Surgery

Researchers have shown that the tendency of atrial fibrillation to impair cognitive function stems, at least in part, from a reduction in blood flow to the brain.

For the first time, researchers have evidence identifying the key cells behind the pain imbalance between genders.

Colorectal surgery is often performed for inflammatory disease or malignancy-known risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE). Although a patient safety priority, comprehensive recommendations for these VTE patients are lacking. Most patients receive perioperative and in-hospital VTE chemoprophylaxis, but extended prophylaxis rates lag.

Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) after major abdominal surgery are common, with risk increasing with patient age. Major abdominal surgeries alter and disrupt diaphragmatic dysfunction, which has been proven causative of PPCs.

Only 1 in 6 heart transplants is done in a child, which means that globally, approximately 600 children undergo this procedure annually. A paper published in the Journal of Thoracic Disease makes the case for performing pediatric heart transplants in specialized centers and addressing factors unique to the pediatric patient.

Patients with chronic critical illness face a litany of health issues after their treatment needing care for these conditions. While pamidronate has been used in the past a new study looked at whether the treatment affects areas like bone absorption and overall mortality and ventilator liberation.

It should be common knowledge that prescription opioids have addictive properties, yet alarming survey results reveal that many healthcare providers do not understand the extent to which this is the case.

In addition to killing emotions and proving to be ineffective for back pain and osteoarthritis, the most common drug ingredient in the US can also cause severe bodily harm.

Analysis of health records from across the country indicates that improvements in ablation procedures are making them a safer and more effective treatment for patients with atrial fibrillation.

Patients coming out of surgery face a variety of risks even when the operation is done. A group is looking into a new device that can help with patients undergoing abdominal surgery to detect ileus after going under the knife.

The internet can be an endless source of information for patients looking to learn more about their conditions and possible treatments and surgical options. Whether those sources provide the help needed is another issue for healthcare professionals to tackle.

A new opioid will soon be on the market now that final approval from the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has been confirmed.

For patients who might need an intestinal transplant the surgery can often be a difficult and not always a permanent process. A new area of research is looking at whether cells can form intestines in the patients without needing the full transplant process.

The US Food and Drug Administration today approved the use of cangrelor (Kengreal/The Medicines Company) for adults undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI).

Potentially addictive opioids may be avoidable thanks to a new treatment pathway for chronic pain and other painful conditions by focusing on genetics.

As summer quickly approaches, the products and procedures that claim to remove excess fat are seemingly endless. One of the latest trends – body sculpting treatments – is rapidly growing in popularity.

As more awareness is being raised about autoimmune hepatitis more can be done to help the patients with the condition. While it may be a slow moving process doctors are encouraged that their patients are receiving the help they need.

Thanks to the power of social media and the internet doctors and patients around the world can now learn more about autoimmune hepatitis. This marks a big step forward for a condition where information used to be few and far between for people who need it most.

There are a variety of ways to test patients for autoimmune hepatitis and there are different treatment options for those patients as well. The key is finding the condition to match treatment before it is too late for the patients.

Autoimmune hepatitis has only been known in its current form for around 20 years meaning there is still much to be learned about the condition.

The days of patients requesting stacks of paper medical records being sent to a new healthcare professional are largely over in many places. How the information is transmitted and who gets to see that information is now a topic of discussion in the community.

Survival rates and other outcome measures for liver transplant from a living donor compare favorably with transplants from deceased donors.

The field of electronic health records has made big advancements in recent years but there is still more work to be done. How that work is done will depend on input not only from the healthcare field but also the patients who use it.

The summer 2015 issue of the Journal of Surgical Orthopedic Advances discusses a question that continues to vex surgeons and patients alike: when can patients who have arthroscopic rotator cuff repair drive again and what are the patient's perceptions? To date, no clear guideline has been developed for driving safety and maneuverability during post-operative recovery.

Insurers, regulators and statisticians have long contended that where patients undergo weight loss surgery can be as important as who performs it. A skilled, experienced bariatric surgeon will only perform optimally and patients will only receive ideal post-op care if the center in which he or she works is well-equipped.

Many hospitals around the country are eliminating their paper records all together which is changing the way patient records are shared. This can have a long reach into a patient's life as different parts of their lives depend on having their records to send to various entities.

Now that it has been shown that more control can be given to patients in regards to their electronic health records, the question becomes whether it should be done and how it should be done.

When converting medical records into an electronic form most of the work can be done without much consideration. However, when it comes to observations and other notes by healthcare professionals, how they are included and made available to patients can present the need for more in depth thought.

When deciding how or even if to give patients access to their medical records, a recent study found there are many areas that need to be considered before the access is made available.