Surgery News and Research

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Medical errors costing $1.5 billion annually

Potentially preventable medical errors that occur during or after surgery may cost employers nearly $1.5 billion a year, according to new estimates by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

28 Jul 2008

New human tissue bank

The University of Bradford has unveiled a new facility to provide UK biomedical researchers access to a wide range of human tissue and tissue products.

28 Jul 2008

Antimicrobial sutures reduce infections in brain shunt surgery

Children born with hydrocephalus, or "water on the brain" must have shunts implanted to drain the fluid away from the brain to reduce harmful pressure.

27 Jul 2008

Chemo and radiation after surgery prolongs life for pancreatic cancer patients

Pancreatic cancer patients treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation after surgery survive approximately six months longer than those receiving surgery alone, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientists report.

24 Jul 2008

First-of-its-kind study examines whether fat tissues from different areas of the body vary in stem cell concentration

Fat removed from the lower abdomen and inner thigh through liposuction was found to be an excellent source of stem cells, with higher stem cell concentrations than other areas of the body, reports a Brazilian-based study in August's Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

23 Jul 2008

No justification for denying obese patients knee replacement surgery

There is no justification for denying obese patients knee replacement surgery: They benefit almost as much as anyone else from the procedure, concludes a small study published ahead of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

23 Jul 2008

Sorafenib extends life of advanced liver cancer patients

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York have found that sorafenib (Nexavar) helps patients with advanced liver cancer live about 44 percent longer compared with patients who did not receive the anti-cancer drug.

23 Jul 2008

Fish oil supplements could slow wound healing

A recent study shows that popular fish oil supplements have an effect on the healing process of small, acute wounds in human skin. But whether that effect is detrimental, as researchers initially suspected, remains a mystery.

23 Jul 2008

Removable splints better than plaster casts for broken ankles

Australian researchers suggest that broken ankles possibly heal faster and better when instead of a plaster cast patients are fitted with removable splints or braces.

23 Jul 2008

Blitz on hospital waiting lists pays off

Since a boost of $600 million to both federal and state governments earlier this year, almost 14,000 additional patients have received elective surgery in the first six months of the Rudd government's blitz on lengthy public hospital waiting lists.

23 Jul 2008

New cartilage repair gel developed by University of Bradford

The University of Bradford's School of Engineering, Design and Technology and Advanced Gel Technology Ltd (AGT), a University spin out company, are developing a cartilage repair gel to improve the quality of life for people suffering with medical joint trouble such as osteoarthritis.

22 Jul 2008

New hope for infertile men - venous embolization

A minimally invasive treatment for a common cause of male infertility can significantly improve a couple's chances for pregnancy, according to a new study published in the August issue of Radiology. The study, conducted at the University of Bonn in Germany, also found that the level of sperm motility prior to treatment is a key predictor of success.

22 Jul 2008

Laser treatment the best fix for wrinkles

According to dermatologists in the U.S. laser treatment is a more effective way of removing wrinkles than some newer procedures.

22 Jul 2008

Gastroesophageal reflux disease and asthma

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center appear to have solved at least a piece of a puzzle that has mystified physicians for years: why so many patients with asthma also suffer from GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease.

21 Jul 2008

Gene expression test could help determine who needs more aggressive treatment

Researchers from four leading cancer centers have confirmed that an analysis involving a panel of genes can be used to predict which lung cancer patients will have the worst survival. The finding could one day lead to a test that would help determine who needs more aggressive treatment.

21 Jul 2008