Medical Procedure News

RSS

MGH papers reveal the way anesthetics affect brains of older patients and children

Recent Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigations into the neurobiology underlying the effects of general anesthesia have begun to reveal the ways different anesthetic agents alter specific aspects of the brain's electrical signals, reflected by EEG (electroencephalogram) signatures. While those studies have provided information that may lead to improved techniques for monitoring the consciousness of patients receiving general anesthesia, until now they have been conducted in relatively young adult patients.

14 Aug 2015

Arterial shunt in hybrid palliation better for hypoplastic left heart syndrome treatment

Children born with the major congenital heart defect hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) often must undergo a series of corrective surgeries beginning at birth. While most have the standard three-stage Norwood procedure, a hybrid strategy has been introduced to offset some disadvantages associated with the Norwood surgeries. In a report in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, investigators compare whether outcomes can be improved if an arterial shunt is used as a source of pulmonary blood flow rather than the more conventional venous shunt as part of the hybrid strategy of HLHS surgical reconstruction.

14 Aug 2015

Organ transplant recipients more likely to develop melanoma

Organ transplant recipients are twice as likely to develop melanoma as people who do not undergo a transplant, and three times more likely to die of the dangerous skin cancer, suggests new research led by a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health student.

14 Aug 2015

Listening to music improves postoperative recovery in adult patients undergoing surgical procedure

Listening to music before, during, or after a surgical procedure is beneficial to patients and can significantly reduce pain and anxiety, and decrease the need for pain medication, according to the most comprehensive review of the evidence so far, involving almost 7000 patients, published in The Lancet.

14 Aug 2015

New endoscopic system differentiates between malignant and benign tumors in gastrointestinal tract

Cancer or no cancer? This question can usually only be answered after a days-long wait for a histological examination. With the use of a mass spectrometric technique, the answer may soon be available in real time.

13 Aug 2015

Combination of chemotherapy and immune-blocking drug could prevent cancer recurrence

Giving patients a drug that blocks part of the immune system from going into overdrive might help prevent cancer coming back in some people, according to research published today in Cancer Research.

13 Aug 2015

New article highlights benefits and risks of cesarean delivery on maternal request

More and more mothers facing childbirth are asking for a cesarean. There are many reasons for this, ranging from the social and cultural to the personal, such as fear about the birth. A review article in the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztbl 112: 489-95) by two Munich gynecologists, Ioannis Mylonas and Klaus Friese, considers the risks and benefits of cesarean delivery on maternal request.

13 Aug 2015

Chances of survival due to chemotherapy significantly lower for older breast cancer patients

Chemotherapy prolongs life for older adults with most types of cancer, but for women over the age of 80 with breast cancer, the chances of survival due to chemotherapy are significantly lower, according to a study led by researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

13 Aug 2015

Retrieving eggs at earlier stage of fertility treatment may improve pregnancy rates for older women

IVF success rates for women aged 43 and above could improve by retrieving eggs from their ovaries at an earlier stage of fertility treatment, according to a new study published today in the Journal of Endocrinology.

12 Aug 2015

Using frozen eggs for in vitro fertilization linked to lower live birth rates

Compared to using fresh oocytes (eggs) for in vitro fertilization, use of cryopreserved (frozen) donor oocytes in 2013 was associated with lower live birth rates, according to a study in the August 11 issue of JAMA.

12 Aug 2015

Delaying surgery until clinical triggers emerge leads to increased mortality in patients with mitral regurgitation

Patients with mitral regurgitation face a dilemma of whether to undergo corrective surgery early, when they might have no or few symptoms, or wait until their condition worsens. Current guidelines allow for watchful waiting until certain symptoms appear that would then "trigger" the decision to proceed with surgery.

12 Aug 2015

Gastric bypass surgery enhances energy expenditure

Gastric bypass surgery often leads to a sustained weight loss. Researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy have found part of the explanation: the operation enhances energy expenditure such that eating actually helps the person lose weight.

