Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Surgery for June 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.
Three Issues to Consider Before Selecting EHR
TUESDAY, June 30, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Work flow, features and functionality, and technical infrastructure should all be considered in advance of selecting an electronic heath record (EHR) system, according to an article published in Medical Economics.
Penile Prosthesis Use Decreasing in Erectile Dysfunction
TUESDAY, June 30, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Use of penile prosthesis (PP) insertion has decreased for erectile dysfunction (ED), according to a study published online June 22 in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Robotic Sx Viable for Morbidly Obese With Endometrial Cancer
TUESDAY, June 30, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Robotic surgery is safe and feasible for the surgical management of morbidly obese patients with endometrial cancer, according to research published in the July issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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AMA Discusses Pre-Retirement Evaluation for Aging Doctors
MONDAY, June 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Issues relating to physician retirement and evaluation of aging physicians before retirement are discussed in a Council on Medical Education report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).
Surgery May Help Adolescents With Frequent Migraines
MONDAY, June 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Migraine surgery may be an effective choice for adolescents who haven’t gotten relief from standard treatment, a small study suggests. The findings were published in the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Statin Use Linked to Improved Post-Surgical Outcomes
MONDAY, June 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Statin use might help reduce major complications after lung surgery, according to a study published in the June issue of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.
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Bariatric Surgery May Help Ease Urinary Incontinence
MONDAY, June 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Bariatric surgery may also help ease urinary incontinence in the long term, a new study suggests. Results of the study were published online June 22 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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C-Section, Autism Spectrum Disorder Link Questioned
FRIDAY, June 26, 2015 (HealthDay News) — While initial study results suggested children born by cesarean section are more likely to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, the association did not remain in additional analysis of sibling pairs, implying the increased risk was more likely due to unknown genetic or environmental factors. The findings were published online June 24 in JAMA Psychiatry.
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SCOTUS Upholds Subsidies for Affordable Care Act
FRIDAY, June 26, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Supreme Court upheld on Thursday the legality of tax subsidies for millions of Americans who signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
Steroid Avoidance May Not Help Reduce Posttransplant Diabetes
FRIDAY, June 25, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For kidney transplant recipients, steroid avoidance has limited impact for reducing new-onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT), according to a study published in the July issue of the American Journal of Transplantation.
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Paclitaxel-Coated Balloon Found Superior in Femoropopliteal PAD
THURSDAY, June 25, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients with symptomatic femoropopliteal peripheral artery disease, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with a paclitaxel-coated balloon is associated with a superior rate of primary patency at 12 months versus angiography with a standard balloon, according to a study published online June 24 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Global Public Awareness of Venous Thromboembolism Is Low
THURSDAY, June 25, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Global public awareness about thrombosis, venous thromboembolism in particular, is low, according to a study published online June 18 in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
Yearly CT May Adequately Monitor Non-Solid Lung Nodules
WEDNESDAY, June 24, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients with non-solid lung nodules of any size, annual computed tomography (CT) scans may be all that’s needed to monitor their condition, a new study suggests. The report was published online June 23 in Radiology.
Islet Transplantation Safe, Efficient in Five-Year Follow-Up
MONDAY, June 22, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Islet transplantation seems safe and efficient for restoring glycemic control in type 1 diabetes, according to research published online June 11 in Diabetes Care.
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Medical Identity Theft Incidents Increasing
MONDAY, June 22, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Medical identity theft is on the rise, costly to consumers, and challenging to resolve, according to the fifth annual report published by the Ponemon Institute.
Pre-Op Workshop Cuts Post-Op Maladaptive Behaviors in Kids
FRIDAY, June 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A preoperative preparation workshop can reduce postoperative maladaptive behaviors (POMBs) in children, according to a study published online June 12 in Pediatric Anesthesia.
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Caution in Social Media Age: Self-Promotion Can Backfire
FRIDAY, June 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — In a series of experiments, researchers found that people who self-promote often offend others. The study was published in the June issue of Psychological Science.
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Aggressive Malpractice Environment Ups Hospital LOS
FRIDAY, June 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — An aggressive malpractice environment is associated with increased hospitalization charges and length of stay for patients undergoing spine surgery, according to a study published in the July 1 issue of The Spine Journal.
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Six-Minute Walk Distance IDs Post-Lung Transplant Survival
FRIDAY, June 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients undergoing lung transplantation, six-minute walk distance (6MWD) predicts postoperative survival, according to a study published online June 11 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Hundreds Arrested Nationwide for Medicare/Medicaid Fraud
FRIDAY, June 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Hundreds of people have been charged after health care fraud sweeps were made across the United States, the federal government said Thursday.
