Surgery
A low prevalence of H pylori in HIV-positive patients
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Helicobacter pylori has been extensively studied and proven to be the main cause of chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer in the HIV-negative population. Patients with chronic active gastritis have evidence of H pylori infection in over 90% of cases and in 70-100% of those with peptic ulcer disease. However, the reason for low incidence of H pylori infection in HIV-positive patients was still not very clear. A study examining this issue was recently reported in the November 7 issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology because of its great significance for AIDS-related diseases.
The article describes 151 patients for gastrointestinal symptoms underwent endoscopic examination in Beijing Youбпan Hospital, Capital Medical University, the largest referral center for the management of HIV infection and HIV-related complications in China, from January 2003 to March 2006. The HIV-positive patients in the present study, mainly from HeNan province, were infected through illegal blood plasma collection.
Incisionless surgery revises stomach bypass
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When weight loss stalls or other problems arise years after gastric bypass, the surgery can be successfully revised with an incisionless, from-the-inside approach, researchers from Ohio State University in Columbus report.
The technique, involves the use of a device called StomaphyX, which has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. The device is inserted with an endoscope via the mouth into the stomach, where suction pulls the stomach walls against the device. Staple-like fasteners are then deployed to create pleats in the walls, effectively reducing the size of the stomach.
Less pain, bleeding with newer tonsil surgery
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People who have their tonsils removed using an “intracapsular” technique—which removes at least 90 percent of tonsil tissue, but spares the tonsil capsule—seem to experience less bleeding and pain after surgery compared with those who have their tonsils out using the traditional tonsil removal surgery, new research suggests.
The findings stem from a look back at the medical charts of 2,944 patients who underwent tonsillectomy with or without removal of the adenoids (tissue at the back of the throat) at one center from January 2002 through May 2005. The patients included 1,731 who had the newer intracapsular tonsillectomy procedure and 1,212 who had traditional tonsillectomy.
Surgeons Remove Patient’s Gall Bladder Through Vagina
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Surgeons at the University of California, San Diego Medical Center have performed the first clinical trial surgery in the Southwest to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of performing abdominal procedures through the body’s natural openings, virtually eliminating scarring.
The UCSD Medical Center procedure involved removing the gallbladder through the patient’s vagina without traditional incisions through the skin. Only one small incision through the naval was required to help guide the surgeon. This procedure received approval for a limited number of patients by UC San Diego’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) which oversees clinical research.
Glaucoma surgery in the blink of an eye
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Prof. Ehud Assia, of Tel Aviv University’s Sackler School of Medicine is, quite simply, a rock star in the field of eye surgery.
One of a small number of surgeons in the world who currently perform a complicated form of glaucoma surgery, Prof. Assia has developed a novel laser device that promises to revolutionize treatment of the disease. The laser, called the OTS134 for now, is expected to give most practicing eye surgeons the ability to master complex glaucoma surgery very quickly.
Diabetes control a must before heart surgery
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Diabetic patients undergoing heart bypass surgery can markedly reduce their risk of serious complications by keeping their blood sugar levels in check before the operation, Argentine researchers reported here at the XXXII Argentine Congress of Cardiology.
The study focused on how well patients controlled their hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, a measure of long-term blood sugar control.
Anesthetists address challenge of obese patients
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Very obese people about to undergo surgery need special attention and equipment, which has prompted the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland to develop guidelines for these situations.
“Treating morbidly obese patients poses extra challenges for anaesthetists,” Dr. Alastair Chambers, the chair of the working group that drew up the guidelines, said in a statement.
Chinese “elephant man” to go under the knife
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A Chinese “elephant man” with a crippling 15 kg (33 lb) tumour drooping from his head and face—the biggest on record—undergoes life-threatening surgery on Tuesday to have it removed.
Huang Chuncai, 31, from the southern province of Hunan, can hardly speak because the mass is so huge, he has to cradle it when he stands. His left eye is totally covered, his left ear hangs to his shoulder, and his right ear and jaw have been engulfed.
Sex, age, location affect colonoscopy failures
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If you’re not eager to undergo a repeat colonoscopy because the procedure could not be completed, choose a specialized medical center to have it done.
Unfortunately, other factors that make an incomplete colonoscopy more likely—being a woman and being elderly—can’t be changed so readily.
Obesity surgery can increase alcohol sensitivity
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Patients who have undergone gastric bypass surgery for obesity have higher breath-alcohol levels after drinking the same amount as other people—and it takes much longer for their levels to return to zero, the findings from a small study suggest.
“There are a few implications here. The overwhelming one being that patients need to be cautious using alcohol after they’ve had this surgery. One drink may be one too many,” senior author Dr. John Morton, from Stanford University in California, told Reuters Health. “In addition, by relaxing the intestine, alcohol can allow the patient to consume more food, which could wreak havoc on their weight maintenance.”
Blacks less likely to undergo heart bypass surgery
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Black patients who are hospitalized after a heart attack are less likely than their white counterparts to undergo coronary bypass surgery, also referred to as revascularization, regardless of whether or not the hospital has a service specializing in this surgery, new research shows.
A number of studies have documented racial differences in coronary revascularization rates. However, few studies have looked at the impact that a hospital revascularization service may have on this difference.
Pancreatic Surgery Riskier for Obese Patients
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Obesity may contribute to a greater likelihood of post-operative complications for patients having pancreatic surgery, a surgeon at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital has found.
A study of 202 pancreatic surgeries from 2000 to 2005 indicates obese patients had an increased time on the operating table, blood loss, length of hospital stay and rate of serious complications compared to normal weight individuals, said Adam Berger, M.D., assistant professor of surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University
Surgery can fix many back problems: studies
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Surgery works for people with a slipped or misaligned disk, but often is not necessary if patients can muster enough patience, according to two studies in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Back problems are a difficult challenge for doctors in part because it is difficult to know when to operate.
How student doctor got personal experience of brain surgery
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As I walked into the neurologist’s office, I thought I knew what was coming. I didn’t. I’m a medical student and had looked up all of my symptoms; everything seemed to point to carpal-tunnel syndrome - a trapped nerve in my wrist. I sat down and, from the look on my doctor’s face, began to feel uneasy. He said that something unexpected had shown up on my MRI scan. The pins and needles, wasting and weakness that I had been experiencing in my left hand for nearly a year were, in fact, caused by a condition that I had never heard of called Chiari malformation.
This meant that I had been born with my cerebellum protruding through the base of my skull. The extra tissue had altered the pressure and flow of spinal fluid, causing it to get “dumped” into the middle of my spinal cord, a condition called syringomyelia, which was progressive.
Prostate Brachytherapy Causes Fewer Side Effects than Surgery
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Men with prostate cancer have a slightly better long-term side effects profile with radiation seed implants than they do with surgery, according to a study released today in the International Journal for Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics, the official journal of ASTRO.
Doctors in France conducted the first-ever multi-institutional, comparative study of men with early stage prostate cancer to evaluate a man’s quality of life, treatment-related side effects and cost of the treatment based on the type of treatment the patient received: surgery or seed implants, both widely-accepted modes of treatment for early-stage prostate cancer. With prostate surgery, called a radical prostatectomy, a surgeon removes the prostate. During prostate brachytherapy, a radiation oncologist places radioactive seeds, similar to the size of a grain of rice, into the prostate to kill the cancer.
