Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Surgery for January 2019. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Liver Transplant Wait List May Not Prioritize High-Risk Patients
THURSDAY, Jan. 31, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The current method for ranking patients on the liver transplantation wait list may not prioritize some of the sickest candidates, according to a study recently published online in Gastroenterology.
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Death at 10 Years Similar With Bilateral-, Single-Artery CABG
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 30, 2019 (HealthDay News) — There is no difference in the rate of death from any cause at 10 years for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with bilateral or single internal-thoracic-artery grafting, according to a study published in the Jan. 31 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Thymectomy + PDN Beneficial for Non-Thymomatous Myasthenia Gravis
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 30, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For patients with non-thymomatous myasthenia gravis, thymectomy plus prednisone confers benefits versus prednisone alone at five years, according to a study published online Jan. 25 in The Lancet Neurology.
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More Severe Injuries Sustained at Jump Parks Versus Home Trampolines
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 30, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The proportion of fractures/dislocations, lower-extremity fractures, fractures in adults, and surgical interventions is higher for injuries associated with jump parks versus home trampolines, according to a study published in the Jan. 1 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
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Evidence Lacking for Benefit of Surgery for Vertebral Fractures
MONDAY, Jan. 28, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Surgical procedures do not appear to provide significant benefit for patients with vertebral fractures (VF), according to a second American Society for Bone and Mineral Research Task Force report published in the January issue of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.
Paclitaxel Exposure in Vascular Device Not Linked to Mortality
MONDAY, Jan. 28, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Exposure to paclitaxel in drug-coated balloons used in procedures for the treatment of symptomatic femoropopliteal peripheral arterial disease is not associated with mortality, according to a study published online Jan. 25 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Comorbid Neck Injury Up for Women With Concussion
MONDAY, Jan. 28, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Female patients with a concussion-related emergency department visit have an increased risk for comorbid neck injury, according to a study published online Dec. 28 in the Journal of Women’s Health.
Assay Aids Anticoagulant Dosing of Obese Patients for Bariatric Sx
FRIDAY, Jan. 25, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) may provide better information than anti-factor Xa (anti-XA) in determining the best dosage for blood thinners among obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery, according to a study recently published in Surgery for Obesity and Related Disorders.
Report IDs Areas Lacking Good Practice in Health Tech Assessment
FRIDAY, Jan. 25, 2019 (HealthDay News) — In a report published in the January issue of Value in Health, an ISPOR–The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research working group indicates the lack of good practices in three areas of health technology assessment (HTA).
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Cognitive Scores After Kidney Transplant Tied to Frailty
FRIDAY, Jan. 25, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Frail kidney transplant recipients have lower cognitive scores than nonfrail recipients four years after transplant, according to a study published online Jan. 24 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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Texting Intervention Engages Patients After Joint Arthroplasty
FRIDAY, Jan. 25, 2019 (HealthDay News) — A text-messaging (Short Message Service [SMS]) bot is effective for increasing patient engagement after primary total knee or hip arthroplasty, according to a study published in the Jan. 16 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
CDC: Proportion of Increased-Risk Deceased Organ Donors on Rise
THURSDAY, Jan. 24, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Among deceased organ donors, there has been an increase in the proportion at increased risk for transmitting hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and HIV to recipients, according to research published in the Jan. 25 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Gun Injury Hospitalization Cost Over $911 Million 2010 to 2015
THURSDAY, Jan. 24, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The average annual cost of inpatient hospitalizations for firearm injury exceeded $911 million from 2010 to 2015, with 9.5 percent of that amount due to readmissions, according to a study published online Jan. 24 in PLOS ONE.
Time to Breast Cancer Surgery Delayed for Non-Hispanic Blacks
THURSDAY, Jan. 24, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The time to surgery (TTS) after a breast cancer diagnosis is delayed for non-Hispanic black (NHB) versus non-Hispanic white (NHW) women, according to a study published online Jan. 23 in JAMA Surgery.
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Plasma Marker Predicts Allograft Failure in Lung Transplant
THURSDAY, Jan. 24, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Donor-derived cell-free DNA (ddcfDNA) is a potential biomarker that can predict allograft failure after lung transplantation, according to a study published online Jan. 23 in EBioMedicine.
Renal Transplant Improves Survival in ESRD Due to Lupus
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 23, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) due to lupus nephritis (LN), renal transplant is associated with a survival benefit, according to a study published online Jan. 22 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Liver Transplants for Alcohol-Linked Disease Increased From 2002 to 2016
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 23, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The proportion of liver transplants for alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) increased from 2002 to 2016, according to a study published online Jan. 22 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Exome Sequencing Beneficial for Pediatric Kidney Recipients
TUESDAY, Jan. 22, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Whole-exome sequencing (WES) can identify a genetic cause for almost one-third of pediatric kidney transplant recipients, according to a study published online Jan. 17 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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Repeat Tubal Procedures Up After Hysteroscopic Sterilization
TUESDAY, Jan. 22, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Hysteroscopic sterilization is associated with an increased risk for additional tubal intervention within seven years compared with laparoscopic sterilization, according to a study published online Jan. 8 in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Variation in Revascularization for Asymptomatic SIHD Unexplained
FRIDAY, Jan. 18, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For asymptomatic patients with stable ischemic heart disease (SIHD) and coronary artery disease (CAD), there is considerable variation in revascularization practice that is not explained by known factors, according to a study published online Jan. 16 in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.
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FDA Investigating Paclitaxel-Coated Balloons, Paclitaxel-Eluting Stents
FRIDAY, Jan. 18, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration alerted health care providers on Thursday that the agency is investigating the use of paclitaxel-coated balloons and paclitaxel-eluting stents to treat peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in the femoropopliteal artery because of a potentially increased mortality risk in the long term.
