Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Surgery for February 2015. 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.
AMA: Key Steps for Minimizing Liability Risk in Telemedicine
FRIDAY, Feb. 27, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Key steps should be taken to minimize the potential risk of liability resulting from use of telemedicine, according to an article published by the American Medical Association (AMA).
CDC: Routine Procedures Lead to Two Cases of HCV Transmission
FRIDAY, Feb. 27, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Two cases of hepatitis C infection that occurred during routine surgeries highlight the need for hospitals to tighten infection control to prevent more transmissions, officials said Friday.
Patients Give Favorable Report of Epilepsy Surgery
FRIDAY, Feb. 27, 2015 (HealthDay News) — More than nine in 10 epilepsy patients who had brain surgery to try to control their seizures are happy they did so, according to survey findings published in the February issue of Epilepsy & Behavior.
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Invasive Strategy Improves Outcome in Elderly With ACS
FRIDAY, Feb. 27, 2015 (HealthDay News) — An invasive strategy using coronary angiography results in a better outcome in elderly patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (ACS), according to research published in the March 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
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Location of Colorectal Cancer Factors Into Survival
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 25, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer that started on the left side may be more likely to survive than those whose disease originated on the right side, according to research published in the March issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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Post-Op Mortality Low Among HIV Patients Prescribed ART
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 25, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Patients with HIV infection receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) have increased 30-day postoperative mortality versus uninfected patients, although absolute incidence is low, according to a study published online Feb. 25 in JAMA Surgery.
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Success for ‘Bionic Hand’ Procedure in Three Patients
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 25, 2015 (HealthDay News) — In what scientists say is a first, a robotic hand controlled by a patient’s own muscle and nerves appears to have restored complex hand function to a trio of amputees in Austria. The findings were reported online Feb. 24 in The Lancet.
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Knee OA One Year Post-ACL Reconstruction Common
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 25, 2015 (HealthDay News) — At one year post-anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), knee osteoarthritis (OA) is evident among a substantial proportion of patients, according to a study published online Feb. 18 in Arthritis & Rheumatology.
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Patients Say Cost Matters Greatly in Choosing Doctor
FRIDAY, Feb. 20, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The number one determining factor for selecting a doctor is whether the physician is in-network, according to a report published by Vitals.
FDA: New Device Treats Superficial Varicose Veins
FRIDAY, Feb. 20, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The VenaSeal closure system has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat superficial varicose veins of the legs that cause symptoms.
Cancer Prevalence Low in Power Morcellation Fibroid Removal
FRIDAY, Feb. 20, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The use of power morcellation to remove fibroids in the uterus can end up spreading bits of hidden cancerous tumors throughout the abdomen, but a new study suggests the likelihood is low. Researchers called the findings, reported online Feb. 19 in JAMA Oncology, “reassuring.”
Doctors, Pharmacists Least Likely Health Pros to Divorce
THURSDAY, Feb. 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Doctors appear less likely to get divorced than most other health care professionals, according to research published online Feb. 18 in The BMJ.
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Fear of Discrimination Keeps Many LGBT Med Students Silent
THURSDAY, Feb. 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Fear of discrimination is a major reason why about one-third of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) medical students stay “in the closet,” new research finds. The study was published online Feb. 16 in Academic Medicine.
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Article Emphasizes Importance of Apology in Medical Error
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 18, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Apology laws, which prohibit certain statements or expressions of sympathy by a physician from being admissible in a lawsuit, are unnecessary if physicians understand the importance of saying sorry and offering accountability after an error, according to an article published Feb. 4 in Medical Economics.
Many Women Not Receiving Recommended Radiation Tx
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 18, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Many American women with locally-advanced breast cancer do not receive recommended radiation therapy after mastectomy, according to a study published online Jan. 14 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
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Observation Increasingly Used in Younger Men With Prostate CA
TUESDAY, Feb. 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Observation is increasingly being used among men with low-risk prostate cancer who are young and healthy enough for treatment, according to a study published in the March issue of The Journal of Urology.
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Wide Variation in Hospital Tx Patterns for Metastatic CRC
TUESDAY, Feb. 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC), there is wide variation in hospital treatment patterns, according to a study published online Jan. 29 in Cancer.
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High Deductible Plans Factor Into Physician-Patient Relationship
MONDAY, Feb. 16, 2015 (HealthDay News) — In an environment where patients are increasingly aware of the costs of health care, physicians need to be prepared to address these issues with their patients, according to an article published Feb. 4 in Medical Economics.
Considerable Surgeon-Level Variation in Radical Prostatectomy
MONDAY, Feb. 16, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Considerable practice variation exists among surgeons at a high-volume academic center when selecting patients with prostate cancer to undergo radical prostatectomy, according to a study published in the March issue of The Journal of Urology.
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Patients Tend to Prefer Formal Physician Attire
FRIDAY, Feb. 13, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Patients often prefer physicians with formal attire and white coats, according to a systematic review published online Jan. 19 in BMJ Open.
Latino Physician Shortage Has Worsened Since 1980
FRIDAY, Feb. 13, 2015 (HealthDay News) — From 1980 to 2010 the Latino physician shortage worsened, according to a study published online Jan. 27 in Academic Medicine.
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Intervention Cuts Drug Prep Errors for Peroral Drugs
THURSDAY, Feb. 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A newly developed intervention program tailored to hospitals can reduce the rate of inappropriately prepared solid peroral drugs for patients with feeding tubes, according to a study published online Feb. 5 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics.
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CDC: Number of THR Procedures Up in the United States
THURSDAY, Feb. 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The number of hip replacements performed in the United States has increased substantially, and the procedure has become more common in younger people, new government statistics show. The report was published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics as a February data brief.
