'Rerouting' Brain Blood Flow: Old Technique Could Be New Advance Against Strokes

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• March 3, 2021
• Full Page

Doctors are testing a decades-old surgical technique as a new way to treat certain stroke patients. And the preliminary results look promising, they say.

At issue are strokes caused by intracranial atherosclerosis, where blood vessels within the brain become hardened and...

Tiger Woods Hospitalized Following Car Crash

• Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
• February 23, 2021
• Full Page

Golfing legend Tiger Woods is in the hospital after his car flipped over in a Los Angeles neighborhood on Tuesday morning.

"Tiger Woods was in a single-car accident this morning in California where he suffered multiple leg injuries. He is currently in surgery, and we tha...

Fetal Surgery Is Changing Lives for Kids With Spina Bifida

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• February 10, 2021
• Full Page

Spina bifida is a diagnosis no parents-to-be want to hear as they await their child's birth, and the idea of performing surgery on a baby while it is still in the womb can be terrifying. But new research shows that performing the delicate procedure before the baby is born, and...

Bedside Manner Even More Important for Hospital Patients Admitted Via the ER

• Robert Preidt
• February 4, 2021
• Full Page

Being rushed into hospital care can be an emotional experience. So, what a surgeon says to trauma or emergency surgery patients plays a role in how satisfied they are after their operations, a new study finds.

Researchers analyzed data from nearly 187,000 patients discha...

'So Happy:' World's First Hand/Face Transplant Patient Doing Well

• Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
• February 3, 2021
• Full Page

Joe DiMeo's life changed forever when he fell asleep at the wheel on U.S. Route 22 in New Jersey on July 14, 2018.

The horrific crash left him with third-degree burns on 80% of his body and a grim prognosis.

Now, more than two years later, DiMeo, 22, is the recipi...

Pandemic Cut U.S. Heart Surgeries in Half as Patients Avoided Hospitals

• Ernie Mundell and Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporters
• February 2, 2021
• Full Page

There has been a sharp decline in heart surgeries and an increase in heart surgery patient deaths in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers say.

An analysis of national data revealed a 53% decrease in all adult heart surgeries, including a 40% declin...

Knee Procedure Done Earlier Might Prevent Knee Replacement Later

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• February 1, 2021
• Full Page

For some patients suffering from knee arthritis, a special procedure may reduce the need for a total knee replacement, Canadian researchers say.

By getting what is known as a 'high tibial osteotomy,' younger patients with less severe joint damage who are physically acti...

Music Could Be a Post-Op Panacea, Study Finds

• Ernie Mundell and Cara Murez HealthDay Reporters
• January 29, 2021
• Full Page

Heart surgery can be stressful, but researchers may have found a way to reduce patients' anxiety and postoperative pain -- without any extra side effects.

A team from the Netherlands found that the simple act of listening to music around the time of surgery may help pat...

Kids Aren't Scared by Medical Workers' PPE, Study Finds

• Robert Preidt
• January 26, 2021
• Full Page

Kids aren't scared when surgical staff wear personal protective equipment (PPE), and many feel reassured by use of the gear, researchers say.

Anxiety is common before, during and after surgery, and can result in complications such as pain and delayed recovery. Concerns h...

Estrogen Taken During Gender-Affirming Surgeries Won't Raise Blood Clot Risk: Study

• January 18, 2021
• Full Page

Most transgender women can safely continue their estrogen treatments during gender-affirming surgery, a new study finds.

Estrogen therapy and surgery can increase the risk of blood clots, so experts have suggested that transgender women stop taking the hormone when havin...

More Breast Cancer Survivors Opting for 'Going Flat' After Mastectomy

• Cara Murez
• January 14, 2021
• Full Page

When journalist Catherine Guthrie learned that she would need to have a mastectomy following a breast cancer diagnosis, she was shocked by what seemed like a cursory explanation from her surgeon about what would happen next.

That included removing both of her breasts, ad...

'Awareness' Under C-Section Anesthesia May Be Less Rare Than Thought

• Robert Preidt
• January 13, 2021
• Full Page

It's a woman's worst nightmare: You're having a C-section under anesthesia, but you suddenly become aware of what is happening during your surgery.

Now, a new study shows that phenomenon, known as "accidental awareness," is more common than believed. In fact, it may occ...