Health Highlights: June 19, 2015
FDA Cracks Down on Online Sale of Illegal Medical Products
FRIDAY, June 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, along with international partners, moved this week against more than 1,050 websites that sell potentially dangerous counterfeit medicines and medical devices, the agency said Thursday.
Readmitted Surgery Patients Fare Better at Same Hospital
THURSDAY, June 18, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Surgery patients who suffer complications after discharge from a hospital are more likely to die if they’re readmitted to a different hospital than where they had their original operation, according to a new study published online June 17 in The Lancet.
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Virtual Credit Card Fees Amount to 3 to 5 Percent of Payments
THURSDAY, June 18, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Payment with virtual credit cards (VCCs) is associated with considerable fees, although physicians are often unaware of these charges, according to the American Medical Association (AMA).
FDA: Improved Artificial Heart Valve Approved
THURSDAY, June 18, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The newest version of the Sapien 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Exercise May Be Better Than Arthroscopic Sx for Knee Pain
WEDNESDAY, June 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Arthroscopic surgery to relieve chronic knee pain in middle-aged and older patients is only temporarily effective and might be harmful, a new analysis suggests. The report was published online June 16 in The BMJ.
Breast-Conserving Therapy Rates on the Rise
WEDNESDAY, June 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The percentage of women with early-stage breast cancer who undergo breast-conserving therapy (BCT) has risen slowly in recent years, new research shows. The study was published online June 17 in JAMA Surgery.
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Antibiotics May Be Enough for Some Appendicitis Patients
WEDNESDAY, June 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Although surgical removal of the appendix has long been a standard treatment, new research suggests that almost three-quarters of people treated with antibiotics could be spared appendectomy. The findings were published in the June 16 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Direct Messaging Not Yet Widely Adopted by Physicians
TUESDAY, June 16, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Direct secure messaging (Direct), which is a standardized protocol for exchanging clinical messages and attachments, has not been widely adopted by physicians, despite its potential for improving care coordination, according to an article published in Medical Economics.
HRQoL Outcomes Not Improving for Transapical TAVR
TUESDAY, June 16, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes have not improved for patients undergoing transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TA-TAVR), according to research published online June 9 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
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Review Examines Inappropriate Prescribing of IV Fluids
TUESDAY, June 16, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Inappropriate prescribing of intravenous (IV) fluids most often involves incorrect volumes and types of IV fluids prescribed, according to a review published online June 11 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics.
Article Weighs Paying Off Student Loans Versus Investment
MONDAY, June 15, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Newly-minted physicians should consider the issues relating to paying off their loans versus investing for retirement, according to an article published in Medical Economics.
Vessel Boost Tied to Improved Surgical Resection Rate
FRIDAY, June 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients with borderline resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma (BRPAC) and locally-advanced PAC (LAPAC) treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation (NACRT), dose escalation with a vessel boost (VB) correlates with a trend toward improvement in the surgical resection rate. These findings were published online June 12 in Practical Radiation Oncology.
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Tattoos Can Mimic Metastasis on PET-CT in Cervical Cancer
FRIDAY, June 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients with cervical cancer, extensive tattoos could mimic metastasis on positron emission tomography (PET) fused with computed tomography (CT) imaging, according to a case report published online June 5 in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Study Estimates Incidence of Surgical Never Events
FRIDAY, June 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Wrong-site surgery and retained surgical items still occur, and evidence for interventions to prevent these is limited, according to a review published online June 10 in JAMA Surgery.
Obesity Ups Risks in Pediatric Procedural Sedation
FRIDAY, June 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For pediatric patients undergoing procedural sedation, obesity is associated with increased risk of adverse respiratory events and frequency of airway interventions, according to research published in the July issue of Pediatric Anesthesia.
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Aerobic Fitness Measures Predict Post-AAA Complications
FRIDAY, June 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Cardiopulmonary exercise testing variables can predict postoperative complications after abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, according to a study published in the June issue of Anaesthesia.
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Shorter Antibiotic Course Post Abdominal Surgery May Be Viable
THURSDAY, June 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A shorter course of antibiotic treatment for abdominal infections after surgery may be as equally effective as a longer course, a new study suggests. The findings were published in the May 21 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Some Graduating Seniors Not Matching to Residency Positions
THURSDAY, June 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — More than 250 of this year’s graduating seniors from U.S. medical schools did not match to a residency position, according to the American Medical Association.
Venous Thromboembolism Rates Low After Colorectal Surgery
THURSDAY, June 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients undergoing colorectal surgery, venous thromboembolism (VTE) rates are generally low, according to a study published online June 10 in JAMA Surgery.
