Hernia News and Research

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A hernia is protrusion of an organ or the muscular wall of an organ through the cavity that normally contains it. A hiatal hernia occurs when the stomach protrudes upwards into the mediastinum through the esophageal opening in the diaphragm.

Telephone postoperative clinic improves access to care, mitigates long travel distances for patients

Implementation of a telephone postoperative clinic at a Veterans Affairs facility significantly improved utilization of surgeon and facility resources while maintaining satisfactory patient outcomes, according to study results published as an "article in press" on the Journal of the American College of Surgeons website ahead of print publication.

18 Aug 2016

Study shows universal health insurance may mitigate surgical disparities for African Americans

A new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital utilized claims data from more than 630,000 patients living in the state of California and found no significant differences in post-operative complications or mortality between African American patients and White patients who were treated in a universally insured military health system.

9 Aug 2016

Blood utilization practice guidelines can save millions of dollars, reduce blood wastage

Improving the processes of ordering, transporting, and storing blood can save millions of dollars and drastically reduce blood wastage, reported a research team from one academic medical center after implementing institutional initiatives to address blood management.

18 Jul 2016

Single, short duration exposure of general anesthesia appears to cause no cognitive harm in healthy, young children

A recent study concluded that very young, healthy children undergoing short surgical procedures requiring a single exposure to general anesthesia did not exhibit any effect on the cognitive outcomes tested, according to SmartTots, a public-private partnership of the International Anesthesia Research Society and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

21 Jun 2016

Rural hospitals may work well for straightforward surgeries in relatively healthy patients

They may be in small towns. They may only have a couple of surgeons. But for common operations, they may be safer and less expensive than their larger cousins, a new study finds.

18 May 2016

Ariste Medical develops drug-eluting mesh for more effective open hernia repair

Ariste Medical has revealed new research outlining the company’s novel method for addressing medical device failure in open ventral hernia repair.

12 Apr 2016

Research suggests ibuprofen does not increase bleeding risk after plastic surgery

Patients are often instructed not to take ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs before or after surgery because of increased bleeding risk. But available evidence suggests that ibuprofen does not increase the risk of bleeding after plastic surgery procedures, according to a research review in the April issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

2 Apr 2016

Pediatric surgeons who perform very few procedures after graduation may have hard time in the long run

Some pediatric surgeons perform so few rare and complex procedures once they finish their surgical training that they may have a hard time maintaining operative skills in the long run, according to a new study led by researchers at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

31 Mar 2016

New research examines how patients can have greater success from ventral hernia surgeries

Xochitl (So-Chil) Flores had her gallbladder removed after years of digestive issues. However, within a year after surgery she developed an uncomfortable bulge near the incision of her previous surgery. The pain was excruciating and debilitating.

26 Mar 2016

Penn study calls on physicians to avoid over-prescribing opioids for surgical patients

Physicians are prescribing more opioid painkillers than ever before to patients undergoing common surgeries, according to new research from the department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

21 Mar 2016

Muscle-sparing abdominal flaps can reduce complications in women undergoing breast reconstruction

In women undergoing breast reconstruction using their own (autologous) tissue, newer "muscle-sparing" abdominal flaps can reduce complications while improving some aspects of quality of life, reports a study in the March issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

27 Feb 2016

New evidence highlights benefits and harms of using artificial mesh for surgical repair of vaginal prolapse

New evidence published today highlights benefits and harms of using artificial mesh when compared with tissue repair in the surgical treatment of vaginal prolapse. Slightly better repair with mesh needs to be weighed carefully against increased risk of harms.

9 Feb 2016

Virtual and augmented reality in surgical training: an interview with Dr Shafi Ahmed

Virtual reality and augmented reality use similar technologies but offer slightly different experiences and usage scenarios. We’ve developed a VR training tool that enables trainee surgeons to become immersed in another surgeon’s reality and gain their perspective of a recorded operation.

15 Jan 2016

Pulmonary neuroendocrine cells act like sensor to orchestrate immune response

An uncommon and little-studied type of cell in the lungs has been found to act like a sensor, linking the pulmonary and central nervous systems to regulate immune response in reaction to environmental cues.

13 Jan 2016

Study: Post hospital syndrome is significant risk factor for patients undergoing elective surgery

A condition known as "post hospital syndrome" (PHS) is a significant risk factor for patients who undergo elective outpatient surgery, a Loyola study has found.

11 Nov 2015

EndoGastric Solutions announces assignment of relative value units for new CPT code covering TIF procedure

EndoGastric Solutions® (EGS), a leader in incisionless procedural therapy for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), today announced the Federal Register has posted coding and payment information specific to the new Current Procedural Terminology (CPT)® code covering the Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication (TIF®) procedure.

4 Nov 2015

Brief exposure to general anesthesia during infancy does not affect neurological development

Although the medical community has raised concerns about the safety of anesthesia on the developing brains of young children, new research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2015 annual meeting, found brief exposure to general anesthesia during infancy did not impair neurological development. This is the first prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial to assess the long-term, neurological effects of anesthesia in children.

27 Oct 2015

Study identifies five resources that can help hospitals improve surgeries on weekends

Studies have shown that patients who undergo surgeries on weekends tend to experience longer hospital stays and higher mortality rates and readmissions.

7 Oct 2015

Surgical operation using mosquito mesh to repair hernia can benefit millions of impoverished people

Mosquito mesh cannot just prevent malaria, but can also be used to reduce the suffering caused by groin hernia. A surgical operation using mosquito mesh to repair the hernia can give millions of people a chance at a better life.

9 Sep 2015

Individually tailored treatment may help reduce mortality risk in patients undergoing routine surgeries

Cholecystectomy and treatment for inguinal, femoral, umbilical, or abdominal hernia are common surgeries and are considered routine in Germany. In an original article in the current edition of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 112: 535-43), Ulrike Nimptsch and Thomas Mansky show that fewer than 0.5% of patients die as a result of such surgeries.

28 Aug 2015