Surgery

Left atrial appendage obliteration reduces stroke risk in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, but a new study suggests that the procedure does not reduce stroke risk in atrial fibrillation patients after bioprosthetic mitral valve replacement.

Bariatric surgery has been shown to reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes and albuminuria. However, data connecting the magnitude of weight loss and reduction in obesity-related comorbidities is limited.

Patients with moderate rheumatoid arthritis (RA) taking disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) have a similar risk of joint fracture that requires surgery as RA patients with high disease activity.

If a patient requires bypass surgery one of the factors doctors will look at when considering the operation is the person's blood pressure. A recent study looked at whether it could be safe to operate when the patient's pressure is higher or lower than previously accepted.

Every day 46 people in the United States die from a prescription painkiller overdose. As part of its effort to combat this startling epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will soon launch a comprehensive prevention program.

The first study of its kind examined joint replacement surgery in patients with osteoarthritis and confirmed an increased risk of cardiovascular complications.

Voriconazole, used to treat fungal infections in lung transplant recipients, has been reported to increase their risk of skin cancer and mortality.

The first real-world study of its kind revealed that rivaroxaban, marketed as Xarelto, can reduce the risk of stroke and major bleeding in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) – a group that is five times more likely to suffer a stroke compared to the general population.

Researchers who assessed patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) reported that extending the use of a particular anti-clotting medication following the procedure did not lead to additional benefits.

The EXAMINATION trial showed a second generation drug-eluting stent did better than a bare-metal stent, researachers reported at ESC 2015 in London, UK.

As with all cardiac intervention procedures there are risks for the patients. However, working in consultation with doctors the results can be minimized to provide the best level of care.

The MANTRA-PAF trial, A study looking at a treatment for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation reached its five year follow-up mark and the results were shared at the recent European Society of Cardiology Congress to see whether surgical or pharmaceutical treatment was better for patients.

While the treatment of atrial fibrillation has made many advancements in recent years there is still much more work to be done. As with other areas of medicine this includes individualized approaches to care.

At the annual ESC Congress in London there were many key studies presented. Some of them could provide information that doctors can put into practice as soon as they return to the office.

Atrial fibrillation is a common condition cardiologists face on a regular basis. How best to treat those patients is an area still being worked on in the field and in practices around the world.

Three recent studies – in three very different publications – add to a growing cache of evidence showing that music can have significant benefits for patients with pain.

A recent review in Chronic Wound Care Management and Research suggests that wound pruritus is not well understood and is often poorly treated, despite nearly a century of clinical investigation. Irritations of the skin can be as distressing for patients as pain, the authors noted; yet, there is no established treatment protocol for wound pruritus.

Study results suggest that longer exposure to methotrexate and other disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs within the first year of diagnosis is associated with a significantly longer time to joint replacement surgery.

Older spinal cord injury patients are less likely to get surgery than younger patients with the same injury, according to research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Female mice models felt pain differently than their male counterparts, according to a study published in Nature Neuroscience.

Some studies have shown the benefit of a blunt, Whitacre-type needle in reducing the incidence of intravascular injection during TFESI, but other studies showed that a short-bevel needle did not reduce the incidence of intravascular injection in lumbar TFESI compared to long-bevel, Quincke-type needles.

The number of opioid-related deaths nearly quadrupled from 1999 to 2011 in the US; and while that number continues to increase, one state has made positive strides with the implementation of two initiatives.

Insurance status and initial severity of symptoms may impact satisfaction scores after spinal surgery, Vanderbilt researchers found.

A whole new segment of the population, particularly elderly patients are now eligible for a lifesaving cardiac procedure with the development of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement or TAVR.

In the past surgery for the treatment of epilepsy involved a complicated craniotomy procedure. Now, thanks to laser technology some of the most severe patients can get relief from their symptoms and be on their way home the next day.

Atrial fibrillation is a growing problem and new techniques and technologies are being developed to treat the condition. One new device has been developed as a new surgical option for doctors to consider.

Patients fly to Cleveland Clinic from all over the world-bypassing many centers of excellence. Why is that? MD Magazine visited the renowned Ohio hospital and got some answers.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the prescription of OxyContin, an extended-release opioid, for particular pediatric patients.

New research suggests that the Cox maze IV ablation procedure (CMP-IV) leads to better long-term outcomes than catheter-based ablation procedures in patients with atrial fibrillation.

When patients need pancreatic surgery, surgeons worry about postoperative infections with good reason. Even with strict adherence to infection control technique, ideal surgical procedures, perfect perioperative care, and aggressive antibiotic prophylaxis, morbidity and mortality from infection remains high.