Surgery General
May 10, 2011
In 2002, the FDA approved the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for patients with Parkinsons disease. Although it isn’t a cure, DBS has been shown to help manage symptoms of the disease. A worksho...
Apr 25, 2011
No matter how experienced the surgeon, a study found that after a night of drinking, surgeons’ skills were subpar well into the following day. In the April issue of Archives of Surgery, a small stud...
Feb 28, 2011
About 20% of scans ordered by orthopedic surgeons appear to be “defensive imaging,” primarily ordered to avoid malpractice litigation, according to a report presented at the annual meeting of the ...
Dec 21, 2010
When performing surgery in adults, the processes preceding the operation are often routine for surgeons and patients, but surgery is anything but routine for parents of pediatric patients undergoin...
Dec 21, 2010
Graduate surgical education has changed significantly during the past 20 years. Several events have changed the landscape considerably, including the elimination of the pyramidal training system in 19...
Nov 30, 2010
Postoperative pneumonia continues to create a burden on healthcare systems, often leading to increases in morbidity, length of hospital stay, and costs. Postoperative pneumonia is the third most commo...
Sep 29, 2010
Compared to open surgical techniques, there is no doubt that laparoscopy provides patients with improved safety, quicker recovery, shorter hospital stays, and cosmetic advantages — but at what cost ...
Sep 28, 2010
When compared with open surgical techniques, the benefits of minimally invasive surgery have been well documented in medical literature, including increased safety, quicker recovery, shorter hospital ...
Sep 24, 2010
While patients often reap the benefits of laparoscopic procedures, the surgeons who perform these operations appear to be experiencing occupational injuries. Catch the article in the next Physician's ...
Sep 14, 2010
Catheter-associated bacteriuria, the most common healthcare-associated infection, results from the widespread use of urinary catheterization. Oftentimes, the use of urinary catheters is inappropriate ...
Sep 14, 2010
In complex environments like surgical ICUs, integrated team performance and effective communication skills are vital to positive patient outcomes. These skills are critical because breakdowns in commu...
Sep 07, 2010
Infectious complications, particularly surgical site infections (SSIs), are well documented to increase costs, morbidity, mortality, and length of stay (LOS). Surgical operative duration has long been...
Aug 24, 2010
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have created nanoscale coating for surgical equipment, hospital walls, and other surfaces that safely and effectively kills methicillin resistant Staphy...
Aug 13, 2010
When it comes to the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), Americans seem to be heading in the right direction. An article to be published in the September issue of the American Journal of Preventiv...
Aug 04, 2010
Advanced cross-sectional imaging and enhanced screening efforts have enabled physicians to identify abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) with greater frequency. Several studies have compared the outcomes...
Aug 04, 2010
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the United States, and almost 90% of all lung cancers are caused by smoking tobacco. The dangers of smoking are well document...
Jun 01, 2010
An estimated 6 million people undergo non-cardiac surgery each year, and up to a quarter of these procedures (eg, major intra-abdominal, thoracic vascular, and orthopedic procedures) are associated wi...
May 17, 2010
Most men currently diagnosed with localized prostate cancer are likely to have the disease eradicated by one of the available treatment modalities, but the focus on health-related quality of life asso...
Apr 26, 2010
Approximately 22,000 people are diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma each year in the United States. Currently, surgical resection is the only potentially curative treatment for this patient group. W...
Apr 12, 2010
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, or AAOS, held its 2010 annual meeting from March 9 to 12 in New Orleans. The features below highlight some of the news emerging from the meeting. For ...