surgeons

19 Stories

Rising Suicide Rates Prompts Real Talk at Surgery Conference

One surgeon shared her personal story with colleagues to address mental health crisis

(Newser) - Physicians have higher suicide rates than the general population, with surgeons as one of the top groups at risk of taking their lives in the medical field. The Guardian takes a deep dive into how Carrie Cunningham, an assistant professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School, addressed the issue head...

Patients of Female Surgeons Tend to Have Better Outcomes
Female Surgeons Take
Longer, With Better Results
NEW STUDY
Aug 30, 2023 7:15 PM CDT

Female Surgeons Take Longer, With Better Results

2 large studies find that patients of male surgeons have more complications

(Newser) - Two studies involving more than a million patients in Canada and Sweden arrived at the same conclusion: Patients operated on by female surgeons have better outcomes than those operated on by men. The studies found that the difference was small but consistent, even when factors like case complexity were taken...

His Patients Were Maimed or Even Died. He Kept Practicing
The Texas Surgeon Was
Charming—and a 'Monster'
longform
Sep 24, 2022 2:00 PM CDT

The Texas Surgeon Was Charming—and a 'Monster'

The 'Texas Observer' reports on Dr. Eric Heston Scheffey

(Newser) - "Looking at Dr. Scheffey, one isn't likely to think he's a monster. But he was a monster." That's how retired personal injury attorney Priscilla Walters describes Dr. Eric Heston Scheffey, and she's not the only person to speak in such terms about him. She...

Surgeon Tried to Sell Bataclan Survivor's X-Ray as an NFT
Bataclan Survivor 'Shocked' to
Find Out What Her Surgeon Did
in case you missed it
Jan 29, 2022 12:35 PM CST

Bataclan Survivor 'Shocked' to Find Out What Her Surgeon Did

France's Emmanuel Masmejean is accused of trying to sell patient's X-ray as an NFT

(Newser) - All kinds of things have been turned into non-fungible tokens , or NFTs, but the craze has taken a disturbing turn that has a French doctor now facing legal action. AFP reports that Emmanuel Masmejean, a senior orthopedic surgeon at Paris' Georges Pompidou public hospital, is accused of trying to sell...

Female Surgeons Pay 'High Price' of Tougher Pregnancies

Study suggests that grueling hours and work culture are factors

(Newser) - Female surgeons may be among the most highly trained medical professionals in the land, but they tend to have difficult pregnancies more often than other women. Fixing the problem will require changing the culture of residency programs, say the authors of a new study in JAMA Surgery . The bleak stats:...

Woman Who Nixed Restraining Order on Husband Found Dead

Body of Kathleen McLean, 45, found near Mass. home she shared with doctor Ingolf Tuerk

(Newser) - A Massachusetts doctor has been arrested and charged with murder after his wife's body was found near their property Saturday night. CBS Boston reports that the remains of Kathleen McLean, 45, were discovered by cops not far from the Dover home she shared with her husband of five months,...

Can't Pay for Surgery? This Doctor Has a Creative Solution

Demetrio Aguila lets eligible patients put in volunteer hours for operations

(Newser) - "Who are my heroes? Who are the people I look at and say, 'That's who I want to be'?" For Demetrio Aguila, a Nebraska surgeon specializing in nerve pain, the answer to his own question is his father, also a physician—and one who loved helping...

'Surgeon to the Stars' Dies at 98
'Surgeon to the
Stars' Dies at 98
OBITUARY
Oct 11, 2019 8:38 AM CDT

'Surgeon to the Stars' Dies at 98

Bjorn Thorbjarnarson was sued after gallbladder operation on Andy Warhol

(Newser) - Some called him a "surgeon to the stars" ; most knew him as the doctor at the center of the controversy over Andy Warhol's death. Now, Bjorn Thorbjarnarson is once more in headlines, this time for his own passing at the age of 98. The New York surgeon's...

