Surgery News and Research

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UTHealth NRC to sponsor forum on sports-related concussions

Super Bowl-winning lineman turned orthopaedic surgeon Mark Adickes, M.D., is moderating a free public forum to help parents, athletes and trainers spot the warning signs of concussion.

24 Jan 2013

Tall, thin women face increased risk of infection with nontuberculous mycobacteria

Tall, thin women face a greater risk of infection with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), cousins of the organism that causes tuberculosis, according to researchers at National Jewish Health. Women with NTM infections also showed a weakened immune response associated with their fat cells, in a paper published in the Jan. 15, 2013, issue of The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care.

23 Jan 2013

State abortion restrictions having impact

In Kansas, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Texas, new laws limiting abortion providers spur changes for clinics and patients.

23 Jan 2013

SMO and AKT1 mutations appear to drive about 15% of meningiomas

Large-scale genomic sequencing has revealed two DNA mutations that appear to drive about 15 percent of brain tumors known as meningiomas, a finding that could lead to the first effective drug treatments for the tumors, report scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute.

23 Jan 2013

Tumor separation surgery followed by SRS is safe and effective in controlling spinal metastases

Researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (New York, NY) have found that tumor "separation surgery" followed by high-dose hypofractionated stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) or high-dose single-fraction SRS is safe and effective in controlling spinal metastases regardless of the radiosensitivity of the particular tumor type that has invaded the spine.

23 Jan 2013

GORE DrySeal Sheath with hydrophilic coating now available in Europe

W. L. Gore & Associates (Gore) today introduced GORE DrySeal Sheath with hydrophilic coating in Europe. The new GORE DrySeal Sheath allows for easier insertion into and removal from blood vessels during endovascular repair procedures.

23 Jan 2013

Smoking cessation helps prevent cancer relapse after surgery

Lung and head and neck cancer patients who smoked before surgery are more likely to relapse than those who had quit before surgery, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers say. They found that smoking-relapse prevention interventions are needed immediately after surgery to help prevent relapse.

23 Jan 2013

CHLA, House Research Institute receive FDA approval to begin pediatric ABI clinical trial

L.A.-based House Research Institute and Children's Hospital Los Angeles announced today that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given final approval to begin a clinical trial of an Auditory Brainstem Implant (ABI) procedure for children.

22 Jan 2013

STN confirmed as preferred stimulation target in Parkinson’s

Subthalamic nucleus stimulation is at worst equivalent and at best superior to globus pallidus pars interna stimulation in patients with Parkinson’s disease, shows a randomized trial.

22 Jan 2013

Dutasteride decreases risk of biopsy detectable prostate cancer by 22.8%

The four-year REDUCE (REduction by DUtasteride of prostate Cancer Events) clinical study evaluated prostate cancer risk reduction in men taking dutasteride, a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor (5ARI) typically used to treat enlarged prostate.

22 Jan 2013

Russia approves FzioMed’s Oxiplex gel for lumbar spine surgery

FzioMed, a privately held medical device company based in San Luis Obispo, CA., is pleased to announce the approval of Oxiplex in Russia. Oxiplex is an absorbable, clear, viscoelastic gel that is applied during lumbar spine surgery immediately prior to wound closure.

22 Jan 2013

Having two attending surgeons is better and safer during complex spinal surgeries

Two heads are better than one, as the saying goes - and a new study by a duo at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) demonstrates how having two attending surgeons in the operating room during spinal surgeries can benefit patients in multiple ways.

22 Jan 2013

Extremely obese adolescents benefit from bariatric surgery

This time of year many people make resolutions to live a healthier lifestyle, exercise more, lose weight and eat better. For the adolescents who are extremely obese in this country, diet and exercise alone often are not enough to get their weight down.

22 Jan 2013

Extending CPR longer saves lives in both adults and children

Experts from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia were among the leaders of two large national studies showing that extending CPR longer than previously thought useful saves lives in both children and adults. The research teams analyzed impact of duration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in patients who suffered cardiac arrest while hospitalized.

22 Jan 2013

Knee replacement pain predicted by comorbidity

Research may help physicians give patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty a realistic expectation of surgery outcome based on their overall physical and mental health, US researchers believe.

21 Jan 2013

Having 2 attending physicians during spinal surgeries can benefit patients in multiple ways

19 Jan 2013

Checklists can help surgical teams perform better during emergencies

When doctors, nurses and other hospital operating room staff follow a written safety checklist to respond when a patient experiences cardiac arrest, severe allergic reaction, bleeding followed by an irregular heart beat or other crisis during surgery, they are nearly 75 percent less likely to miss a critical clinical step, according to a new study funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

19 Jan 2013

Research roundup: Ameliorating physician shortages; Patients' perceptions of bias

The authors note that there is a consensus "that the current shortage of primary care physicians will worsen over the next ten years as the nation's population grows and ages and as insurance coverage expands as a result of the Affordable Care Act." They examine whether workplace changes will impact that assessment.

19 Jan 2013

Intestinal bacteria can produce biochemicals and hormones that stop development of diabetes

All humans have enormous numbers of bacteria and other micro-organisms (10 to 14) in the lower intestine. In fact our bodies contain about ten times more bacteria than our own cells and these tiny passengers are extremely important for our health. They help us digest our food and provide us with energy and vitamins.

19 Jan 2013

FDA approves Allergan’s BOTOX to treat overactive bladder

Allergan, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved BOTOX (onabotulinumtoxinA) for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) with symptoms of urge urinary incontinence, urgency and frequency in adults who have had an inadequate response to or are intolerant of an anticholinergic medication.

19 Jan 2013