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Birth Reported From Transplanted Childhood Ovarian Tissue
WEDNESDAY, June 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — In what researchers are hailing as a medical breakthrough, a 27-year-old woman gave birth to a healthy baby conceived from ovarian tissue that had been surgically removed and frozen when she was a child. The study findings were published online June 9 in Human Reproduction.
Report Offers Guidance on Medical Ethics Education
WEDNESDAY, June 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — An analysis of the current state of medical ethics education in the United States has been published in the June issue of Academic Medicine. The article, the Romanell Report, also offers guidance to assist medial ethics educators in meeting expectations.
Geographic Location Most Important for Residents
WEDNESDAY, June 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For residents, the most important element in a future practice is geographic location, with lifestyle, adequate call hours and personal time, and a good financial package also cited as being important, according to the American Medical Association (AMA).
Extra Time During MCAT Linked to Less Success in Med School
WEDNESDAY, June 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Medical school applicants with Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores obtained with extra test administration time have lower rates of success in medical schools, according to a study published in the June 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Professional Guidelines Have Limited Impact on Pre-Op Testing
TUESDAY, June 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The publication of 2002 professional guidelines on routine preoperative testing correlated with a reduction in routine electrocardiogram testing, but not in the incidence of radiography, hematocrit, urinalysis, or cardiac stress testing, according to research published online June 8 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Analysis Targets U.S. Hospitals With Highest Markups
TUESDAY, June 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The 50 U.S. hospitals with the highest charge-to-cost ratio have markups approximately 10 times the Medicare-allowable costs, and most of these hospitals are for profit, according to a study published in the June issue of Health Affairs.
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AMA Offers Guidance for Physician-Hospital Relationships
MONDAY, June 8, 2015 (HealthDay News) — New guidelines can enable successful physician hospital relationships and integrated leadership, according to a report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).
Pediatric Anesthesia Prior to Age 4 May Affect IQ Testing
MONDAY, June 8, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Children who receive general anesthesia during surgery before they turn 4 years of age may later score slightly lower on listening comprehension and performance IQ, compared to children who had never had general anesthesia; however, overall IQ scores appear to remain within the normal range. These findings were published online June 8 in Pediatrics.
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Study IDs Surgical Never Events, Contributing Factors
FRIDAY, June 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Surgical never events and contributing human factors have been identified, with individual cognitive factors contributing one half of all nano-codes, according to a study published online May 29 in Surgery.
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Withholding ARBs After Surgery Linked to Higher Mortality
THURSDAY, June 4, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For veterans regularly prescribed angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) admitted for noncardiac surgery, failure to resume ARB therapy by postoperative day two is associated with increased mortality risk, according to a study published online May 30 in Anesthesiology.
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Surgery Deemed Fitting for Some Stage IIIB NSCLC Patients
THURSDAY, June 4, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Patients with stage IIIB non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) could live longer by undergoing surgical resection, instead of receiving only chemotherapy and radiation, according to research published in the June issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
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Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Formed
THURSDAY, June 4, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Nine states have enacted the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact law, with the seventh state’s enactment triggering formation of a commission to administer a process for physicians seeking licensure in multiple states, according to a report published by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
CMS: Hospital Charges for Common Procedures Up
WEDNESDAY, June 3, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The prices hospitals charge patients for a number of common procedures rose more than 10 percent between 2011 and 2013, more than twice the rate of inflation, according to data released by the federal government Monday.
Surgery for Low-Grade DCIS May Not Improve Survival
WEDNESDAY, June 3, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Surgery for low-grade ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) does not significantly improve outcomes for patients, according to research that raises questions about the overuse of surgery for the condition. The study was published online June 3 in JAMA Surgery.
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Post-Op Myocardial Necrosis Common After Orthopedic Sx
WEDNESDAY, June 3, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Myocardial necrosis is common after orthopedic surgery and is associated with increased risk of long-term mortality, according to a study published in the June 15 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
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Inverse Link for Coffee Intake, Cholecystectomy Risk
TUESDAY, June 2, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For premenopausal women and those using hormone replacement therapy (HRT), there is an inverse association between coffee consumption and risk of cholecystectomy, according to a study published in the June issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
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U.S. Organ Donation System Needs ‘Disruptive Innovation’
TUESDAY, June 2, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Many state policies meant to increase organ donations and transplant rates have had almost no impact, according to new research published online June 1 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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ASPS: Bariatric Surgeries Leading to Rise in Cosmetic Procedures
MONDAY, June 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The rapidly rising number of bariatric surgeries in the United States may be leading to greater demand for cosmetic surgery, according to a new report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Pre-Op Variable Calculator Accurately Predicts AAA Survival
MONDAY, June 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — An independent calculator that uses preoperative variables can accurately predict long-term survival in abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, according to a study published in the June issue of Anaesthesia.
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