Surgery

Thymoma is rare and most known for its presence in 15% of patients who have myasthenia gravis. Thymoma tumors can be quite large. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment for thymoma, but when thymoma recurs (as it does in 10% to 30% of patients), the best course of action is often unclear.

Cardiologists have discussed the pros and cons of drug-eluting stents (DES) for several years. Some evidence seems to indicate that DES reduce risk of restenosis or ischemia-driven target vessel revascularization. They may, however, be more prone than bare metal stents to late (beyond 1 year) and sudden coronary artery occlusion.

Surgery to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which entails tonsil and adenoid removal, also improved asthma in affected children, research suggested.

Although the introduction of peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) for the treatment of achalasia, a condition that affects the ability of the esophagus to move food into the stomach, has caused quite a stir, clinicians are reminded to consider additional factors when discussing therapeutic options.

Oprah Winfrey. Bill Cosby. Muhammad Ali. Sidney Poitier. Alvin Crawford, MD. If that last name seems out of place with the others, guess again.

Distal radius fracture-also called a wrist fracture by patients-is common. Its incidence is expected to increase in the next 20 years, since our population is aging and the risk of this specific fracture increases in patients with metabolic disorders, including osteoporosis. However, the health care community has yet to reach a consensus regarding indications for surgery, and there is insufficient data to identify a preferred operative technique.

Team-based feedback has the potential to improve surgeons' relationships with coworkers and patients. The clinical implication: using such feedback to improve less-than-optimal behaviors could increase practice reimbursement under the "pay-for-professionalism" system.

Supporters of a duty-hour limits in the surgical suite to 80 hours/week say that patient safety is improved. Opponents claim that limiting resident duty-hours jeopardizes resident education and preparedness.

During surgery, rFIXFc controlled hemophilia patients' perioperative bleeding, according to a study published in the British Journal of Haemotology.

As the technology of 3-D printing improves its uses are also growing. This includes creating more accurate models of patient hearts that can help surgeons with their work before ever making the first cut.

With a limited donor pool every minute and every decision made by pediatric transplant surgeons can make the difference between life and death for their patients. A recent study looked at whether there was a new way to look at who should be eligible for a heart transplant.

Study results show good outcomes for hip replacement in patients under age 35 diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis who have failed to respond to previous treatment.

As hospitals around the country deal with the newly instituted readmission penalties many are having to look at how they will handle providing the same level of care without some of the money they counted on in the past.

Clinicians who see their own clinical outcomes data (sometimes referred to as surgeon-specific mortality data) can use that information to promote and enhance patient safety. However, critics of this approach argue that places the burden solely on the surgeon and under-appreciates the surgical team's role and dismisses hospital staffing, infrastructure, and process as contributors to patient safety.

When surgical patients have tumors that secrete adrenal hormonal, the anesthesiologist needs to thoroughly address preoperative evaluation, perioperative hemodynamic control, electrolytes, and metabolic abnormalities

Almost everyone has episodes of low back pain (LBP) from time to time. Fortunately, most episodes of LBP are considered acute, and resolve within 6 to 12 weeks. When LBP pain persists and becomes chronic, treatment is considerably more complicated and often leads the patient to the surgical suite.

The study of complex congenital cardiac anatomy has previously been limited to 2-dimensional assessment. Now the potential use of 3-dimensional cardiac models could allow for previously unavailable visualization and analysis of anatomy.

"Is this the end of the road for aspirin in primary prevention?" asked Dorairaj Prabhakaran, MD, DM, MSc, at the 2014 American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions.

Heart failure is highly debilitating and life threatening – nearly half the patients who die from cardiovascular causes do so suddenly when their heart simply stops pumping, well before medical intervention is even possible.

Kirk Garratt, MD, presenting at the 2014 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, said "The TAXUS Liberte Post-approval Study (TL-PAS) was designed to provide long-term safety and efficacy information about the clinical outcomes for the TL stent combined with the use of prasugrel and aspirin."

"Left heart remodeling after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is poorly characterized," according to Marco Magalhaes, MD, who presented at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2014.

Obese patients present several challenges when it comes to gastric bypass, kidney transplant, and other surgeries. Several recent advances have reduced the risk of complications in this population.

Heart failure and other cardiac events can leave lasting effects on the lives of patients. Scientists are working on ways to help make the recovery process easier and smoother by generating cells that can help the healing process.

In the past patients diagnosed as obese would be automatically disqualified from receiving a kidney transplant. Now, thanks to advances in robotic surgery there are new options that can help give these patients a new lease on life.

Outcomes for liver transplant recipients have never been better, and long-term survival will depend on a holistic approach that includes evidence-based health surveillance by hepatologists and others to optimize screening and primary prevention in this population.

Hepatorenal syndrome, a potentially deadly complication of ascites in liver disease that represents a devastating metabolic cascade of organ failure, should be recognized early and managed vigorously.

A recent study has shown that in addition to losing weight patients who undergo weight loss surgery also decrease their chances of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Physicians treating individuals affected by obesity who are contemplating laparascopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) have a new risk assessment tool available. The user-friendly online risk calculator uses a robust statistical model and can offer an accurate preoperative risk assessment, based on updated outcome data.

An intragastric dual-balloon device was well tolerated and proved effective for patients with moderate levels of obesity, owing in part to its ability to conform to stomach anatomy, according to Jaime Ponce, MD, Medical Director for the Bariatric Surgery program at Hamilton Medical Center, in Dalton, Georgia.

Even as Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems become more commonplace in the medical community there is still a large knowledge gap between health care professionals and their patients regarding the availability and use of these systems, according to a recent survey.