Surgery

As the field of pain medicine advances there is a considerable focus on helping patients get better as well as undoing the damage done by the opioid abuse epidemic. Both problems will likely require a long term approach to be successful.

For some patients, especially on a short term basis opioids may still be the best treatment option. Safely prescribing these medications is the focus of a field looking to help patients without causing problems in other areas.

As it is becoming clearer how dangerous opioids can be for some patients work is being done to find alternatives to help manage pain without as much fear of addiction.

An electronic alert system may lead physicians to put more Afib patients on anti-coagulants.

While some patients may need procedures like gastric bypass surgery to lose weight others may be able to achieve their goals by taking smaller steps.

After years of hearing they need to exercise and lose weight some patients can lose the purpose of the message and the potential benefits that come with it.

For chronic conditions like atrial fibrillation the needs of patients can change regularly. With doctors unable to answer all questions all the time patient organizations can help provide a peer to peer level of help.

When patients come to doctors with information about a given topic it is important for them to provide guidance not only on the information provided but also help them find results that will be of more use to their individual are.

It can be easy for patients to go online and get all the information they could ever want about just about any topic. However, finding information, and finding factual information are two very different issues.

It has been many years since Howard Schatz was a practicing physician and while he said the retina specialty has changed he has also seen the field of photography change as digital passes the age of film.

It was supposed to be just a one year sabbatical for Howard Schatz to take a break from his work as a retina specialist and enjoy what had become a growing hobby of photography. More than two decades later Schatz said he misses some parts of practice but is greatly enjoying what has become a second career.

With medical equipment being universal in operating rooms everywhere having the tools personalized for surgeons could be somewhat of an uphill battle depending on how popular the idea becomes.

While surgeons across the globe have become used to performing procedures with the same equipment as their colleagues there could be some benefit to having tools specifically designed for their individual preferences.

In an age where personalization is a key selling point for many items research is being done as to whether this could apply to equipment eye surgeons use in the operating room.

For patients with retinitis pigmentosa the loss of vision can be a difficult consequence of the condition. An implanted device may not give them back the sight they once had but it can provide a chance to see the world around them in a new way.

As technology improves across the medical spectrum new devices, including implants, are providing help for patients who just a few years ago may not have had any treatment options available.

As more is learned from the battlefield about limb salvage and prosthetics those lessons can be applied in civilian care. This is particularly true for conditions like peripheral artery disease.

If peripheral artery disease is not caught soon enough patients risk losing toes, feet, or legs to amputation. Going from the beginning of the treatment process through potential amputation is a delicate balancing act for doctors.

Diagnosing peripheral artery disease can be a simple process if doctors know what they are looking for and patients follow medical directions.

Patients who suffer spinal cord injuries are getting better help with their condition than they did just a few years ago but there is much more work to be done in this field.

When patients need delicate spinal procedures finding the newest technologies and techniques can help not only in the operating room but also following discharge.

In addition to new medications there are new devices and procedures constantly being developed to help patients across a broad spectrum of conditions. Data from these trials can determine how helpful they are for patients and what their future usage will be.

There are many patients around the world suffering from various degrees of heart failure. With such potentially fatal consequences there has been a push to make the condition only treated by specialists.

As newer medications are developed for various conditions there can be a rush to prescribe them for patients. However, various factors including cost can make these prohibitive options for doctors and patients alike.

As transcatheter aortic valve replacement (or TAVR) becomes more common, more work is being done to help patients undergoing this procedure.

Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, who served as FDA Commissioner and CMS Administrator, will be the keynote speaker at the fall meeting of the ACO & Emerging Healthcare Delivery Coalition, presented by The American Journal of Managed Care. The meeting will be October 20-21, 2016, in Philadelphia.

Even the newest OBGYN should be able to identify polycystic ovarian syndrome though it may require a specialist to effectively treat the condition. Work is also being done to help the partners of patients better understand its impact in daily lives and fertility.

One of the best things patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome can do to help their chances of conceiving a baby is weight loss. For some the prospect of being a parent is enough to lose the weight needed to become a pregnant.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome may not be a new condition for doctors to treat but there is constant work being done to find new treatment methods. For many patients the best course of treatment may be weight loss.

By the time many patients are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer their chances of survival are greatly diminished More work is being done to help patients find the condition early in hopes of improving their quality of life.