Surgery News and Research

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Study clarifies risk of recurrence for high-risk breast cancer patients

High-risk breast cancer patients do not appear to have a higher risk of relapse than the general breast cancer population during the first two years after diagnosis, unless their cancer has spread to more than 10 axillary lymph nodes, Italian researchers reported at the 2nd ESMO Scientific & Educational Conference (ESEC) in Budapest, Hungary.

6 Jun 2005

Link between the protective effect of ischemic preconditioning in skeletal muscles and the substance that triggers hibernation

A phenomenon known as ischemic preconditioning (IP), in which blood flow to muscle is reduced and then restored, has previously been shown to increase muscle function, especially in the heart.

6 Jun 2005

'Miracle Mermaid Baby' Milagros meets the media after her successful operation

The world had its first glimpse of 13-month-old Milagros Cerron last Thursday since she had surgery to separate her fused legs. This is only the second such successful operation on record performed to correct "mermaid syndrome."

5 Jun 2005

New generation of lenses makes evolutionary leap in eliminating need for glasses

The need for reading glasses or bifocals as we age may begin fading from sight with the latest generation of intraocular lenses.

3 Jun 2005

Fungal contamination of saline-filled breast implants is readily preventable

The key steps are to use closed systems for filling the devices and to adhere to the strict moisture control and operating room ventilation standards in force at major hospitals.

3 Jun 2005

Chemo combo increases breast cancer survival

A new Spanish study has found that a combination of chemotherapy drugs can increase the five-year survival rate of women with metastatic, node-positive breast cancer by 7 percent.

2 Jun 2005

Study links TNF to androgen deficiency in rheumatoid arthritis patients and suggest a novel pathway in inflammation

A protein involved in multiple cell functions, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is perhaps best known for provoking destructive inflammation. Recently, drugs blocking the action of TNF have shown promise in the early treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

2 Jun 2005

Genetic variation alters response to anti-clotting drug warfarin

Millions of people take the anticoagulant drug warfarin to prevent harmful clotting after a heart attack, stroke, or major surgery. But the proper dose of warfarin can vary greatly and can be hard to predict.

1 Jun 2005

Losing weight for a better night's sleep

Significant weight loss can improve the sleep patterns of severely obese people, leading to less daytime sleepiness and better quality of life, a study by the Monash University Centre of Obesity Research and Education has found.

1 Jun 2005

Scientists develop a way to block the signals responsible for neuropathic pain

Remember how it felt the last time you burned your finger on a hot stove? Imagine what it's like to have that burning pain in your hands or feet all the time and know there's virtually nothing you can do about it.

1 Jun 2005

UMHS study finds premium rates affect where ob/gyns choose to practice

The high cost of malpractice insurance for some medical specialties affects not only how many doctors are entering the field of obstetrics and gynecology, but also where they offer their widely needed obstetric, prenatal and gynecological care, according to new University of Michigan Health System research.

1 Jun 2005

Hypertension, diabetes and obesity are important independent predictors of increased complications for patients undergoing major joint replacement surgery

Using a database of nearly 1 million Americans who underwent major joint replacement surgery, a team led by researchers at Duke University Medical Center have determined those surgical patients with diabetes, hypertension or obesity were significantly more likely to suffer post-operative complications.

1 Jun 2005

Heart doctors say off-pump or on-pump, no difference in bypass surgery

As far as the American Heart Association (AHA) is concerned, the long running debate over whether patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery do better if their hearts keep beating or if a heart-lung machine takes over should end.

1 Jun 2005

Long-haul flights, length of time under anesthesia increase risk of developing blood clots

The prolonged immobility of flight passengers during long-haul air travel increases the risk of developing blood clots, which could prove fatal especially to people whose travel occurs just prior to major surgery, medical researchers report in the current issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

31 May 2005

Little mermaid Milagros to have major surgery

Little Peruvian baby girl Milagros who celebrated her first birthday a month ago has been nicknamed the "little mermaid" because her legs resemble the tail of a fish.

31 May 2005

1980's brain surgery may have exposed 50 patients to Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

It has now been revealed that as many as 50 patients may have been exposed to Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) following brain surgery during the 1980s.

31 May 2005

Doctor sold Surgery Board exam answers on eBay

The American Board of Surgery is being forced to rewrite its certifying exam and change its examination rules after 86 answers to the test turned up for auction on eBay in August, 2004.

31 May 2005

Young adults forget their own life-support decisions

More than half of young adults soon unwittingly change their minds about decisions they make governing future life-saving medical treatment for themselves, a new study has found.

30 May 2005

Fluorescence device to diagnose atherosclerosis and tumors

In a presentation at the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO), researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Biophotonics Research and Technology Development Laboratory described recent progress on a device that stimulates, collects and measures light emissions from body tissues to diagnose critical atherosclerotic plaques (vulnerable plaques) and aggressive brain tumors.

29 May 2005

New study shows that bypass surgery is more successful than stents in heart surgery

A study of nearly 60,000 patients has found that people with several clogged heart arteries did better if they had bypass surgery rather than a less-drastic procedure in which the blood vessels are propped open with tiny mesh cylinders called stents.

26 May 2005