Kids With Congenital Heart Disease Face Higher Odds of Mental Health Issues

• Denise Mann
• January 5, 2021
• Full Page

Kids born with heart defects may be more likely to develop anxiety, depression and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), regardless of the severity of their heart condition.

Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect in the United Sta...

Surgery Could Boost Survival for Women With Advanced Breast Cancers: Study

• Denise Mann
• December 30, 2020
• Full Page

Women with advanced breast cancer who undergo surgery to remove the tumor after chemotherapy or another type of systemic treatment may live longer than those who don't have surgery, a new study suggests.

The findings challenge a long-held belief that surgery confers litt...

Dislocation Risk After Hip Replacement Higher Than Thought: Study

• Robert Preidt
• December 28, 2020
• Full Page

Hip dislocations are much more common in people who've had total hip replacements than previously reported, Danish researchers say.

The investigators analyzed data from Denmark and found that the rate of hip dislocations within two years after total hip replacement was 3...

Older and Getting Surgery? Get Fit Beforehand

• Robert Preidt
• December 22, 2020
• Full Page

Getting fit before surgery can limit the amount of muscle older adults will lose during their recovery, researchers say.

Strength training before a scheduled operation ("prehabilitation") helps counteract muscle wasting during bed rest after a procedure. But it ...

Weight-Loss Surgery Lowers Long-Term Heart Risks for Diabetic Teens

• Steven Reinberg
• December 21, 2020
• Full Page

Weight-loss surgery significantly reduces the risk of heart problems in obese teens with type 2 diabetes, a new study finds.

Teens who have the surgery can see their long-term risk for heart attack, congestive heart failure, stroke and coronary death lowered nearly three...

Don't Schedule Your Operation on Your Surgeon's Birthday

• December 10, 2020
• Full Page

If you have a choice, you might want to avoid having an operation on your surgeon's birthday.

A new study finds that seniors who have emergency surgery on their surgeon's birthday have a much higher risk of dying in the following weeks.

Researchers analyzed data on...

A Better, Safer Way to Rid Some Kids of Seizures?

• Cara Murez
• December 8, 2020
• Full Page

Children with tough-to-treat epilepsy now have another choice to help them live a life free of seizures, a new study suggests.

MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy, a minimally invasive procedure for kids who have drug-resistant epilepsy, is successful in more ...

Post-Op Deaths Decline for Cancer Patients, But Blacks Still More Vulnerable

• Robert Preidt
• December 8, 2020
• Full Page

Fewer U.S. patients are dying after cancer surgery, but Black patients still have a higher risk than white patients, new research shows.

For the study, researchers analyzed Medicare data on nearly 871,000 cancer surgeries conducted from 2007 to 2016 on patients with nine...

COVID-19 Can Damage Lungs So Badly That 'Only Hope' is Transplant

• Robert Preidt
• December 1, 2020
• Full Page

Case studies and autopsy results are confirming that, in some cases, COVID-19 can cause such severe lung damage that patients require a lung transplant to survive.

In a new study, researchers in Chicago analyzed discarded tissue from COVID-19 patients who had lung transp...

Women More Likely to Survive Lung Cancer After Surgery: Study

• Ernie Mundell
• November 27, 2020
• Full Page

Women have higher survival rates after lung cancer surgery than men, according to a new study.

Previous research on sex differences in survival after lung cancer treatment has yielded conflicting results, so researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden decided to st...

Simple Move May Boost Spinal Fusion Outcomes

• Alan Mozes
• November 25, 2020
• Full Page

WEDNESDAY, Nov 25, 2020 (HealthDay) -- A new approach that could revolutionize spinal fusion surgery does away with the need to "flip" patients from their back or side onto their stomach midway through the operation -- a switch researchers say dramatically improves outcomes.

Having Heart Disease Can Make Other Surgeries More Risky

• Robert Preidt
• October 15, 2020
• Full Page

Heart patients may face a greater chance of cardiovascular complications after having major surgery that doesn't involve the heart, new research suggests.

Twenty percent of these patients experienced heart troubles within a year of such surgery, the researchers found...

Weight-Loss Surgery Lengthens Life Span, Study Shows

• Steven Reinberg
• October 14, 2020
• Full Page

Obesity is tied to premature death, but researchers have found that weight-loss surgery can add a few years to your life.