12 Aug 2015

Cost of radiation therapy varies widely among Medicare patients with cancer

Cost of radiation therapy among Medicare patients varied most widely because of factors unrelated to a patient or that person's cancer, report University of California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers in the Journal of Oncology Practice.

12 Aug 2015

Orlando Health Heart Institute first in Central Florida to use CoreValve Evolut R System to replace heart valves

Leading edge heart valve technology is helping improve patient outcomes and giving doctors greater accuracy when implanting replacement valves. Interventional cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons at the Orlando Health Heart Institute are the first in Central Florida to use the newly approved recapturable, self-expanding CoreValve Evolut R System.

12 Aug 2015

St. Luke’s surgeons first to perform percutaneous Mitral Valve Repair using MitraClip technology

Arthur Decheser said the “doctors were dancing” last week after they successfully used a new device to stop his mitral valve from leaking.

11 Aug 2015

Total knee replacements can effectively treat degeneration caused by bone deformity

A first-of-its kind study has found that total knee replacements can effectively treat degeneration caused by a bone deformity called Blount disease.

11 Aug 2015

Screening questionnaire helps anesthesia professionals identify SDB symptoms in children prior to surgery

Knowing which risks may come into play before or during surgery is especially important where children are concerned.

11 Aug 2015

SCCA Proton Therapy Center makes advanced radiation therapy accessible to patients with ocular melanoma

For most the ability to see is often taken for granted. But for the thousands diagnosed with ocular melanoma, the fear of losing their eyesight or even worse, their lives, is an all too real possibility. Ocular melanoma is seen as a rare form of cancer, with approximately two thousand new diagnoses per year.

11 Aug 2015

St. Luke’s neurosurgeon partners with Medtronic to perform first live feed neurosurgery

St. Luke’s University Health Network’s functional neurosurgeon Steven Falowski, MD, has partnered with Medtronic medical device company to promote faster and better product development within the field of neuromodulation for patients with pain and disability related to nerve disorders.

7 Aug 2015

Shorter course of whole breast radiation therapy better for women with early stage breast cancer

Women who receive a shorter course of whole breast radiation therapy for early stage disease experience less toxicity and improved quality of life compared to those who undergo a longer course of treatment, researchers report from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

7 Aug 2015

Medical Procedure News

MGH papers reveal the way anesthetics affect brains of older patients and children

Arterial shunt in hybrid palliation better for hypoplastic left heart syndrome treatment

Organ transplant recipients more likely to develop melanoma

Listening to music improves postoperative recovery in adult patients undergoing surgical procedure

New endoscopic system differentiates between malignant and benign tumors in gastrointestinal tract

Combination of chemotherapy and immune-blocking drug could prevent cancer recurrence

New article highlights benefits and risks of cesarean delivery on maternal request

Chances of survival due to chemotherapy significantly lower for older breast cancer patients

Retrieving eggs at earlier stage of fertility treatment may improve pregnancy rates for older women

Using frozen eggs for in vitro fertilization linked to lower live birth rates

Delaying surgery until clinical triggers emerge leads to increased mortality in patients with mitral regurgitation

Gastric bypass surgery enhances energy expenditure

Cost of radiation therapy varies widely among Medicare patients with cancer

Orlando Health Heart Institute first in Central Florida to use CoreValve Evolut R System to replace heart valves

St. Luke’s surgeons first to perform percutaneous Mitral Valve Repair using MitraClip technology

Total knee replacements can effectively treat degeneration caused by bone deformity

Screening questionnaire helps anesthesia professionals identify SDB symptoms in children prior to surgery

SCCA Proton Therapy Center makes advanced radiation therapy accessible to patients with ocular melanoma

St. Luke’s neurosurgeon partners with Medtronic to perform first live feed neurosurgery

Shorter course of whole breast radiation therapy better for women with early stage breast cancer

Exploring electron microscopy for plant and microbial imaging at the John Innes Centre

Extending the reach of Amperia™

Modular cleanrooms: Enhancing flexibility and compliance

Latest News