Stories related to: surgery

Beta blockers routinely given to patients before surgery do far more harm than good, with patients 35% more likely to die within a month than those given a dummy pill, according to a study reported in the Lancet.   While the blood pressure drugs did cut the number of heart complications, the risk of stroke doubled, researchers discovered. More »

Intestinal bypass surgery—a variation on the gastric surgery used to combat obesity—is showing surprising and promising results in treating diabetes, the Washington Post reports. Cutting out some of the intestine but sparing the stomach, the procedure is  producing full remission in a high percentage of cases, allowing patients to go off all medication. More »

British doctors have given two blind men bionic eyesight and say they will soon enjoy partial vision, the Telegraph reports. Using US technology, the surgeons inserted electrodes in the men's retinas last week. Studded on a metal plate, the conductors will be connected to a small eyeglass camera that enables users to see objects as blotches of light. More »

Slashed Medicare reimbursement might have altered how doctors treat prostate cancer, pushing them to favor castration surgery over hormone therapy, USA Today reports. A study in the journal Cancer shows hormone-therapy injections jumped in the 1990s and early 2000s, while castration surgeries decreased. But when Medicare halved what it paid for the therapy, injections dropped 14% and surgical castration rose 4%. More »

A Hawaii hospital ejected the relative of a man recovering from surgery after he tried to bring the patient’s favorite pet—a full-grown horse—to visit, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reports. Security staff stopped the visitors before they could get to the patient's room; the man was intoxicated, and the horse turned out not to belong to the patient at all. More »

John McCain released 15,000 pages of medical records when he ran for president in 2000, but as the nation now contemplates making the 71-year-old the oldest man to occupy the Oval Office, McCain's campaign is largely silent. The Arizona senator has had four melanomas, a potentially fatal form of skin cancer, removed—though he has been cancer-free since 2000.  More »

A helicopter whisked Naomi Campbell away from waiting paparazzi at a Brazil hospital after a successful operation to remove a cyst from her abdomen, E! Online reports. Doctors, including one of Brazil's top specialists, say the British supermodel is "completely cured" following the emergency surgery. Campbell, 37, is a frequent visitor to Brazil. More »

Inspired by geckos' sticky feet, MIT scientists have developed a bandage that could soon be used in place of stitches or staples during surgery. The waterproof material, coated with a sugar-based adhesive that has the nano-scale hills and valleys found on lizard feet, is flexible enough to be used on internal organs, MSNBC reports. Live studies have focused on rats, but human application isn't far off. More »

Three months after she underwent an intensive, 27-hour hour operation to remove her parasitic twin's four limbs, 2-year-old Indian tot Lakshmi Tatma, is beginning to walk with assistance, reports the Daily Telegraph . "When she was put in the baby walker she started pushing herself backwards with her legs and burst into laughter with a huge grin on her face," said her mom. More »

Back pain is one of the US' most persistent health problems, but despite new treatment possibilities, Newsweek reports, cures remain elusive. Americans spent $85.9 billion in 2005 on medical costs relating to back pain, up from $52.1 billion in 1997. "We seem to be doing more and more," one physician said. "But there's no evidence that people are getting more pain relief." More »

The Boston Herald reports that Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling has a major, possibly season-threatening injury. The 41-year-old, due to earn a guaranteed $8 million in 2008, wants surgery, on the advice of the surgeon who operated on him in 1995; the team, however, has other ideas. More »

More women are going to extremes after a breast cancer diagnosis, opting for double mastectomies instead of single ones or mere lumpectomies, the Washington Post reports. The number rose 150% over 5 years, despite evidence that less-invasive treatments are just as effective in saving lives. "I didn't want to be sitting around for the rest of my life waiting for the cancer to come back," said one 43-year-old nurse who opted for the more radical procedure. More »

Surgery is better than dieting and exercise to help people suffering from type 2 diabetes, according to a new study. Three of four patients—73%—who underwent "lap-banding" surgery lost 20% of their body weight and were in diabetic remission within two years, WebMD reports. That compares with a 13% remission rate for patients undergoing conventional therapy of diet, exercise, and drugs and who lost an average of 1.7% of their body weight. More »

Doctors are trying a new surgical method that uses natural orifices to enter the body, leaves no scars, and lessens the chance of infection, the Boston Globe reports. It's called NOTES—natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery—and is being tested mostly on animals so far. Experts are already worried about the hidden dangers of the difficult, still-evolving method, which can remove a gallbladder or appendix through a patient's mouth. More »

Hospitals are turning to technology to cut down on incidents of doctors sewing up surgical patients with sponges and other items left inside, the Chicago Tribune reports. A bar-coding system to ensure what goes in comes back out is one solution; another involves tagging items with chips that allow them to be detected with a radio-frequency wand. More »

The 2-year-old girl whose extra limbs were removed in a marathon surgery left a Bangalore hospital today for home. Doctors say Lakshmi Tata, born with four arms and four legs from a conjoined twin, will recover, but they cautioned she will need more surgery, BBC reports. "Lakshmi is normal, eating well and in good spirits," said one surgeon. More »

Within five years, surgeons may be able to create 3D virtual models of patients' bodies in order to practice surgeries ahead of time. While current virtual surgery lags far behind the realism of, say, combat video games, a UCLA assistant math professor believes this could change soon, reports Scientific American . High costs could delay adoption in hospitals, however. More »

State health officials fined Rhode Island Hospital yesterday and ordered it to change procedures after a surgeon began operating on the wrong side of a woman's head, the Providence Journal reports. A patient died after a similar incident four months ago. Yesterday's incident is the third botched neurosurgical procedure this year at the hospital and the fourth in six years, the Journal notes. More »

Nearly a week after the marathon surgery to remove her two extra arms and legs, 2-year-old Lakshmi Tatma made her first public appearance today, the AP reports. The girl appeared healthy and alert before the Indian media, although her legs are in casts and doctors say she will need additional treatment, and possibly more surgery, for clubbed feet. More »

Two days after surgery to remove her extra arms, legs, and organs, 2-year old Lakshmi regained consciousness in a Bangalore hospital today and gave the first tentative signs that she's on her way to recovery. She even smiled at her parents and wiggled her toes, the AP reports. Doctors took her off a respirator and say they will keep close watch for at least another 24 hours. More »