Defensive Neurosurgery Up in States With High Liability Risk
THURSDAY, Feb. 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Neurosurgeons are more likely to practice defensive medicine in states with high state-level liability risk, according to a study published in the February issue of Neurosurgery.
Seven Tips Help Doctors Prepare for Meaningful Use Audits
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Given that physicians are chosen for meaningful use (MU) audits at random, the best way to prepare is for a physician to assume they will be audited, according to an article published Jan. 28 in Medical Economics.
Post-Op Infection Rate Low for Minimally Invasive Spine Sx
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients undergoing posterior transtubular microscopic assisted spinal surgery, the postoperative infection rate is very low, according to a study published in the Feb. 1 issue of Spine.
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Americans’ Complementary Health Approaches Changing
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Yoga is increasingly popular among U.S. adults and children, two new government surveys reveal. Both surveys, which were published Feb. 10 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), looked at the overall use of alternative or complementary medicine among Americans.
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More Donor Hearts Discarded Even As Need Grows
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Even as the need for heart transplants increases, more donor hearts are being discarded, with a new study showing that only one in three donated hearts finds a recipient. The new report was published online Feb. 10 in the American Journal of Transplantation.
Research Misconduct ID’d by FDA Often Unreported in Literature
TUESDAY, Feb. 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A review of U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspection reports between 1998 and 2013 revealed 57 clinical trials in which regulators had uncovered violations serious enough to earn the agency’s most severe classification — “official action indicated,” or OAI. The findings were published online Feb. 9 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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FDA OKs Device to Help Prevent Procedure-Related Stroke
TUESDAY, Feb. 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The ENROUTE Transcarotid Neuroprotection System (TNS) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a minimally invasive device designed to help prevent stroke during stent and angioplasty procedures.
Advantages of Shorter Resident Shifts Found Lacking
MONDAY, Feb. 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Shorter shifts for medical residents don’t appear to be making any big improvements in doctors’ fatigue levels or in patient care, new research shows. The study was published online Feb. 9 in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
Confidence Not Accurate Measure of Prescribing Competence
MONDAY, Feb. 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For medical students, self-reported confidence in prescribing only weakly correlates with actual competence, according to a study published online Feb. 4 in The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.
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One-Quarter of Adnexal Masses in Youth Are Malignant
MONDAY, Feb. 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For children and adolescents with an adnexal mass, about 25 percent of masses are malignant, according to a study published online Feb. 4 in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Case Series Addresses Spine Tumors in Pregnancy
MONDAY, Feb. 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For most pregnant patients with benign spine tumors, surgery can be postponed until after delivery, according to a study published in the Feb. 1 issue of Spine.
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Value of Robot-Assisted Surgery in Kidney CA Accrues Over Time
FRIDAY, Feb. 6, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery for kidney cancer is associated with considerable benefits, which outweigh health care and surgical costs, according to a study published in the February issue of Health Affairs.
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Less Common Bariatric Procedure = More Weight Loss
FRIDAY, Feb. 6, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A less-popular type of weight loss surgery might actually lead to more weight loss than gastric bypass — the currently favored form of obesity surgery. But, the trade-off seems to be more complications, new research suggests. The study findings were published online Feb. 4 in JAMA Surgery.
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Perspective on Dr. Davidson: ‘Be Like Mike’
THURSDAY, Feb. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The tragic shooting of surgeon Michael Davidson can be used as an opportunity to find meaning in tragedy, according to a perspective piece published online Feb. 5 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Early Rehab Doesn’t Increase Adverse Events Post-CABG
THURSDAY, Feb. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Early enrollment in cardiac rehabilitation does not increase major adverse event rates among patients who recently underwent open heart surgery, according to a study published in the Feb. 15 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
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FDA Approves Internal Tissue Adhesive
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 4, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first tissue adhesive for internal use.
Infection Most Common Readmission Reason Post-Surgery
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 4, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Infections are the most likely reason people end up back in the hospital after surgery, a new study finds. The report was published in the Feb. 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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ACS-NSQIP Report Cards Don’t Appear to Provide Much Benefit
TUESDAY, Feb. 3, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Report cards on the quality of surgical care provided by hospitals don’t appear to benefit Medicare patients, according to a new study. The findings were published in the Feb. 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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‘Battlefield’ Blood Transfusion Deemed More Beneficial
TUESDAY, Feb. 3, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A blood transfusion containing equal parts plasma, platelets, and red blood cells is the most effective treatment for someone who is in immediate danger of exsanguination, compared to a blood mix containing a larger amount of red blood cells, according to research published in the Feb. 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Pregnancy Outcomes Similar for Adult, Child Kidney Transplant
TUESDAY, Feb. 3, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Pregnancy outcomes are similar for women who have received a kidney transplant, whether they were a child or an adult when they got their transplant, according to a new study published in the February issue of JAMA Pediatrics.
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Nutritional Supplements Can Improve Pressure Ulcer Healing
TUESDAY, Feb. 3, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For malnourished adult patients, specific nutritional supplements (arginine, zinc, and antioxidants) are associated with improved pressure ulcer healing, according to a study published in the Feb. 3 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Patient Engagement Can Cut Costs, Improve Outcomes
MONDAY, Feb. 2, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Patient engagement initiatives can decrease costs without sacrificing quality care, according to an article published Jan. 22 in Medical Economics.
Incidence of Emergent Hernia Repair Up From 2001 to 2010
MONDAY, Feb. 2, 2015 (HealthDay News) — From 2001 to 2010 there was an increase in the incidence rates of emergent hernia repair, according to a study published online Jan. 7 in JAMA Surgery.
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