A review of more than 50 studies found limited evidence supporting the use of bariatric surgical procedures for non-morbidly obese adults (body mass index [BMI] 30-35) with diabetes or impaired glucose intolerance, according to a study in the June 5 issue of JAMA. For the limited data that was...
Johns Hopkins researchers have developed new guidelines - the first in more than 35 years - to govern the amount of blood ordered for surgical patients. The recommendations, based on a lengthy study of blood use at The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH), can potentially save the medical center more...
JAMA Surgery Study Highlights In a study by Brian C. Drolet, M.D., of the Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, and colleagues, the majority of surgical residents who were surveyed reported that they disapprove of the 2011 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Common Program...
"Stitch-Free" Surgical 'Laser Welding' Of Tissue In Intestinal Surgery Improved
A new "solder" for laser welding of tissue during surgical operations has the potential to produce stronger seals and expand use of this alternative to conventional sutures and stapling in intestinal surgery...
Women who abruptly and prematurely lose estrogen from surgical menopause have a two-fold increase in cognitive decline and dementia. "This is what the clinical studies indicate and our animal studies looking at the underlying mechanisms back this up," said Brann, corresponding author of the...
After a cautious and rigorous analysis of national malpractice claims, Johns Hopkins patient safety researchers estimate that a surgeon in the United States leaves a foreign object such as a sponge or a towel inside a patient's body after an operation 39 times a week, performs the wrong...
As the nation grapples with surging health care costs, researchers at the University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, and Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, have confirmed two simple cost-effective methods to reduce expensive postoperative complications-communications...
The November issue of Neurosurgical Focus is dedicated to lessening the number and severity of adverse events surrounding neurosurgical intervention for a variety of disorders. Guest editors Alexander Khalessi (University of California, San Diego), James Forrest Calland (University of Virginia)...
A surgical patient safety program that combines three components - accurate outcome measurement, support of hospital leadership, and engaged frontline providers - reduces surgical site infections (SSIs) by 33 percent in patients who undergo colorectal procedures, according to a new study...
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus (MRSA) nasal colonization is associated with longer hospital stays and an increase in surgical site infections (SSI) in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery, according to a new study from Scott and White Memorial Hospital, Temple, TX...
For older adults with "C2" fractures of the upper (cervical) spine, surgery and nonsurgical treatment provide similar short- and long-term outcomes, reports a study in the May issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott...
Immediate skull reconstruction following trauma that penetrates or creates an indentation in the skull can aggravate brain damage inflicted by the initial injury, a study by a University of South Florida research team reports. Using a rat model for moderate and severe traumatic brain injury...
According to a report by an expert panel published in the January issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, the official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS), ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) need to develop policies for managing malignant hyperthermia, a rare yet serious...
The United States is facing ongoing shortages of several critical anesthesia medications shortages with potentially serious effects on patient care and safety, according to a special article in the December issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia...
Patients with thickening and blockage of the internal carotid artery (supplies blood to the brain) and hemodynamic cerebral ischemia (insufficient blood flow to the brain, sub-type of stroke) who had a surgical procedure performed to improve blood flow in the artery did not have a reduced rate...
Plastic surgeons say they have developed a new surgical technique for complex skull reconstruction that could improve functional and aesthetic outcomes in cases that have previously been deemed impossible or unsafe and left patients with unsightly skull deformities requiring them to wear a...
Delaying elective surgical procedures after a patient has been admitted to the hospital significantly increases the risk of infectious complications and raises hospital costs, according to the results of a new study in the December issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. The...
According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), the global authority on medical technology market intelligence, cardiac surgeons are trying new innovative approaches to traditional open heart surgery as they try to make coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedures less invasive where possible...
Surgical Information Systems (SIS), a leader in perioperative information systems, announced today that SIS Version 5 has been certified to meet 2011/2012 Stage 1 meaningful use measures as a modular Electronic Health Record (EHR). Certification was conducted by the Drummond Group, an Office of...