Surgery News and Research

RSS

Lungs' pressure needn't threaten heart transplant survival

Heart surgeons at Johns Hopkins say people who need heart transplants can largely avoid transplant failure due to elevated blood pressure in their lungs with the help of proper drug treatment.

6 Nov 2007

Research sheds new light on how joints work

Mice that don't produce lubricin, a thin film of protein found in the cartilage of joints, showed early wear and higher friction in their joints, a new study led by Brown University researchers shows.

6 Nov 2007

Preventing, detecting, and treating coronary artery disease

A woman who has heart disease is 50% more likely to die from it than a man who has it.

6 Nov 2007

Revolutionary surgical procedure for a type of decapitation

A revolutionary surgical procedure by a professor of neurosurgery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center has helped restore almost complete function to a patient who suffered a virtual decapitation.

6 Nov 2007

64-slice CT scans a good test for clogged arteries

A study by an international team of cardiac imaging specialists, led by researchers at Johns Hopkins, concludes that sophisticated computed tomography (CT) scans of the heart and its surrounding arteries are almost as reliable and accurate as more invasive procedures to check for blockages.

6 Nov 2007

SimPlant Planner provides perfect placement of dental implants

The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry is using a computer program to find the perfect spot in the mouth to place dental implants.

6 Nov 2007

Osteopontin-c is a good biomarker of breast cancer.

Researchers have identified a molecule that may be more accurate than existing biological signposts used to predict which breast cancers will develop into advanced forms of the disease.

6 Nov 2007

Bayer Pharmaceuticals agrees to a marketing suspension of Trasylol

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that, at the agency's request, Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corp. has agreed to a marketing suspension of Trasylol, a drug used to control bleeding during heart surgery, pending detailed review of preliminary results from a Canadian study that suggested an increased risk for death.

5 Nov 2007

World-famous Papworth heart transplant hospital in trouble

A hospital in Britain which has been at the forefront of heart transplant surgery ever since it carried out the UK's first successful operation in 1979, is in trouble.

5 Nov 2007

Uplifting news about sagging boobs

A new study has found that breastfeeding does not make breasts sag. This news will be welcome to nursing mothers who may well have been deterred from breast feeding because they thought it might adversely affect the shape of their breasts.

5 Nov 2007

Smaller heart pump bridges time to transplant for more women

A small, implantable device that helps the heart pump blood works equally well for men and women but may benefit twice as many women awaiting transplants, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2007.

5 Nov 2007

Medical causes of iatrogenic renal disorders

Nephrologists and other health care providers need to be aware of certain medications and diagnostic test preparations that, in some patients, can cause damage to the kidneys, according to a special clinical update being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 40th Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Francisco.

5 Nov 2007

Living kidney donors show no increase in their risk of heart attacks

Living kidney donors show no increase in their risk of heart attacks or other cardiovascular events in the years after donation, according to the largest-ever study of the issue, being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 40th Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Francisco.

5 Nov 2007

Anesthesia pouch allows children to go home sooner after surgery

Children recovering from orthopaedic surgery feel less pain and leave the hospital sooner when they go home with a small pouch that delivers local anesthetic agents and blocks pain transmission from surgical sites.

5 Nov 2007

US adults most likely to report medical errors and skip needed care due to costs

At a time when the U.S. spends more than double what other countries spend for medical care - $6,697 per capita in 2005 - a new Commonwealth Fund seven-nation survey finds that U.S. patients are more likely to report experiencing medical errors, to go without care because of costs, and to say that the health care system needs to be rebuilt completely.

2 Nov 2007

Research sheds light on carotid artery stenting risk in elderly

Dr. Hernan Bazan, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Section of Vascular Surgery, at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans' School of Medicine, is the lead author of a research paper which may help physicians decide which patients with carotid artery occlusive disease should have carotid surgery or carotid stenting.

2 Nov 2007

Researchers find stem cells in degenerating spinal discs, potential for repair

Orthopedic researchers at Jefferson Medical College have for the first time found stem cells in the intervertebral discs of the human spine, suggesting that such cells might someday be used to help repair degenerating discs and remedy lower back and neck pain.

2 Nov 2007