Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Surgery for February 2010. 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.
Outcomes Similar for Open and Laparoscopic Prostate Surgery
FRIDAY, Feb. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Men with prostate cancer have similar postoperative complications and need for additional treatment regardless of whether they undergo radical prostatectomy by an open or laparoscopic procedure, according to a study published online Feb. 25 in The Journal of Urology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Routine Distal Protection in Angioplasty Assessed
FRIDAY, Feb. 26 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the use of routine distal protection (DP) is associated with a higher rate of adverse cardiac events, according to research published in the March 2 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Body Mass Index Predicts Adverse Cardiac Outcomes
FRIDAY, Feb. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Obese and overweight patients who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to receive drug-eluting stents, are at higher risk of adverse outcomes by one-year follow-up than normal weight patients, according to a study in the Feb. 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Removing Opposite Breast Improves Survival Slightly
FRIDAY, Feb. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Prophylactic removal of the opposite breast has a slight survival benefit in younger women with early-stage estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer, according to a study published online Feb. 25 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Critical Thinking Training Is Key for Perioperative Nurses
THURSDAY, Feb. 25 (HealthDay News) -- The complexity, fast pace and unpredictability of the perioperative environment make critical thinking skills crucial for perioperative nurses, and although such skills are taught as part of nursing training, they can only be honed by practical experience, according to a review of critical thinking in the nursing context published in the February issue of the AORN Journal.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Combination Procedure May Be Best for Endometrial Cancer
THURSDAY, Feb. 25 (HealthDay News) -- In endometrial cancer patients at high risk of recurrence, combined pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy reduces the risk of recurrence significantly better than systemic pelvic lymphadenectomy, according to a study published online Feb. 25 in The Lancet.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Comment (subscription or payment may be required)
Belatacept Benefits Seen After Kidney Transplant
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 24 (HealthDay News) -- In adult kidney transplant patients, belatacept -- a selective costimulation blocker -- is associated with better renal function and similar patient/graft survival at one year compared to cyclosporine, with these benefits also seen in recipients of extended criteria donor kidneys, according to two studies published online Feb. 16 in the American Journal of Transplantation.
Abstract - Vincenti
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Abstract - Durrbach
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Iron Treatment for Anemia May Not Help After Hip Surgery
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Iron supplementation for anemia after hip fracture surgery does not significantly improve hemoglobin levels, bringing into question the current practice of iron supplementation after orthopedic surgery, according to a study in the Feb. 1 issue of the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Nephron-Sparing Surgery Viable Option in Kidney Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Nephron-sparing surgery confers the same degree of cancer control as radical nephrectomy when treating T1bN0M0 renal cell carcinoma, according to a study in the February issue of Urology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Physicians Working Fewer Hours for Lower Fees
TUESDAY, Feb. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians in the United States have been working fewer hours for lower fees in the past decade, according to research published in the Feb. 24 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Venous Thrombosis Not a Major Risk in Spine Surgery
TUESDAY, Feb. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Patients undergoing spine surgery do not have a significant risk of deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, particularly if they are given pharmacologic prophylaxis, but this measure raises the risk of epidural hematoma, according to research published in the Feb. 1 issue of the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
No Gait Benefit for Minimally Invasive Hip Replacement
TUESDAY, Feb. 23 (HealthDay News) -- A minimally invasive approach for hip replacement has no advantage over the standard approach with regard to gait kinematics, according to a study in the Feb. 1 Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. A related review in the same issue suggests that racial and ethnic minorities may have a higher risk of death or complications after knee or hip replacement.
Abstract - Pospischill
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Abstract - Nwachukwu
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Multi-Disciplinary Teams Cut Intensive Care Mortality
TUESDAY, Feb. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Multi-disciplinary teams conducting daily rounds may lower the risk of mortality among medical patients in intensive care units, according to a study in the Feb. 22 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, while another study found that there is a growing need for internal medicine education to include training in the medical management of surgical patients, in line with the growing trend of comanagement of hospitalized patients.