FDA Down to 5 Weeks of Funding to Review New Drug Applications
THURSDAY, Jan. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Due to the federal government shutdown, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has only about five weeks of funding left to review new drug applications, according to Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D.
Nerve Transfer Promising for Acute Flaccid Myelitis Patients
THURSDAY, Jan. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Two patients diagnosed with acute flaccid myelitis and upper-extremity neuropathy who were treated with peripheral nerve transfer continue to demonstrate functional recovery at two years, according to a case series recently published in Pediatric Neurology.
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Adoption of Advanced Health IT Capabilities Inconsistent
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Adoption of advanced health information technology (HIT) capabilities is inconsistent across health care systems, with electronic health record (EHR) standardization being the strongest predictor of advanced capabilities, according to a study published in the January issue of the American Journal of Managed Care.
Liver Transplant Survival May Improve With Race Matching
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For African-American patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing liver transplantation, donor-recipient race matching is associated with improved survival, according to a study published online Jan. 10 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
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Accidental IV Dislodgement Reported to Be Very Common
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Clinicians perceive accidental dislodgement of intravenous (IV) devices to be a common occurrence, according to a study published in the December issue of the Journal of the Association for Vascular Access.
Personalized Tx May Extend Life in CKD With Small Renal Tumors
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Personalized treatment selection may extend life expectancy in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and small renal tumors (≤4 cm), according to a study published online Jan. 15 in Radiology.
American College of Physicians Releases 7th Edition of Ethics Manual
TUESDAY, Jan. 15, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Ethical principles are discussed in an updated Ethics Manual, issued by the American College of Physicians (ACP) and published as a supplement to the Jan. 15 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Red Cross Issues Emergency Call for Blood Donations
MONDAY, Jan 14, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The holidays, winter weather, and the flu season have all prompted a blood shortage, the American Red Cross warns.
Sociodemographic Factors Predict Recovery After Traumatic Injury
FRIDAY, Jan. 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Most traditional measures of injury severity may not be predictive of trauma recovery, but some sociodemographic characteristics are predictive of recovery, according to a study published online Dec. 13 in the Annals of Surgery.
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Persistent Opioid Use High in Head, Neck Cancer Patients
FRIDAY, Jan. 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Persistent opioid use at three and six months remains high among patients undergoing treatment for head and neck squamous cell cancer, according to a study recently published in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
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Prices Still Explain High U.S. Health Care Spending
FRIDAY, Jan. 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The difference in health spending between the United States and other countries is still explained by health care prices, according to a study published in the January issue of Health Affairs.
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Doctors Question State Lawsuits Over Pelvic Mesh Products
THURSDAY, Jan. 10, 2019 (HealthDay News) — State lawsuits over pelvic mesh products could scare women away from the products or even get them removed from the market, a group of doctors say.
Private Equity Acquisition of Physician Practices Discussed
THURSDAY, Jan. 10, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The phenomenon of private equity acquisition of physician practices is discussed in an Ideas and Opinions piece published online Jan. 8 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Fewer Than 5 Percent of Thyroid Surgery Patients Readmitted
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Readmissions after thyroid surgery are relatively low, and more than half occur within a week after discharge, according to a study recently published in Surgery.
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Fewer Complications Found With Hybrid Surgery for Esophageal Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Hybrid minimally invasive esophagectomy results in lower incidence of intraoperative and postoperative major complications compared with open esophagectomy for esophageal cancer, according to a study published in the Jan. 10 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Many Female Health Care Workers Live in Poverty
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Many U.S. female health care workers, particularly women of color, live in poverty and lack health insurance, according to a study published online Dec. 20 in the American Journal of Public Health.
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Increase in Brand-Name Drug Cost Mainly Due to Existing Drugs
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The costs of oral and injectable brand-name drugs increased from 2008 to 2016, with most of the increase due to existing drugs, while new drugs accounted for cost increases in specialty and generic drugs, according to a study published in the January issue of Health Affairs.
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Medical Marketing Has Increased in Past 20 Years
TUESDAY, Jan. 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) — From 1997 through 2016, there was an increase in medical marketing, especially direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising, according to research published in the Jan. 1/8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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ACA Coverage Gains Could Erode Without Individual Mandate
TUESDAY, Jan. 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Eliminating the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate penalty is unlikely to destabilize the individual market in California but could roll back coverage gains, according to a study published in the January issue of Health Affairs.
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Screening Donated Blood for Zika Not Cost-Effective
MONDAY, Jan. 7, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Screening donated blood for Zika virus is cost-effective only in the high mosquito season in Puerto Rico, according to a study published online Jan. 8 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Early Classification Predicts One-Year Trauma Outcomes
FRIDAY, Jan. 4, 2019 (HealthDay News) — During early recovery, patients with orthopedic trauma can be classified into risk and protective clusters that help to predict 12-month functional and health outcomes, according to a study published online Dec. 19 in JAMA Surgery.
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Hypertension With Psoriasis Tied to More Cardiac Interventions
FRIDAY, Jan. 4, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Psoriasis is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular interventions in patients with hypertension, according to a study published in the December issue of The Journal of Dermatology.
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Study Reveals High Rate of Phlebitis Caused by IV Cannulas
THURSDAY, Jan. 3, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The incidence of phlebitis caused by peripheral intravenous cannula insertions may be higher among patients with certain risk factors, according to a study published online Dec. 27 in the Journal of Clinical Nursing.
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Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Model Cuts Costs
WEDNESDAY, Jan 2, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The Medicare-implemented Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) bundled-payment model reduces spending for hip or knee replacement, according to a study published online Jan. 2 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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