Surgery

Having one of the oldest electronic health record systems in the country the state of Indiana has been at the forefront of the field for close to 30 years. Using those records and networks in the state a group from the Regenstrief Institute looked at how patients might want to control who can see their records.

Under the direction of the CNS 7 teams from around the country are looking at best practices for nursing homes in their area. The groups are then pooling their information to see what can be done to improve the life of patients in these facilities and others like them.

People are living well into their 70's and beyond, and as a result the medical community as a whole is being asked to tackle new challenges. This is especially true for nursing homes where patients can require a variety of care on a given day.

Nursing homes across the country have been operating with the same procedures for many years. While a new way of approaching care may take some getting used to and have some initial costs the end result could be beneficial in the long run.

As part of a program run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services centers around the country are taking a closer look at what the nursing home field could look like in the future.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval for the Brio Neurostimulation System– the second brain implant stimulation device to aid in the reduction of Parkinson's disease symptoms and essential tremor.

Patients are often asked their level of pain on a scale of 0 to 10, but a new study suggests this may not be the most efficient way to distribute the appropriate dosage of drugs.

Doctors are always looking out for new ways to help treat their patients, and while it may mean changing their approach to care it can often have overall beneficial results.

Two more US senators have signed on to sponsor a bill addressing the rising prices of some generic drugs. The measure would penalize manufacturers when prices rise faster than inflation. The office of the US Inspector General for Health and Human Services also announced last week that it will soon begin a study of those increases.

After discussing nearly 250 issues, delegates to the AMA's annual meeting left the organization with a towering to-do list. Here's a wrap-up of MD Magazine's on-site coverage of the June 6-10 meeting in Chicago.

Post-mastectomy neuropathic pain can be reduced in nearly one-third of women if the right assessments are completed.

Among severely obese adolescents, research published in JAMA Internal Medicine found those who underwent weight-loss surgery had several traits making them susceptible for cardiovascular disease (CVD).

The violent death of Boston, MA cardiac surgeon Michael Davidson Jan. 20 was much on the minds of physicians at the AMA's meeting in Chicago. Davidson was honored in a memorial and the delegates resolved to lobby for ways to protect physicians from such assaults.

Minimally invasive intervention is an effective alternative to current regional anesthetic techniques for the management of post-operative thoracotomy pain.

Although commercial support for continuing medical education has been on the decline since 2008, it nevertheless continues to be a major revenue source for CME providers and a cause for potential concern.

This is an observational cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries of patients undergoing cataract surgery in the year 2011. Using multivariate analysis, the authors determined the relationship between preoperative testing and patient characteristics, health systems' characteristics, surgical setting, surgical care team, and the occurrence of a preoperative office visit.

A study of left atrial appendage ligations in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) found that leaks are common when doctors perform the surgery with a device called the Lariat and that those leaks can lead to neurological events.

Results from a small trial suggest that injections of botulinum toxin, administered after bypass surgery into the fat pads that surround the heart, may reduce the danger of postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) and virtually eliminate the danger of recurrent AF.

Are surgeons less likely to embrace evidence-based medicine and use cutting-edge research methods to conduct high-quality randomized, controlled trials than their medical colleagues?

When treating elderly patients going under the knife may not always be the ideal solution to a problem. However, in some cases it may be the only option to ensuring a high quality of life for patients.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) lowering certain financial barriers to care seemed to serve as a catalyst for increased colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in individuals of a lower socioeconomic status (SES), since 2010.

Bruce Jenner's transformation into Caitlyn Jenner is global news. It's a good time to discuss gender issues--but how?

In elderly patients who experience chronic, post-traumatic, lower-extremity ulcers, fractional carbon dioxide laser treatment was found to accelerate wound healing.

Physicians' total annual Medicare part B fee-for-service payment data for 2013 was released by CMS today. The American Medical Association fears a replay of last year's release when many physicians appeared, inaccurately, to be getting very rich from Medicare payments.

When a child's pain is more than just a "boo-boo," determining the severity of the pain and a course of action can be extremely challenging.

Patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) may require a break from warfarin sodium therapy in order to undergo surgery or other procedures, however, a new study addressed if doing so presents too high of a risk.

Measuring 2 qualities in about a minute can determine how easily patients will recover after major surgery, according to research in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Results from 2 trials presented at the recent Heart Rhythm Society meeting suggest that 2 alternative ablation technologies work about as well as those that are commonly used on patients with atrial fibrillation.

Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) occurs after approximately 2% of primary hip or knee replacements and in up to 6% of revisions surgeries, and cost more than $50,000 per episode. A recent review found that many surgeons have altered their approaches to PJI management based on recent clinical findings.

Analysis of data from a previous study indicates that opioid use may increase the risk of heart attack by triggering atrial fibrillation.