Abstract - Kim
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Abstract - Sharma
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Cell-Free DNA Integrity May Serve as Marker in Kidney Cancer
MONDAY, Feb. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Serum cell-free DNA (cf-DNA) integrity may serve as a predictive marker for the diagnosis and detection of clear renal cell carcinoma (cRCC), according to a study in the February issue of Urology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Medical Checklists Needed to Improve Care and Outcomes
MONDAY, Feb. 22 (HealthDay News) -- The checklists so common in aviation and many professions are underused in medicine and, if more widely adopted, would provide powerful tools to standardize care and improve patient outcomes, according to an article published Dec. 31 in Critical Care.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Hormone Level of Little Help in Predicting Parathyroid Surgery
FRIDAY, Feb. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Baseline intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels don't appear useful for deciding whether to perform parathyroidectomy in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), according to research published in the February issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Enoxaparin and Unfractionated Heparin Compared
FRIDAY, Feb. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Enoxaparin used in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) reduces the risk of adverse cardiac outcomes compared to standard therapy with unfractionated heparin (UFH), according to a study in the February issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Minimally Invasive Techniques Beneficial for Uterine Fibroids
FRIDAY, Feb. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Two minimally invasive surgical techniques offer good outcomes and better recovery than laparotomy for the treatment of uterine fibroids, according to a study in the February issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Tobacco Use Linked to HPV+ Oropharynx Cancer Recurrence
FRIDAY, Feb. 19 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with advanced human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx (SCCOP) who achieve a complete response to chemoradiation therapy, current smokers are at higher risk of disease recurrence and tend to have worse disease-specific survival, according to a study published online Feb. 15 in Clinical Cancer Research.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Many Adults in Utah Report Using Opioids Incorrectly
FRIDAY, Feb. 19 (HealthDay News) -- In 2008, one-fifth of adults in Utah had been prescribed an opioid pain medication in the past year, with some respondents reporting use of these medications despite no prescription for them, according to an article in the Feb. 19 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Full Text
New System Aims to Improve Blood Transfusion Safety
FRIDAY, Feb. 19 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has started a national surveillance system to monitor adverse events in patients who receive blood transfusions, the agency has announced.
Press Release
Use of Drug-Eluting Stents in Multivessel Disease Examined
THURSDAY, Feb. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Off-label use of drug-eluting stents has a similar or better safety profile as coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and bare-metal stents in patients with multivessel disease after five years, with major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event (MACCE) rates higher than CABG but lower than bare-metal stenting, according to a study published online Feb. 17 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Abstract
Full Text
Bone-Anchored Hearing Aids Show Benefits in Youth
THURSDAY, Feb. 18 (HealthDay News) -- In children with severe sensorineural hearing loss in one ear, use of the Baha bone-anchored hearing aid leads to improvements in hearing in noise and improved patient satisfaction, according to research published in the February issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Management of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome Assessed
THURSDAY, Feb. 18 (HealthDay News) -- In the management of hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) in a child or fetus, most pediatric cardiologists and cardiac surgeons discuss a surgical intervention with parents, but only a few mention all of the available options, according to a study published online Feb. 15 in Pediatrics.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Revisional Bariatric Surgery Appears Safe, Effective
THURSDAY, Feb. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Revisional bariatric surgery performed at experienced centers appears safe and effective despite a higher risk of perioperative complications compared to the primary procedures, according to a study in the February issue of the Archives of Surgery.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Predictors of 'Never-Event' Complications Identified
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 17 (HealthDay News) -- After major surgery, the occurrence of complications designated as "never events" by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is affected by patient and disease characteristics and by the type of operation performed, according to a study in the February issue of the Archives of Surgery.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Lumbar Fusion Linked to Improved Driver Reaction Time
TUESDAY, Feb. 16 (HealthDay News) -- The driver reaction time (DRT) in patients a week after lumbar fusion surgery is not significantly slower than their preoperative DRT, and after three months recovery their DRT may be faster than their preoperative DRT, according to a study in the Feb. 1 issue of Spine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Racial Disparities Seen in New York Surgical Patients
TUESDAY, Feb. 16 (HealthDay News) -- In New York City, minority patients are significantly less likely than Caucasians to use high-volume surgeons and hospitals when undergoing procedures with an established volume-mortality association, according to a study in the February issue of the Archives of Surgery.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Poor Sleep Linked to More Car Accidents in Teenagers
TUESDAY, Feb. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Poor sleep habits are associated with a higher risk of car accidents among teenagers, according to a study in the Feb. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Metastatic Prostate Cancer Mechanism Identified
MONDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) -- An oncogene tumor-suppressor cascade may drive metastatic prostate cancer, according to research published online Feb. 14 in Nature Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Gender Differences Seen in CABG Operative Mortality
MONDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Women who undergo coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery have significantly higher operative mortality (OM) than men having the same surgery, according to a study in the Feb. 1 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
Abstract
Full Text
2009 H1N1-Related Deaths and Hospitalizations Examined
MONDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has provided updated estimates of the 2009 H1N1 cases, related hospitalizations and deaths, with approximately 57 million cases occurring between April 2009 and January 2010.
