Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Surgery for November 2007. 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.
First Pain Clinic in War Zone Proves Successful
FRIDAY, Nov. 30 (HealthDay News) -- The first interventional pain treatment center to be established in a war zone has been successful in treating soldiers with non-battle-related acute and chronic pain so they can return to active duty, according to a report published in the current issue of Anesthesiology.
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Botox-Seeking Patients Receive Quick Service
FRIDAY, Nov. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Dermatologists may offer shorter wait times to patients seeking cosmetic botulinum toxin injections than to those seeking urgent consultation for a changing mole, researchers report in the December issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
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Study Reports Risk Factors for Postoperative Renal Failure
THURSDAY, Nov. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Intraoperative vasopressor and diuretic use are independent predictors of postoperative acute renal failure in patients with previously normal renal function who undergo non-cardiac surgery, and those who develop acute renal failure have worsened short- and long-term mortality, according to research published in the December issue of Anesthesiology.
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Warning on Perflutren Ignores Efficacy Data
THURSDAY, Nov. 29 (HealthDay News) -- The decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to attach a 'black box' warning to ultrasound contrast agents containing perflutren has been criticized for being made without taking all the facts into account, in a report published in the Dec. 18/25 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Cancer Risk from CT Scans May Be Underestimated
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 28 (HealthDay News) -- The growing use of computed tomography (CT) scans may have serious public health implications, as radiation exposure associated with these scans may increase the risk of cancer, particularly in children, according to an article published in the Nov. 29 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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New Drug Raises Platelet Counts in ITP and Cirrhosis
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Eltrombopag, an oral thrombopoietin-receptor agonist that stimulates platelet production, may be useful in raising low platelet counts associated with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis, according to two articles published in the Nov. 29 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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FDA: Myfortic Changed to Pregnancy Category D
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 28 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Novartis announced this week that use of the immunosuppressant Myfortic (mycophenolic acid) delayed-release tablets is associated with increased risks of pregnancy loss and congenital malformations, and the pregnancy category for Myfortic has thus been changed from category C to category D, indicating evidence of fetal harm. Myfortic is used for prophylaxis of organ rejection in renal transplant patients, in combination with cyclosporine and corticosteroids.
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Microarray Analysis Offers Clues to Kidney Rejection
TUESDAY, Nov. 27 (HealthDay News) -- In a human study utilizing microarray analysis, pathogenesis-based transcript sets annotated from mouse transplants and cell cultures offered a means to measure inflammatory disturbances that lead to organ rejection after kidney transplantation, and may shed light on the mechanism of rejection, according to a study published in the December issue of the American Journal of Transplantation.
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Sports Participation Reduces Risk of Venous Thrombosis
TUESDAY, Nov. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Regular participation in sports activities reduces the risk of venous thrombosis, researchers report in the November issue of the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
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Male, Female Residents Share Reasons for Career Choice
FRIDAY, Nov. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Many of the same factors influence male and female residents' choice of surgical specialty, but "lifestyle" plays into the decision for more women than men, according to survey results published in the November issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
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Surgeons Asked to Repair Cleft Lips, Palates Worldwide
THURSDAY, Nov. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Specialists in facial plastic surgery should commit themselves to a goal of ensuring that every child in the world born with a cleft lip or palate receives appropriate reconstructive surgery, according to an editorial in the November/December issue of the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.
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Poor Surgical Outcomes for Patients at Risk for Delirium
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Elderly patients at risk for delirium have poorer outcomes after major abdominal surgery, including increased mortality, in part because of poor postoperative care, researchers report in the November issue of the Archives of Surgery.
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Common Notion of Cancer Severity Seems Untrue
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Contrary to the popular belief that rural patients present with more advanced cases of cancer than urban patients, the opposite appears to be true, according to research published in the November issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
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C-Reactive Protein Found to Be Marker for Carotid Stenosis
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 21 (HealthDay News) -- C-reactive protein (CRP) levels provide a modest but significant marker for the presence and degree of carotid stenosis, researchers report in the November issue of the Archives of Surgery.
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Rapid Response Team Benefits Pediatric Inpatients
TUESDAY, Nov. 20 (HealthDay News) -- The introduction of a rapid response team in a freestanding, quaternary care academic children's hospital significantly reduced hospital-wide mortality rates and code rates outside of the intensive care unit setting, according to study findings published in the Nov. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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FDA Approves Nexavar for Inoperable Liver Cancer
TUESDAY, Nov. 20 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced this week that it has approved the drug Nexavar (sorafenib) for use in patients with inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma. Nexavar was previously approved in 2005 for use in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.
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Model for End-Stage Liver Disease Reduces Mortality
TUESDAY, Nov. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Among patients with end-stage liver disease waiting for transplantation, implementation of the Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) reduced waiting list mortality and time to transplantation, according to study findings published in the November issue of the Archives of Surgery.
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Facial Fractures Can Be Safely Treated in Military Theater
TUESDAY, Nov. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Military personnel with facial fractures who meet certain criteria can be safely and definitively treated in theater, according to a report published in the November/December issue of the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.
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Watchful Waiting Best for Many Children's Throat Symptoms
MONDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Treating children with adenotonsillectomy for mild to moderate symptoms of throat infection or adenotonsillar hypertrophy has little clinical benefit and significantly increases treatment costs, researchers report in the November issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery.
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Risk Factors of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Identified
MONDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Women are under-represented in large studies on the prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm yet there are specific risk factors that merit screening women for the disease, according to a study published in the October issue of the Journal of Vascular Surgery.
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More Lymph Node Counts May Not Improve Survival Rates
TUESDAY, Nov. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Hospitals in which 12 or more lymph nodes are examined after surgeries for colon cancer do not have significantly better patient survival rates than hospitals where fewer nodes are examined, researchers report in the Nov. 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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FDA Approves Agento Silver-Coated Endotracheal Tube
FRIDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) -- The Agento endotracheal tube, which is coated with a thin layer of silver to help prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia, received approved Nov. 8 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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Congenital Heart Disease Linked to Brain Abnormalities
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Term infants with severe congenital heart disease requiring surgery often have widespread brain abnormalities similar to those seen in premature infants, which may reflect abnormal brain development in utero, according to the results of a study published in the Nov. 8 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Atherectomy Allows Simple Drug-Eluting Stenting
MONDAY, Nov. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Performing directional coronary atherectomy before implanting drug-eluting stents may avoid the need for complex stenting in patients with bifurcated coronary lesions, according to the results of a study published Nov. 13 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Cervix-Sparing Hysterectomy Requires Careful Screening
MONDAY, Nov. 5 (HealthDay News) -- A method of hysterectomy in which the cervix is not removed should only be offered to women deemed to be low risk for cervical or endometrial cancer, and patients electing this method should be counseled regarding the lack of evidence demonstrating benefits over total hysterectomy, according to a report published in the November issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Protein Tyrosine Nitration Blocks Morphine Tolerance
FRIDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Biochemical changes that produce morphine tolerance in mice can be blocked by inhibition of NO synthesis or removal of superoxide, pointing to peroxynitrite (ONOO-) as a signaling mediator in this setting, researchers report in the November issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
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Silicone Gel-Filled Breast Implants Deemed Mostly Safe
THURSDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Silicone gel-filled breast implants are generally safe, but are associated with an increased risk of suicide, according to study findings published in the November issue of the Annals of Plastic Surgery.
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Coronary CT Non-Invasively Detects Stent Restenosis
THURSDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- A computed tomography (CT) scan appears to be a feasible, non-invasive way to accurately assess the patency of intra-coronary stents in patients who have undergone percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty with stent placement, according to research published in the November issue of Radiology.
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