Using genetic testing to inform which blood thinner to use following a procedure to open narrowed blood vessels resulted in significantly fewer complications among patients, according to new research in Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine, an American Heart Association journal. In the United States, heart disease is the leading cause of death, and stroke is… Continue reading Genetic Testing and Cardiovascular Surgery
Tag: surgery
5 Things to Know about Breast Implants
There’s more to breast implants than size. Here, the experts from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) share what other factors should be considered: Should I get breast implants? Are there alternatives? Will they need to be replaced? And if I decide to get implants, which are medical devices, there are even more questions.… Continue reading 5 Things to Know about Breast Implants
Biopsies after Breast Cancer
In an analysis of more than 120,000 women diagnosed with and treated for early-stage breast cancer, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have determined the rate of additional breast biopsies needed for these patients during follow-up care. The findings were reported in JAMA Surgery. “The important message is that the rate… Continue reading Biopsies after Breast Cancer
Stroke Patients Now Have Better Chance of Living Normal Lives
Researchers say that recent progress in techniques to restore blood flow to areas of the brain endangered by stroke or clogged arteries have resulted in an “explosive evolution” of those procedures. Historically, the introduction of operating microscopes enabled surgeons to perform delicate microsurgeries to clear clogged arteries and remove blood clots that cause strokes. More… Continue reading Stroke Patients Now Have Better Chance of Living Normal Lives
Study: Surgery for Early Stage Prostate Cancer Offers Only Minimal Benefits
New research provides even more evidence that prostate cancer surgery offers minimal benefits to men in the early stage of the disease. The picture was different, however, for men with intermediate-stage prostate cancer. In many cases, the research found, surgery in early-stage cases did not prolong life and often caused serious complications such as infection,… Continue reading Study: Surgery for Early Stage Prostate Cancer Offers Only Minimal Benefits
Working for Improvements in Geriatric Surgery
An alliance of medical and health organizations has completed the first comprehensive set of the highest possible surgical care standards for older adults. The report was published in the Annals of Surgery. “Hospital Standards to Promote Optimal Surgical Care of the Older Adult” is the culmination of a two-year evaluation by the Coalition of Quality… Continue reading Working for Improvements in Geriatric Surgery
Music Therapy Eases Pain of Spinal-Surgery Patients
Music therapy has been found to decrease pain in patients recovering from spine surgery, compared to a control group of patients who received standard postoperative care alone. The study, published in The American Journal of Orthopedics, included a team of researchers from The Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine and the Mount Sinai Department… Continue reading Music Therapy Eases Pain of Spinal-Surgery Patients
Surgery May Be Preferred for Pelvic Organ Prolapse
Surgery or the implantation of a device known as a pessary are the two methods of dealing with pelvic organ prolapse. Now, researchers have found patients who undergo surgery have a better quality of life than those who don’t. The research was published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. Pelvic organ prolapse occurs… Continue reading Surgery May Be Preferred for Pelvic Organ Prolapse
Rate of Heart Attacks Decreases After Surgery Not Related to the Heart, but Risk of Stroke Increases
In a study published online by JAMA Cardiology in December 2016, Sripal Bangalore, M.D., M.H.A., of the New York University School of Medicine, New York, and colleagues examined national trends in perioperative cardiovascular outcomes and mortality after major noncardiac surgery. A release from the publishers notes that worldwide, more than 300 million noncardiac surgeries are… Continue reading Rate of Heart Attacks Decreases After Surgery Not Related to the Heart, but Risk of Stroke Increases
Lifesaving Care Can Vary Widely Among Hospitals
Having major surgery comes with many risks, including problems that can crop up hours, days or even weeks after the patient leaves the operating room. These complications can be deadly, or require far more care in the hospital and beyond before the patient recovers. A new study shows just how much that care can cost,… Continue reading Lifesaving Care Can Vary Widely Among Hospitals
Radiation Just as Good as Surgery for Aggressive Prostate Cancer
In cases of aggressive prostate cancer, high-dose radiation is just as effective as surgery, according to a new study by researchers at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. The study also suggests that a particular form of radiation therapy, consisting of external radiation followed by brachytherapy (a type of radiation treatment in which a radioactive… Continue reading Radiation Just as Good as Surgery for Aggressive Prostate Cancer
Patients Trust Doctors Who Acknowledge Their Own Bias
Patients tend to trust doctors more if they disclose a bias toward their specialty, research shows. In fact, though, such an admission should be a bit of a red flag to a patient. Doing research in a real-world health care setting, a Cornell expert and her colleagues have found that when surgeons revealed their bias… Continue reading Patients Trust Doctors Who Acknowledge Their Own Bias
How to Get Financial Help for Your Eye Care
If you need financial help for your vision health, the National Eye Institute has some suggestions for finding ways to pay for your care: Eye Exams and Surgery EyeCare America is a public service program that provides comprehensive eye exams and eye care at no cost to eligible candidates age 65 or older and people… Continue reading How to Get Financial Help for Your Eye Care
My Sister’s Lungs, Part 3: A Primer on Lung Transplants
Editor’s Note: In the third part of a five-part series, thirdAGE contributor Nancy Wurtzel (at right in the above photo) shares the ordeal her sister Barbara (at left in the above photo) is undergoing as she waits for a match for a lung transplant. Barbara’s situation is complicated by the fact that her husband, Jim,… Continue reading My Sister’s Lungs, Part 3: A Primer on Lung Transplants
New Study Suggests Patients May Shower Earlier after Knee Replacement Surgery
A study suggests it may not be necessary for knee replacement patients to wait up to two weeks after surgery before showering, as many surgeons require. The study from Loyola Medicine compared patients who were allowed to shower two days after surgery with patients who had to wait 10 to 14 days. Researchers performed bacterial… Continue reading New Study Suggests Patients May Shower Earlier after Knee Replacement Surgery
Better Gallbladder Surgery
UCLA researchers have discovered an optimal way to image the bile ducts during gallbladder removal surgeries using a tested and safe dye and a real-time near-infrared florescence laparoscopic camera, a finding that will make the procedure much safer for the hundreds of thousands of people who undergo the procedure each year. The new imaging procedure… Continue reading Better Gallbladder Surgery
Anesthesia Not Linked to Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults
Research done in 2016 suggests older patients should not feel reluctant to have life enhancing surgeries due to concerns that undergoing anesthesia may boost their risk of developing cognitive issues. In a study of more than 8,500 middle-aged and elderly Danish twins published in Anesthesiology, the official medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists… Continue reading Anesthesia Not Linked to Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults
“My Back Is Killing Me”: What to Do
Back pain affects millions of adults – in any three-month period, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), about one in four U.S. adults has at least one day of back pain, mostly in the lower back. But while it’s a common problem, it doesn’t have a simple answer. The NIH says it could… Continue reading “My Back Is Killing Me”: What to Do