More Information
Study Suggests Treatment Target for Enlarged Tonsils
FRIDAY, Feb. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Phosphoserine phosphatase (PSPH) may play a role in tonsil enlargement in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and may serve as a target for treating this enlargement, according to research published online Jan. 21 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Shoulder Injuries Compared in High School Baseball, Softball
FRIDAY, Feb. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Although high school baseball and softball players tend to have similar rates of shoulder injuries, there are factors at play that may help improve preventive efforts, according to research published online Feb. 8 in Pediatrics.
Abstract
Full Text
Stenosis Can Still Exist in Absence of Coronary Calcium
FRIDAY, Feb. 12 (HealthDay News) -- In contradiction of professional guidelines, the absence of coronary calcification in blood vessels does not rule out the potential existence of stenosis, and should not be used to decide if revascularization is needed, according to a study in the Feb. 16 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Antiplatelet Therapy Approaches for PCI Evaluated
FRIDAY, Feb. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who receive a loading dose of clopidogrel just before percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have similar ischemic and mortality outcomes to those who receive the antiplatelet therapy well in advance of the procedure (as recommended in professional guidelines), according to research published in the Feb. 1 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
MRI Benefit in Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Questioned
FRIDAY, Feb. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in addition to the usual triple assessment for breast cancer diagnosis does not reduce the risk of repeat operation and is not a good use of resources, according to a study published in the Feb. 13 issue of The Lancet.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Mnemonic Device for Patient Decision-Making Assessed
FRIDAY, Feb. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Clinicians who must quickly assess a patient's capacity to make an emergency treatment decision can now fall back on a new mnemonic device, "CURVES," developed at Johns Hopkins University and reviewed in the February issue of Chest.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Vesicoureteral Reflux Treatment in Children Studied
FRIDAY, Feb. 12 (HealthDay News) -- The treating hospital is the most important factor affecting treatment choice in children with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), a condition characterized by an abnormal flow of urine from the bladder back into the ureter, according to research published online Feb. 8 in Pediatrics.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Study Finds Speckle Tracking Aids in Patient Selection
THURSDAY, Feb. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Radial dyssynchrony by speckle tracking may be useful in predicting response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in patients with borderline QRS and wide QRS durations, according to research published in the February Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Imaging.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Protein May Block Letrozole Therapy in Breast Cancer
THURSDAY, Feb. 11 (HealthDay News) -- The overexpression of low-molecular-weight cyclin E (LMW-E) in the tumors of many menopausal women with estrogen-receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancers nullifies the effects of letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor. However, letrozole's effect can be restored by adding the cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) inhibitor roscovitine to treatment, according to a study published online Feb. 9 in Clinical Cancer Research.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Laparoscopic Practice Takes Physical Toll on Surgeons
THURSDAY, Feb. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Many surgeons who perform laparoscopic surgery suffer pain, numbness, stiffness, fatigue and other physical symptoms, often as a result of high case load, according to a study published online Dec. 24 ahead of print in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Needleless Intravenous Valve Cause of Worldwide Recall
THURSDAY, Feb. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) and Acacia, Inc. have announced the voluntary recall of any products containing the Q-Syte Luer Access Device, including BD's Nexiva Closed Intravenous (IV) Catheter System and Acacia's IV Extension Sets. The use of affected devices may cause an air embolism or fluid leakage, which can result in serious complications and death.