In a study involving more than 4,000 obese people, those who had obesity, or bariatric, surgery lived three years longer on average than those w...

Some Breast Surgery Won't Harm Ability to Breastfeed

• Robert Preidt
• October 7, 2020
• Full Page

Having surgery for benign breast conditions won't harm a woman's future ability to breastfeed, new research suggests.

The study included 85 women, aged 18 to 45. Fifteen had a prior history of benign breast conditions, including cysts, benign tumors and enlarged brea...

Virtual Care After Surgery May Be More Convenient For Patients

• Robert Preidt
• October 7, 2020
• Full Page

Virtual follow-up care for surgical patients provides as much face time with doctors as in-person care, according to a new study.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many surgical patients are being offered virtual follow-up appointments instead of in-person visits, the...

Antibiotics May Be Best First Treatment for Appendicitis

• Steven Reinberg
• October 6, 2020
• Full Page

For some patients suffering from appendicitis, antibiotics may do the trick, a large U.S. trial suggests.

More than 70% of patients who received antibiotics avoided surgery for at least 90 days, according to the new report.

"When we compared the outco...

During and After Surgery, Pot Users Need More Anesthesia, Painkillers: Study

• Dennis Thompson
• October 6, 2020
• Full Page

Marijuana users appear to need more anesthesia than nonusers, and also more opioids to relieve their pain after surgery, a new, preliminary study reports.

Users of cannabis products who had surgery for a broken leg required higher doses of sevoflurane, an inhaled ane...

Do Minority Kids Face More Danger During Surgeries?

• Robert Preidt
• October 4, 2020
• Full Page

Black children are more than twice as likely as white kids to die from surgical complications, and minority children are about half as likely to even have surgery as white children, two new studies show.

In one study, researchers found that of nearly 277,000 children...

In Rare Case, COVID-19 Test Caused Spinal Fluid Leak

• E.J. Mundell
• October 1, 2020
• Full Page

Doctors stress that it's a very rare occurrence, but one woman's pre-surgery COVID-19 nasal swab test appears to have triggered a release of cerebrospinal fluid into her upper nasal cavities.

The incident was tied to a tiny gap in the bones of the woman's skull -- an...

No 'Last Goodbye' for Cello: 5-Hour Surgery Saved Dog's Life

• Robert Preidt
• September 25, 2020
• Full Page

Risky, groundbreaking surgery saved a 12-year-old dog that had an aggressive tumor and was given only weeks to live, University of Florida veterinarians report.

Cello, a female goldendoodle, had a rare tumor that caused a life-threatening obstruction of her major vei...

Smoking Reduces Survival Odds After Bladder Cancer Surgery

• Steven Reinberg
• September 23, 2020
• Full Page

Patients who have surgery for bladder cancer fare worse if they smoke, new research shows.

"This study is important because while it is known that tobacco smoking is the leading cause of bladder cancer, this is the first study to suggest that smoking puts bladder ca...

Clear Danger: Glass-Topped Tables Injure Thousands Each Year

• Cara Roberts Murez
• September 21, 2020
• Full Page

At Rutgers New Jersey Medical School's trauma center, Dr. Stephanie Bonne and her team noticed a string of patient injuries caused by broken glass tables.

"They were quite serious, significant injuries that required pretty big operations and long hospital stays," sai...

Getting a Hip Replacement? Choice of Hospital Can Be Crucial

• Amy Norton
• September 18, 2020
• Full Page

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown a spotlight on disparities in the U.S. health care system. But the issues are longstanding, and -- as one large study illustrates -- extend into a common elective surgery.

Researchers found that when hip replacement surgery is done at...

Struggling With CPAP for Sleep Apnea? Surgery May Help

• Serena Gordon
• September 8, 2020
• Full Page

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) may be the go-to treatment for sleep apnea, but many people struggle to use it every night. For those who cannot tolerate CPAP, new research finds that a combination of surgical techniques may bring relief.

The "multilevel"...

Can Women With Early Breast Cancer Skip Post-Op Radiation?

• Cara Roberts Murez
• August 20, 2020
• Full Page

Instead of weeks of radiation following a lumpectomy, a new study shows that many women with early breast cancer do just as well with only a single dose of targeted radiation that is given during their surgery.

"Breast cancer outcomes, in terms of cancer coming back,...

