Aug 13, 2012

There is much hand-wringing about the shortage of primary care physicians. But primary care is not the only specialty with deficits. In a few years, all surgical specialties will experience significan...

Aug 09, 2012

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a common and dangerous condition that affects millions of Americans, especially those with a history of diabetes or smoking. Despite efforts to increase awareness ...

Aug 02, 2012

A meta-analysis has found patient-specific strategies should be used during perioperative management of patients that balances risks of stopping aspirin with risks associated with continuing it. Aspir...

Aug 02, 2012

Partial nephrectomy appears to be associated with better survival among Medicare beneficiaries with early-stage kidney cancer than radical nephrectomy, according to a large investigation. Mortality ra...

Aug 02, 2012

A University of California, Irvine study  has found that the overall splenic injury rate for patients undergoing colorectal resection was appears to be less than 1.0%, but several predictors of these...

Aug 02, 2012

The FDA has granted 510(k) marketing clearance for a cervical cage (ROI-C Lordotic Cervical Cage, LDR) that can be used in spinal surgeries. The cage can be used in patients with varied anatomy and in...

Aug 02, 2012

Here’s a little story from the early days of my first job as a chairman of surgery. Shortly after I assumed the role of surgical chairman in a community teaching hospital at the ripe old age of 4...

Aug 02, 2012

An endovascular stent graft (Zenith Fenestrated AAA Endovascular Graft, Cook Incorporated) has received marketing approval from the FDA for repairing abdominal aortic aneurysms. The graft can also be ...

Aug 02, 2012

Transcatheter aortic-valve replacement (TAVR) appears to reduce rates of death and hospitalization in patients with severe aortic stenosis who are not suitable candidates for surgery, according to fin...

Aug 02, 2012

Although the mortality rate associated with CABG has been declining, research suggests that patients who undergo these procedures are increasingly older and sicker. Risk factors for complications afte...

Jul 26, 2012

The FDA has provided 510(k) marketing clearance for a cannulated pedicle screw system (Securis, Custom Spine) for fully seating screws in the bone during rod insertion. The system features a chromium-...

Jul 26, 2012

Results of a small study of resected patients with pancreas and periampullary cancer (PPC) indicate that a progressive home walking program appears to improve fatigue, physical functioning, and health...

Jul 26, 2012

Researchers at the University of Virginia have found that BMI appears to significantly predict 30-day mortality following surgery, even after adjusting for surgery type and expected risk of death. Stu...

Jul 26, 2012

Published studies have shown that the prevalence of congestive heart failure (CHF) increases as people age, rising from 2% to 3% in the total population to 10% to 20% after patients reach age 75. When...

Jul 23, 2012

A paper reporting the results of a survey of women surgeons on the topic of pregnancy appears in Archives of Surgery online ahead of print. Responses were received from 1,937 female surgeons — 49...

Jul 18, 2012

Venous thromboembolism (VTE), which encompasses deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), is one of the most common reasons for readmission following primary hip or knee replacement surg...

Jul 18, 2012

A report from the CDC has found that the age-adjusted risk of dying decreased 60% from 1935 to 2010. The report, available at www.cdc.gov/nchs, reviewed changes in causes of death, risk of dying, the ...

Jul 16, 2012

"Collateral damage: the effect of patient complications on the surgeon's psyche" was a brief but interesting paper that probably went unnoticed by many. Using the results of a survey completed by only...

Jul 11, 2012

Over the last decade, significant advances and innovations have rapidly evolved in the use of PCI for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Hea...

Jul 05, 2012

A North Carolina study team has found that the rates of depression at 3 and 12 months after hospitalization appear to be similar in stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients. Among the findi...