More Information
Dietary Supplement Suspected of Causing Selenium Poisoning
THURSDAY, Feb. 11 (HealthDay News) -- A liquid dietary supplement that contained 200 times the labeled concentration of selenium caused a widespread outbreak of selenium poisoning affecting 201 people in 10 states, according to a study published in the Feb. 8 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Study Supports Accelerated Whole-Breast Irradiation
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Whole-breast irradiation spread over fewer days (accelerated, hypofractionated radiation) following breast-conserving surgery for cancer appears non-inferior to standard radiation treatment, according to research published in the Feb. 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. This adds to a study recently released Online First in The Lancet Oncology, which showed that hypofractionated radiotherapy for breast cancer patients may provide a better quality of life with no evidence of an increase in adverse effects.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Reducing Skin Toxicity During Cancer Treatment Studied
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Preemptive treatment reduces the development of high-grade skin toxicity (the most common adverse event observed with inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor receptor) by more than half in patients with colorectal cancer receiving panitumumab-containing therapy, according to a study published online Feb. 8 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Better Quality of Life Linked to Hypofractionated Radiation Doses
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Radiation given as fewer but larger doses (hypofractionated radiotherapy) is associated with better quality of life than the standard treatment of more lower doses in women with early-stage breast cancer, according to a study published online Feb. 8 in The Lancet Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
AHRQ: U.S. Adults Seeing Big Barriers to Specialty Care
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 10 (HealthDay News) -- In 2007, about one in 13 of U.S. adults reported that access to specialist care was a "big problem," according to a December report issued by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Full Text
FDA Initiative Aims to Cut Medical Radiation Exposure
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 10 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has launched a new initiative that aims to reduce exposure to radiation from computed tomography (CT), nuclear medicine studies and fluoroscopy, the three procedures that are the main sources of medically-related radiation exposure.
Press Release
More Information
Tamoxifen Treatment Linked to Worse Cognitive Function
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Postmenopausal women with breast cancer have worse cognitive function after treatment with tamoxifen but not exemestane, according to a study published online Feb. 8 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Active Bowel Disease May Increase Blood Clot Risk
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have a much greater risk of suffering a venous thromboembolism than people in the general population without the bowel condition, particularly during periods of active disease, according to a study published online Feb. 9 in The Lancet.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Comment (subscription or payment may be required)
Bedside Blood Test Found to Detect Anticoagulation Status
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 10 (HealthDay News) -- A new bedside blood test can be used to determine the sufficiency of anticoagulation in patients who are about to undergo catheterization or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), according to a study in the Feb. 16 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Use of Feeding Tubes in Adults With Dementia Varies Widely
TUESDAY, Feb. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Feeding tube insertions in older individuals with advanced cognitive impairment -- a practice that has drawn scrutiny in the literature -- varied widely in U.S. hospitals during a recent period, according to research published in the Feb. 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Gastric Banding Tested for Weight Loss in Obese Teens
TUESDAY, Feb. 9 (HealthDay News) -- In a study of obese Australian adolescents, 84 percent who underwent laparoscopic gastric banding lost more than half their excess weight compared to just 12 percent in a lifestyle-intervention program, according to a study in the Feb. 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Abstract
Full Text
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Paroxetine May Compromise the Efficacy of Tamoxifen
TUESDAY, Feb. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Women with breast cancer who take tamoxifen and the antidepressant paroxetine (Paxil), which has been hypothesized to reduce the effectiveness of tamoxifen, may be at higher risk of dying of breast cancer, according to research published online Feb. 8 in BMJ.
Abstract
Full Text
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Age-Related Treatment and Outcomes in Stroke Examined
TUESDAY, Feb. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Older people who suffer ischemic stroke are more likely to die in the hospital than younger stroke victims, though disparities in care by age group have been reduced or eliminated in recent years, according to a study published online Feb. 8 in Circulation.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Bevacizumab May Benefit Choroidal Neovascularization
TUESDAY, Feb. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Intravitreal bevacizumab treatment produces superior results in treating juxtafoveal choroidal neovascularization secondary to pathologic myopia compared with laser treatment and photodynamic therapy, according to a pilot study published online Feb. 8 in the Archives of Ophthalmology.
Abstract
Full Text
Reimbursement Changes in Office Endoscopies Studied
TUESDAY, Feb. 9 (HealthDay News) -- A 2005 increase in Medicare reimbursement to encourage office-based endoscopic surgeries for bladder cancer instead of more costly hospital surgeries had the unintended effect of disproportionately increasing in-office procedures and driving up Medicare costs, according to a study published online Feb. 8 in Cancer.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Outcomes Improving in Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis
TUESDAY, Feb. 9 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis (ACS), intensive medical therapy has significantly reduced microemboli on transcranial Doppler as well as cardiovascular events, according to a study in the February issue of the Archives of Neurology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
H1N1 Vaccination Still Highly Recommended
MONDAY, Feb. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Despite H1N1 virus levels stabilizing, transmission remains an issue and vaccination continues to be an effective option for prevention of this potentially serious condition, according to a Feb. 5 press briefing by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
More Information
Many American Adults Do Not Get Recommended Vaccines
MONDAY, Feb. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Although most parents ensure their children are vaccinated, adults often do not receive recommended vaccinations themselves, according to a new report, Adult Immunization: Shots to Save Lives.