Life-Changing News for Quadriplegics
Life-Changing News
for Quadriplegics
new study
Jul 6, 2019 12:00 PM CDT

Life-Changing News for Quadriplegics

New technique revives hope for people with paralysis

(Newser) - A ray of hope for those with complete paralysis: Australian surgeons have devised a way to restore tactile skills like brushing teeth, holding a drink, and even writing, Sky News reports. The technique allows surgeons to apply nerve transfers to spinal cord injuries for the first time. "We didn'...

Doctor Wins Right to Keep Name Out of Google Search

Ruling in Dutch 'right to be forgotten' case said to be 'groundbreaking'

(Newser) - A surgeon has secured what her lawyer calls a "groundbreaking" victory in a case in the Netherlands. The Guardian reports that an Amsterdam district court has ruled that the doctor, who's still practicing under a conditional suspension after some postoperative issues with a patient, can force Google to...

A High-Speed Bullet, Then 'Ghastly' Injuries

Trauma surgeons describe the 'haunting' wounds they've seen from assault-style rifles

(Newser) - While the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has caused horror nationwide, only a few have actually seen the damage wrought to victims' bodies by an assault-style rifle. The New York Times talks to five trauma surgeons from all parts of the US, all "haunted by their...

Trauma Surgeon on Gun Violence: We Lost Our 'Teachable Moment'

Doctor says if people had seen autopsy pics of Sandy Hook kids, things may be different

(Newser) - He was told it would be "pointless," but Jason Fagone wrote his story for Highline anyway, diving deep into gun violence as seen by Philly trauma surgeons who "piece people back together after the most horrific acts." The person resigned to his efforts: Dr. Amy Goldberg,...

Why Medical Patients Get Huge Surprise Bills

Out-of-network providers work on patients without their knowing it

(Newser) - Peter Drier's neck surgery bills didn't surprise him, even $133,000 from the anesthesiologist and $56,000 from his Manhattan hospital. But what was $117,000 from an "assistant surgeon"? Drier, a bank technology manager, had run into a growing US phenomenon known as "drive-by...

Physician Assistant Wins Harassment Award ... of $168M

Ani Chopourian likely set record for any single worker: LA Times

(Newser) - A former physician assistant in the cardiac unit of a Sacramento hospital apparently made a very convincing case that the surgeons there were a bunch of jerks and leches: A jury awarded her $168 million in damages for workplace harassment, believed to a record amount in the US for any...

Scary New Problem: Distracted Doctoring

'NYT' reports on terrifying trend

(Newser) - It’s one thing to be distracted by your smartphone at the dinner table; it’s another thing entirely when you’re performing surgery. The New York Times reports on a disturbing trend it calls "distracted doctoring," explaining that thanks to the increased use of devices including smartphones...

Errors Push Surgeons to Consider Suicide

16% of those who have made a major error think about ending it, study finds

(Newser) - They're the ones we go to for help, but they may be the ones hurting: Surgeons contemplate suicide at a higher rate than the general public, according to a study of 8,000 surgeons: About 6% reported having recent suicidal thoughts, compared to 3% of the public. But the stat...

Surgeons, Please Stop Fearing Redheads

Study busts stereotypes about hemorrhages and hernias

(Newser) - Redheads have a bad rap among surgeons because they're said to have a low pain threshold and to be more prone to hemorrhages and hernias in surgery or afterward. A new study in the British Medical Journal looked into the matter and has some advice for said surgeons: Get over...

Burn Victim Gets New Face, Hands

Landmark operation in clinic where docs performed world's first face transplant

(Newser) - A burn victim has received a new face and hands in a ground-breaking transplant surgery in France, reports the Times of London. A team of 40 doctors worked 30 hours in the same Paris hospital that performed the world's first face transplant in 2005 and first hand transplant in 1998....

Surgery Checklist Saves Lives ... and Maybe $25B

Strategy employed by flight crews means 33% fewer complications for hospitals

(Newser) - It sounds like a no-brainer, but surgical teams who use a simple checklist similar to those employed by flight crews reduced deaths and complications by a stunning 33%, according to an international study. If every US hospital used the checklist, health care costs for treating avoidable complications could be cut...

19 Stories