Jan 08, 2014

About 16% of all colorectal surgical patients on Medicare are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days. These readmissions last more than 1 week, on average, and cost the healthcare system $300 milli...

Dec 19, 2013

A doctor takes his patients to great new heights—by breaking their legs. National Geographic presents a video on the taboo procedure of limb lengthening. Source: National Geographic...

Dec 16, 2013

I just found out about an article that appeared in Forbes online 7 months ago. It said that a certain hospital system's postoperative infection rate was 5% and then said, "For US hospitals, this is no...

Dec 06, 2013

According to the CDC, the mortality rate associated with Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) increased by 400% between 2000 and 2007, due in part to a stronger germ strain. CDI accounts for approxim...

Dec 02, 2013

About a decade ago, the Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) releas...

Dec 02, 2013

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery is a procedure in which electrodes are implanted into specific brain structures and connected to a pacemaker. DBS has been used effectively to treat several neurol...

Dec 02, 2013

Media outlets (Wall Street Journal, Gizmodo) are again reporting that automation is degrading pilots' skills, although this has been known for over 2 years. I blogged about the subject back then as pa...

Nov 25, 2013

In case you missed it, there was a brief romance between thyroid surgeons and robots. Thyroid surgeons, itching to join the crowds migrating to robot-assisted surgery, came up with the idea to use the...

Nov 23, 2013

The Particulars: Research indicates that restenosis is a common drawback of balloon angioplasty for treating infrapopliteal arterial obstructions in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI). Two maj...

Nov 21, 2013

The Particulars: Data are lacking on the safety and efficacy of using the AngioJet mechanical thrombectomy system (Bayer HealthCare) for treating occluded arteries and veins in hemodialysis patients. ...

Nov 21, 2013

The Particulars: Previous research indicates that multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI). Data indicate that 30,000 patients worldwide have under...

Nov 21, 2013

The Particulars: Studies have had varied results on the safety and validity of inferior vena cava (IVC) filter use to prevent iatrogenic pulmonary embolism (PE) that can result from percutaneous endov...

Nov 21, 2013

The Particulars: In hemodialysis patients, early cannulation has been shown to reduce the number of days for which central venous catheters are required, thereby potentially reducing mortality and mor...

Nov 21, 2013

The Particulars: Research indicates that patients with submassive pulmonary embolism (PE)—unlike those with massive PE—are typically managed conservatively despite right ventricular (RV) dysfuncti...

Nov 21, 2013

The Particulars: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has emerged as an acceptable treatment for thoracic aortic diseases and typically involves a hybrid approach. Singular approaches—includi...

Nov 19, 2013

The 2013 VEITHsymposium, the 40th Annual Symposium on Vascular and Endovascular Issues, was held Nov. 19-23 in New York City. Why You Should Attend VEITHsymposium   Meeting Highl...

Nov 19, 2013

The Particulars: PCI-related technology has advanced significantly in recent years. However, current data on PCI-related complications is lacking. Data Breakdown: For a study, investigators analyze...

Nov 19, 2013

The Particulars: In previous studies, transradial (TR) catheterization has been shown to have a lower risk of bleeding and access site complications when compared with transfemoral (TF) catheterizatio...

Nov 19, 2013

The Particulars: Data from studies comparing CABG to PCI has been inconsistent when assessing these procedures in patients with diabetes and multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD). Little is known ...

Nov 19, 2013

The Particulars: Current guidelines recommend that regional systems be implemented to optimize reperfusion for patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). This treatment, however...