More Information
Coalition Launches Campaign to Limit Residents' Hours
FRIDAY, Feb. 5 (HealthDay News) -- To prevent medical errors caused by doctor fatigue, a coalition of public interest and patient safety groups is urging the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to limit the amount of time residents must work without sleep to 16 hours and to increase resident supervision.
www.wakeupdoctor.org
More Information
Thomas Medical Announces Recall of Safesheath Product
FRIDAY, Feb. 5 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Thomas Medical Products Inc. have notified health care professionals of a recall of certain lots of the Safesheath Coronary Sinus Guide Hemostatic Introducer System with Infusion Sideport.
Recall Notification
Press Release
Pediatric Amputations Cost $21.6 Million Annually
FRIDAY, Feb. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Traumatic amputations in children cost nearly $22 million in hospital-associated charges annually in the United States, according to a report in the January issue of the Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Health Care Spending Makes Record Leap in GDP Share
THURSDAY, Feb. 4 (HealthDay News) -- A growth in health spending in 2009, coupled with a sagging economy, created the largest one-year jump in health care's share of the nation's gross domestic product since 1960, according to an article published online Feb. 4 in Health Affairs.
Abstract
Full Text
No Rebound Seen in Platelet Aggregation After Clopidogrel
THURSDAY, Feb. 4 (HealthDay News) -- There was no rebound in platelet aggregation (PA) observed in cardiovascular patients who stopped taking clopidogrel abruptly or tapered off the medication gradually after the prescribed course of treatment, according to a study in the Feb. 9 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Views of Physicians, Patients Differ on Spinal Surgery
THURSDAY, Feb. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Surgeons, family physicians, and their patients have different perceptions of what constitutes good grounds for spinal surgery, according to a study in the Jan. 1 issue of Spine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Diversity Growth Incremental in the Medical Professions
THURSDAY, Feb. 4 (HealthDay News) -- One hundred years after the Flexner Report recommended closing five of the seven African-American medical schools then extant, African-Americans and other minorities remain grossly underrepresented in the medical professions, according to an article in the February issue of Academic Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Surgery Not Necessarily Better for Lumbar Disc Herniation
THURSDAY, Feb. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Both surgical and non-surgical treatments for lumbar disc herniation are effective, and the relative long-term benefits of surgery may differ depending on whether or not the patient has workers' compensation, according to a study in the Jan. 1 issue of Spine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
The Lancet Retracts Study Linking MMR Vaccine, Autism
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 3 (HealthDay News) -- On Feb. 2, The Lancet retracted a controversial 1998 study that linked the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism and gastrointestinal problems.
Retraction
Xiaflex Approved for Rare Hand Condition
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Collagenase clostridium histolyticum (Xiaflex) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as the first drug to treat a disabling hand condition called Dupuytren's contracture.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Anticoagulation and Risk of VTE Studied in Suspected DVT
TUESDAY, Feb. 2 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with suspected lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT), those with a negative whole-leg compression ultrasound (CUS) and no anticoagulation therapy are at low risk of venous thromboembolism, according to a meta-analysis reported in the Feb. 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Study Doesn't Support Drug for Pericardial Effusion
TUESDAY, Feb. 2 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with pericardial effusion following heart surgery, the use of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac doesn't reduce the size of the effusions or lower the risk of late cardiac tamponade, according to research published in the Feb. 2 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial
President Proposes $911 Billion Budget for HHS
TUESDAY, Feb. 2 (HealthDay News) -- As part of his 2011 budget proposal, President Barack Obama has proposed $911 billion for the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Department, according to a Feb. 1 announcement by the secretary of HHS, Kathleen Sebelius.
More Information
Report Finds Pediatric Ovarian Torsion Incidence to Be Low
MONDAY, Feb. 1 (HealthDay News) -- In the pediatric population, ovarian torsion is a relatively rare condition, but it occurs in all ages and many cases are treated with oophorectomy, according to an article published online Feb. 1 in Pediatrics.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Partial Nephrectomy Use Low for Renal Cell Carcinoma
MONDAY, Feb. 1 (HealthDay News) -- The use of laparoscopic radical nephrectomy may have reduced the use of partial nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma, according to research published in the February issue of The Journal of Urology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
