Marketplaces
January 18, 2013 11:04 am | News | CommentsHealth and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced $1.5 billion in new Exchange Establishment Grants to California, Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Oregon and Vermont to ensure these states have the resources necessary to build a marketplace that meets the needs of their residents.
New Guidelines Standardize Pre-Operative Practices, Reduce Patient Risks
January 18, 2013 10:52 am | News | CommentsThe Strong for Surgery checklists assess whether patients have modifiable risks for surgery and then offer a set of interventions to reduce the risk before hospitalization. They address four target areas.
Retained Objects Costly For Patients And Surgeons
January 18, 2013 10:41 am | News | CommentsA lawyer in Germany claims surgeons left up to 16 objects in her client's body after an operation for prostate cancer. She is seeking over $100,000, plus costs for the family of the patient, who has since died. According to Loyola University in Chicago, some 1,500 patients in the United States have surgical objects accidentally left inside them after surgery each year.
Prefense Hand Sanitizer
January 16, 2013 2:43 pm | by Safety-Med Products | Safety-Med Products | Product Releases | CommentsSafety-Med Products, Inc. has announced that the Prefense hand sanitizer is now available in a medical grade formula containing 62 percent alcohol. This new formula meets both CDC recommendations and most hospital protocols for hand sanitizer use.
Smart-Fold Sterilization Wrap
January 16, 2013 9:34 am | by Kimberly-Clark | Kimberly-Clark Health Care | Product Releases | CommentsKimberly-Clark announced the launch of Kimguard Smart-Fold Sterilization Wrap, an innovative sterilization packaging designed to provide the durability necessary for the most demanding applications. Smart-Fold features triple-layer reinforcement to protect the heaviest procedure trays and loaner sets from tears and cuts that can occur during handling.
Poorer Outcomes For Obese Patients Receiving Surgical, Nonsurgical Lumbar Disc Treatment
January 14, 2013 11:00 am | News | CommentsWhile obese patients are more likely to have surgical treatment for lumbar disc herniation – a slipped or ruptured disc – than nonobese patients, obesity increases operative time, blood loss, and length of hospital stay. Overall, obese patients had poorer outcomes with surgical and nonsurgical treatments for lumbar disc herniation than nonobese patients.
The Surgery Gods Can Be Your Best Friend Or Your Worst Enemy
January 14, 2013 9:23 am | by David Gelber, M.D. | Blogs | CommentsThey can shine their face upon you and keep the common bile duct from sneaking away from its normal position to a vulnerable point directly behind or even lateral to the gallbladder, or, if angry, can command the ureter to adhere to the back wall of the colon, leaving it vulnerable to division by sloppy surgeons. These gods can be vindictive if not properly appeased.
Hospital Performs 1,000th Liver Transplant
January 11, 2013 12:47 pm | News | CommentsIn the Midwest Transplant Network service area, no other hospital has transplanted more organs than The University of Kansas Hospital. The liver transplant program has attracted patients to Kansas City from as far away as California and New York.
TELETOM Equipment Management System
January 11, 2013 9:48 am | by Berchtold | Berchtold Corporation | Product Releases | CommentsBerchtold's TELETOM Equipment Management System is a completely customizable boom solution that allows facilities to create the boom they need for any clinical application and healthcare environment. The suspension system, placement of services, accessories, lights and shelves can all be custom selected to optimize the available space, enhance workflow and accommodate future equipment and service requirements.
Why Mistakes Are Happening In The OR
January 9, 2013 3:49 pm | by ABC News | Videos | CommentsHere is a major alert from doctors at one of America's leading medical schools. A recent report from Johns Hopkins University says more than 4,000 times a year, surgeons are making mistakes in the operating room that should never happen and can be stopped. Here is a breakdown of the recent news.
Americans Want Congress To Expand Medical Research
January 9, 2013 12:36 pm | News | CommentsA majority of Americans (72 percent) say the new Congress and the President should take action to expand medical research within the first 100 days of the 113th Congress. Public support for increased government spending on medical research holds particular relevance as Congress considers whether to further delay, eliminate or permit "sequestration," a budget cutting process that - if it moves forward - would mean drastic cuts in funding for medical research.
Studies Support DNA Testing On Biopsies To Prevent Misdiagnoses
January 9, 2013 12:23 pm | News | CommentsThe first study found that up to 3.5 percent of patients initially diagnosed with cancer were subject to undetected specimen switches or contaminations which may have compromised the accuracy of their diagnosis. The second concluded that performing a simple DNA test to confirm the provenance of malignant tissue samples is a cost-effective way to improve patient safety and diagnostic accuracy.
Health Systems Need Not Be Fallible
January 9, 2013 9:30 am | by Kenneth Lin, M.D. | Blogs | CommentsAll people are fallible, and health professionals no less so than others. But medicine is usually less forgiving of simple mistakes. A technically perfect surgery is a disaster because it was performed on the wrong body part. A patient develops a life-threatening infection because a doctor forgot to wash his hands.
Acetaminophen Can Ease Infant's Surgical Pain
January 9, 2013 9:14 am | by Michael Smith | Product Releases | CommentsWhen very young babies have major surgery, intravenous acetaminophen can reduce the need for morphine, researchers reported. In a randomized trial, postoperative acetaminophen, delivered four times a day, relieved pain as well as continuous morphine.
