Surgery

Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter may be regularly used by patients but some doctors have been slower to incorporate these tools into their practice.

As Xarelto is used in practice by more doctors researchers at Janssen Pharmaceuticals are getting a better sense of its efficacy beyond the extensive clinical trials it underwent.

When you become a doctor, it’s no secret that you will have to deal with people all day long. And, in the course of these many human interactions (sometimes under stressful circumstances), there are bound to be some awkward, uncomfortable and painfully silent moments.

For those how enter the field of genetic testing there are many challenges along the way, starting with finding the right training program through using that training in very difficult situations.

As more is learned about genetic conditions in cardiology more is being done to help not only to help the patients themselves but those around them as well.

What once began in slow motion is now rapidly accelerating. The house of medicine is on fire, not with passionate purpose, but with a majority of doctors who are burning out.

Hopes that losmapimod would benefit patients after a STEMI heart attack were not borne out by a study reported today at the American College of Cardiology's meeting in Chicago, IL.

The MD Magazine editors rounded up the 10 best stories from the past month – did you read them all?

The race to perform a historic organ transplant in a patient with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), from an HIV-positive donor, has come to an end as a team of physicians from Johns Hopkins has successfully completed the monumental surgery.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is a common bariatric procedure.

A retrospective analysis of transesophageal echocardiography from 388 patients undergoing catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation has found no significant evidence that novel oral anticoagulants reduce the incidence of left atrial thrombus or eliminate the need for transesophageal echocardiography before ablation.

Most patients with coronary artery disease receive aspirin for primary or secondary prevention of myocardial infarction, stroke, and death.

Heart disease is already the number one cause of death in women in the United States, and now a recent study has found that endometriosis is linked to a higher risk of coronary heart disease.

For patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation the prospects of treatment can be scary and intimidating. With a team based approach that care can help them live normal lives while safely managing their condition.

An investigational therapy developed from healthy donor stool specimens treated with ethanol to eliminate pathogens—the resulting spores of which are fractionated and encapsulated for oral delivery as SER-109—appears to effectively treat recurrent Clostridium difficile infection.

Pediatric splenectomy is performed frequently for various indications, with hereditary spherocytosis, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, sickle cell anemia, and malignant hematologic diseases the most common causes.

In a constantly evolving field like oncology it can be difficult for doctors not in specialized centers to keep up on the latest developments and direct their patients to people who can best help them. Because of this elite centers are working to improve education not only for patients but health care professionals as well.

For certain late stage abdominal cancer patients a specialized procedure called hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy can provide a "new lease on life," as a specialized treatment method.

Oral contraception could be a beneficial addition for female athletes… and their knees.

Powders used to make it easier to put on surgical gloves can cause asthma in patients and doctors. They can result in adhesions and even tumors in surgical patients. The dangers have been known for years and alternative products are available.

Nearly one-quarter of resident physicians are depressed or experience depressive symtoms.

With the announcement of a new medical school thanks to a partnership between Seton Hall University and Hackensack University Health Network the two New Jersey institutions are working to address a growing shortage of physicians in a number of specialties across the country.

Hackensack University Medical Center can trace its roots back to a blizzard back in the late 1800's when residents in northern New Jersey could not get across the Hudson River to get the care they needed. Since that time it has grown into the flagship of one of the largest health networks in the metropolitan area.

The Affordable Care Act has had a significant impact on the health care landscape beyond patients having more access to health insurance. For hospitals and health care systems they have also had to adjust to provide a high quality of care for patients.

Although generally the most effective intervention for morbid obesity, bariatric surgery does not result in predictable weight loss patterns.

Bariatric surgery is rapidly becoming a favorable gastrointestinal procedure, and surgeons have performed more than 500,000 procedures annually worldwide.

A Long Island otolaryngologist has agreed to pay $75,000 and attend discrimination training to settle charges he refused to operate upon learning his patient was HIV positive.

Despite a considerable gap between the number of patients who require a transplant and the number of organs available those patients fortunate enough to receive the lifesaving organs are seeing greater success from the procedure.

With hundreds of thousands of people in the United States undergoing dialysis the field of nephrology is working hard to keep these patients as healthy as possible in hopes of getting them to the point of kidney transplant.

There is no shortage of people in need of a kidney transplant but a considerable shortage in the number of organs available to these patients. Despite that health care professionals in nephrology are determined to provide their patients the highest quality of life possible in spite of these challenges.