The HCPLive surgery page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on invasive medicine. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments for surgery, and more.
October 4th 2024
AHN’s minimally invasive spine surgery relieves patients’ pain and quickly gets them back to living.
September 27th 2024
Which Stents Are Better: Drug-Eluting or Bare Metal?
December 5th 2014Cardiologists 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.
Gastroenterologists Consider Novel Procedure of POEM
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.
Distal Radius Fracture: Still No Definitive Treatment Preference
November 28th 2014Distal 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.
Listening to Feedback, Increasing Surgeons' Pay
November 28th 2014Team-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.
Limiting Orthopedic Residents' Work Hours: 15 Years of Data, No Clear Effect
November 28th 2014Supporters 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.
Finding the Most Efficient Methods for Pediatric Heart Transplants
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.
Readmission Penalties and Their Affect on Patient Care
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.
Better Options than Surgeon-Specific Mortality Data
November 19th 2014Clinicians 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.
The Dilemma of Chronic Low Back Pain
November 19th 2014Almost 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.
3-D Printed Heart Models on the Rise
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.
LCZ696 Changing the Course of Heart Failure One Patient at a Time
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.
Increased Risk of Ischemic Events Upon Discontinuation of Prasugrel
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 in Patients with Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement
"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.
Cardiac Regeneration Provides Hope for Future Heart Patients
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.
Obesity No Longer a Hindrance for Kidney Donation
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.
General Health Surveillance, Screening Important for Long-Term Liver Transplant Survival
November 10th 2014Outcomes 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.
For Best Outcomes, Hepatorenal Syndrome Needs Early Recognition and Early Transplant
November 10th 2014Hepatorenal 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.
New Tool Gives Surgeons Realistic Risk Assessments for Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Patients
November 6th 2014Physicians 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.
New Device Beats Placebo, Produces Durable Results in Moderately Obese Patients
November 6th 2014An 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.
Bridging the Gap Between Provider Offerings and Patient Understanding
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.