Elective surgery is surgery that is not urgently required due to an emergency. Elective surgery may be performed for medical purposes, such as cataract surgery, or for other work such as breast implants. These are procedures that the person requiring them decides to undertake, and which may be helpful, but are not necessarily essential.
A large observational study published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that most patients do not medically benefit from consultation with a medical specialist before their surgery.
Black men have a higher death rate within 30 days of surgery compared with any other subgroup of race and sex, finds a study of adults in the United States published in The BMJ.
A simple nasal spray significantly reduced snoring and breathing difficulties in children and halved the number needing to have their tonsils removed, according to a new study.
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who undergo major surgery are more likely to die in the year after surgery and incur higher health care costs than similar patients without COPD, found a new study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.220733.
The number of patients treated in the 2021–22 financial year from Australia’s public hospital elective surgery waiting lists (‘elective’ meaning non-emergency) fell to the lowest level since 2010–11. This was associated with disruptions to hospital services as a result of COVID-19.
A heart check-up is recommended in even apparently healthy people over 65 years of age before intermediate- or high-risk non-cardiac surgery, according to European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines on cardiovascular assessment and management of patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery published online today in European Heart Journal.
The number of Australians receiving kidney replacement therapy more than doubled between 2000 and 2020, from 11,700 to 27,700.
Older adults (aged 60 or older) who consume potentially unhealthy amounts of alcohol report significantly better mobility, self-care and fewer problems undertaking daily activities after surgery compared to their peers who abstain from alcohol or drink at very low levels.
In this interview, News-Medical talks to Dr. Ron Daniels about his work at the UK Sepsis Trust and the impact antimicrobial resistance is having on sepsis.
Scientists compare post-surgical complications before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Betty Chow, a Los Angeles resident, had a cervical disc replaced in August 2020 at a surgery center that was part of her Anthem Blue Cross PPO network.
According to two new clinical guidelines from the American College of Physicians, uncomplicated diverticulitis can be treated in an outpatient setting without antibiotics.
A simple surgical technique during cardiac surgery was associated with a 56 percent reduction in the incidence of an irregular heart rhythm known as atrial fibrillation that can lead to stroke, with no added risks or side effects, according to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian investigators.
If you've ever had a serious illness or cared for someone who has, you know how quickly the medical bills can pile up: from labs, radiology clinics, pharmacies, doctors, different departments within the same hospital — some of them in your insurance network, others not.
Patients using take-home technology following non-elective surgery resulted in significantly greater detection and correction of drug errors, and reduction in patients' pain, says a national study led by Hamilton researchers.
It's a bad time to get sick in Oregon. That's the message from some doctors, as hospitals fill up with covid-19 patients and other medical conditions go untreated.
The Prime Minister today set out responsible, fair, and necessary plans to tackle the Covid backlogs, reform adult social care, and bring the health and social care system closer together on a long term, sustainable footing.
An interesting new study describes a novel aerosol box design that has been produced and tested to prevent airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
Pioneering 'printed metal' procedure to create bespoke treatment for early knee osteoarthritis set to be trialled in the UK following MHRA approval.
The COVID-19 pandemic has worked havoc on many aspects of society, health care hardly the least among them. In a new study for the journal Surgical Innovation, Associate Professor Toby Gordon of the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School addresses the ways in which the pandemic, as she writes, has "severely weakened the surgical innovation pipeline and ecosystem."