Gallbladder Surgery During Pregnancy May Be Safer Than Waiting

• Steven Reinberg
• August 18, 2020
• Full Page

For pregnant women experiencing painful gallstones, immediate surgery to remove the infected gallbladder may be better than postponing the operation until after childbirth, a new study suggests.

Acute gallbladder disease is called cholecystitis.

"Current g...

Delayed Surgery for Early Breast Cancer Won't Harm Survival: Study

• Steven Reinberg
• August 17, 2020
• Full Page

Women with early-stage breast cancer whose surgery has been postponed during the coronavirus pandemic need not worry about the delay, new study findings suggest.

A longer time from diagnosis to surgery doesn't affect overall survival of women with early-stage tumors...

Breastfeeding OK After Mom Has Anesthesia, Experts Say

• Steven Reinberg
• August 3, 2020
• Full Page

It's perfectly safe to breastfeed after a mom receives anesthesia, new British medical guidelines say.

And she can start as soon as she's alert and able to do so, according to just-published guidelines from the U.K. Association of Anaesthetists.

"The guide...

What's the Best 'Uterine-Sparing' Treatment for Fibroids?

• Amy Norton
• July 29, 2020
• Full Page

Two "uterine-sparing" treatments for fibroids can improve women's quality of life -- though one might be more effective than the other, a new clinical trial suggests.

Fibroids are non-cancerous growths in and around the wall of the uterus that are usually harmless. B...

Black Kids Face Higher Odds of Post-Op Complications Than White Kids

• Amy Norton
• July 20, 2020
• Full Page

When healthy kids have surgery, serious complications are uncommon. But even in that low-risk scenario, Black children fare worse, a new study finds.

Looking at more than 172,000 U.S. children who had inpatient surgery, researchers found that Black kids faced higher ...

Tough Decisions as COVID-19 Causes Cancer Surgery Delays

• Serena McNiff
• July 14, 2020
• Full Page

Many cancer patients have faced delays to their health care during the coronavirus pandemic, but with what consequences?

Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston analyzed 15 years of data to determine how long surgery for certain types of cancer ...

In Many Cases, Hip Replacement Also Eases Back Pain

• Serena McNiff
• July 9, 2020
• Full Page

If you have a bad hip and lower back pain, a new study suggests that hip replacement surgery may solve both issues at once.

Researchers at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City focused on 500 patients who underwent hip replacement surgery and followed up ...

Multiple Surgeries for Cleft Lip, Palate Won't Cause Major Psychological Damage

• Robert Preidt
• July 3, 2020
• Full Page

Having multiple surgeries for cleft lip and palate doesn't appear to have a major impact on children's mental health, a new study shows.

But there may be one three-year period that ups the odds for anxiety and depression, researchers say.

The study included...

Avoiding Pain and Addiction After Sports-Injury Surgery

• Rich Holmes
• June 24, 2020
• Full Page

With opioid addiction soaring in the United States, it should come as good news that an opioid painkiller may not be needed after a sports-injury repair.

A mix of non-addictive medicines may be safer and equally successful in managing pain after shoulder or knee surg...

Heart Surgery Leads to Long-Term Opioid Use for Some

• Robert Preidt
• June 22, 2020
• Full Page

About one in 10 heart surgery patients who is prescribed an opioid painkiller after the procedure still uses the drugs more than 90 days later, a new study finds.

And those prescribed the highest doses are most likely to be long-term users of opioids, researchers say...

AHA News: Organ Transplants Make A Turnaround From COVID-19 Decline

• June 18, 2020
• Full Page

Along with so much else across America, the coronavirus jolted the system that provides lifesaving organ transplants. As hospitals scrambled and doctors grappled with the risks to patients, the number of procedures plummeted.

Yet by early June, transplants were almost...

People Die When Hospital Bed Shortages Force Patients Out

• Steven Reinberg
• June 17, 2020
• Full Page

When patients are pushed out of the hospital after hip surgery to make room for others, the odds of dying increase, according to a recent study from Norway.

When beds are in short supply, patients are forced out, researchers say. Fridays, the day before holidays and...

Doctors' Choice of Anesthesia Could Help Curb Climate Change

• Robert Preidt
• June 17, 2020
• Full Page

Anesthesiologists can help save the planet, a new study suggests.

Increased use of regional anesthesia instead of general anesthesia may help reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change, according to researchers at the Hospital for Special Surg...