Surgery News and Research

RSS

New knee-surgery device approved by FDA

A new knee-surgery device investigated by University of Missouri-Columbia researchers that will help to repair meniscus tears, which were previously defined as irreparable, has been approved by the FDA for use in humans.

3 Oct 2007

Breast health and cancer prevention tips for women and men

In addition to the bright reds, oranges and yellows seen as the leaves turn this fall, pink will be everywhere during October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

2 Oct 2007

Cancer drug Taxotere given the green light to treat head and neck cancer

Following promising results in a phase III trial, the drug Taxotere has been given the green light for use in people with head and neck cancer.

2 Oct 2007

Taxotere (docetaxel) granted FDA approval to treat locally advanced head and neck cancer prior to chemo and surgery

Sanofi-aventis announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Taxotere (docetaxel) Injection Concentrate in combination with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil for induction therapy of locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) before patients undergo chemoradiotherapy and surgery.

2 Oct 2007

New way to fight hepatitis B

One in four people who are chronically infected with hepatitis B will die from its impact if untreated, but a team of researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine has identified the most cost-effective way of fighting this treacherous infection.

2 Oct 2007

Pregnancy after breast cancer is possible

Once Alyssa Tushman knew her young son would not grow up motherless, her next question was whether he would be an only child.

2 Oct 2007

Better use of kidneys from deceased donors

Several new studies suggest how transplant surgeons can make more effective use of kidneys from deceased donors – even those that are at the outer limits of acceptance criteria – according to researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

2 Oct 2007

Daytime sleepiness linked to chronic nasal obstruction

That midday wall you hit where you just can't stay awake may be an indicator of obstructed nasal passages and sleep-disordered breathing, according to a new study published in the October 2007 edition of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery .

2 Oct 2007

New guidelines for treating low-back pain

The American College of Physicians (ACP) and the American Pain Society (APS) today released joint guidelines on diagnosing and treating low back pain.

2 Oct 2007

Nursing - the best job in the world!

As the University of Hertfordshire welcomed its new cohort of just under 300 nursing students, an academic at the School of Nursing and Midwifery deems that nursing is the best job in the world.

1 Oct 2007

Androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer may encourage spread of disease

A popular prostate cancer treatment called androgen deprivation therapy may encourage prostate cancer cells to produce a protein that makes them more likely to spread throughout the body, a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests.

1 Oct 2007

Hearts are experts at self-preservation

Bristol researchers have identified a heart protection mechanism in mice that surgeons and cardiologists may be able to exploit to improve treatments for patients in future.

1 Oct 2007

Non-invasive imaging test could help prevent heart attacks

Kathy Brown says she always thought that heart disease was for those who smoked cigarettes, drank, ate a lot of red meat, and who were overweight.

1 Oct 2007

Accurate prostate cancer diagnosis depends on biopsy location

The part of the prostate that is biopsied may matter more than the number of biopsy samples taken for accurately diagnosing prostate cancer, according to a study by researchers at SUNY Upstate Medical University.

1 Oct 2007

Study finds FDA warning against antinausea drug droperidol unnecessary

A Mayo Clinic review of patients' responses to a drug used to control nausea and vomiting during anesthesia for general surgery questions a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning against the drug's use.

29 Sep 2007

FDA approves new adjustable gastric band for morbid obesity

Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. has announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for marketing the REALIZE Adjustable Gastric Band, a surgical implant for weight reduction and improvement in obesity-related health conditions, such as type-2 diabetes, in individuals suffering from morbid obesity.

29 Sep 2007

New guidelines for cardiac testing and treatments

People with heart disease should take special precautions before undergoing any kind of surgery, even noncardiac surgery, to reduce their risk of a cardiac event, according to new joint guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

27 Sep 2007

Chemotherapy drug gemcitabine delays progression of operable pancreatic cancer

Barcelona, Spain: Giving pancreatic cancer patients the chemotherapy drug gemcitabine after surgery delays progression of the disease by about six months, according to new research by Japanese scientists.

27 Sep 2007

UCLA Medical Center performs its first living donor kidney swap

UCLA Medical Center on Sept. 20 performed its first living donor kidney “swap,” a procedure in which a loved one of a kidney transplant patient who is not compatible as a donor exchanges organs with another incompatible pair under an innovative new paired donation program.

27 Sep 2007

Defining biomarkers for better colon cancer treatment

Barcelona, Spain: New research has yielded a clearer picture of which biomarkers could help doctors more precisely target the treatment of colon cancer, bringing closer the day when patients who will not benefit from chemotherapy are spared it, while those that will, get the more aggressive treatment they need.

27 Sep 2007