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Two simple cost-effective methods can reduce expensive postoperative complications

As the nation grapples with surging health care costs, researchers at the University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, and Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, have confirmed two simple cost-effective methods to reduce expensive postoperative complications-communications team training and a surgical checklist.

6 Dec 2012

First U.S. patient treated with deep brain stimulation for Alzheimer's at Johns Hopkins

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine in November surgically implanted a pacemaker-like device into the brain of a patient in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, the first such operation in the United States. The device, which provides deep brain stimulation and has been used in thousands of people with Parkinson's disease, is seen as a possible means of boosting memory and reversing cognitive decline.

6 Dec 2012

Breast milk banks: an interview with Dr. Pieter Koorts

The available literature clearly demonstrates that in almost all circumstances a mother’s own breast milk is the ideal food for her infant. This is particularly important for preterm infants. Preterm infants are babies born before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy.

5 Dec 2012

Obesity ramps up thoracic surgery costs

Obese patients have significantly increased operating times when undergoing lobectomy for primary lung cancer, show US study results.

5 Dec 2012

Old age no barrier to rectal resection

Advanced age alone should not rule out curative resection for rectal cancer, say the authors of a systematic review.

5 Dec 2012

‘Old’ erythrocytes little problem in noncardiac surgery

Erythrocytes that have been stored for several weeks before use may not cause problems in patients who receive transfusions during noncardiac surgery, a large retrospective analysis suggests.

5 Dec 2012

Roundup: Building more Texas medical schools; Calif. mental health care for children

Recommendations in a new draft report on Texas undergraduate medical education caution against rushing to build any new medical schools, which may irk those that are pushing to do exactly that. The report was prepared by the staff of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and posted on the agency's website on Monday in preparation for an upcoming meeting of their Task Force on Graduate Health Professions.

5 Dec 2012

Five EyeSmart toy-buying tips from American Academy of Ophthalmology

With the holiday season upon us, children are busy making their wish lists and checking them twice. But, parents may need to check them yet again to ensure toy safety. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 250,000 toy-related injuries are treated in emergency rooms each year.

5 Dec 2012

Researchers investigate GPER receptor as possible new drug target for breast cancer

Five-year breast cancer survival rates have improved dramatically over the past 50 years, but tumors can recur up to ten or more years after they are detected. When tumors recur, they are even more difficult to treat.

5 Dec 2012

Websites offering 'designer vaginas' lack information

Websites for providers offering female genital cosmetic surgery contain poor quality and limited clinical information regarding procedures and risks, show study results.

4 Dec 2012

Sorin Group’s Mitroflow valve receives Japanese PMDA approval

Sorin Group, a global medical company and a leader in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, announced today that it received the Japanese Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) approval for the Mitroflow Aortic Pericardial Heart Valve.

4 Dec 2012

Children's Hospital Los Angeles earns Top Hospital designation from Leapfrog Group

For the fourth consecutive year, Children's Hospital Los Angeles has earned the Top Hospital designation from The Leapfrog Group, which annually recognizes the best hospitals in the nation for providing the safest and highest quality health care services to patients. Children's Hospital Los Angeles is one of only 12 children's hospitals nationally to receive this honor and was the only children's hospital in California to earn the top award.

4 Dec 2012

Leapfrog Group names Kaiser Permanente among 2012 Top Hospitals

Seventeen Kaiser Permanente hospitals – 10 in Northern California and seven in Southern California – have been named 2012 "Top Hospitals" by the Leapfrog Group, an honor that rewards medical centers for their outstanding success in areas such as reducing infection rates, safety practices, mortality rates for common procedures and measures of efficiency.

4 Dec 2012

Many physicians misinformed about initial diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy

A survey of healthcare providers concerning the initial diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy has found significant misinformation held among physicians who see children who have seizures. Many physicians surveyed are misinformed about what constitutes intractable epilepsy, when to refer their pediatric patients for surgical evaluation, and what types of seizures may be amenable to surgical intervention.

4 Dec 2012

The Leapfrog Group honors Northwestern Memorial and Lake Forest with 'A' Hospital Safety Score

Memorial Hospital and Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital have been selected as 2012 Top Hospitals by The Leapfrog Group, an organization that provides the only national, public comparison of hospitals across safety, quality and efficiency dimensions. Northwestern Memorial and Northwestern Lake Forest are honored among an elite group of only 92 hospitals selected out of nearly 1,200 surveyed.

4 Dec 2012

Pipeline embolization device shows promise in treating brain aneurysms

A new technology called the Pipeline embolization device (PED) shows encouraging results in patients with certain types of difficult-to-treat brain aneurysms, reports the December issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

4 Dec 2012

Enzalutamide shows promise in treating triple-negative and estrogen-positive breast cancer

Breast cancers are defined by their drivers - estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER and PR) and HER2 are the most common, and there are drugs targeting each. When breast cancer has an unknown driver, it also has fewer treatment options - this aggressive form of breast cancer without ER, PR or HER2, which was thought not to be driven by hormones, is known as triple negative.

3 Dec 2012

Diabetes tests: an interview with Dr. Danielle Stowasser

Diabetes is a serious condition that causes high levels of glucose (a type of sugar) in the blood. There are three main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2 diabetes, which are lifelong conditions, and gestational diabetes, which only occurs in women during pregnancy.

3 Dec 2012

Bry-Air and Bhartiya Jagriti Manch organize free eye camp

A free eye camp was organized by Bry-Air and Bhartiya Jagriti Manch, Moga. Patients from Moga and its surrounding villages, viz. Chande Wala, Charik, Bhadai, Chugawan, Rauli, Dala, etc. came to the camp for free eye check-up.

3 Dec 2012

Hip prosthesis lasts for over 20 years

The Zweymüller prosthesis, developed at the end of the 1970s, was one of the first to be anchored in the bone without using bone cement to fix it in place. The prosthesis's special geometry and surface guarantee its stable anchoring and natural integration into the bone.

3 Dec 2012