Category: Surgery
Questions arise about robotic surgery’s cost, effectiveness
Health plans generally pay for robotic surgery like any other surgical procedure, but that could change as research helps make clear when robotic-assisted surgery does and doesn’t improve outcomes.
C-Section rates vary widely across nation
Overall rates of C-sections vary from about 7 percent — to 70 percent across the nation’s hospitals. Even among women with lower-risk pregnancies, where rates varied from 2.4 to 36.5 percent.
FDA Updates Safety Recommendations for Metal-on-Metal Hip Implants
If you develop new or worsening problems, such as pain, swelling, numbness, noise (popping, grinding, clicking or squeaking of your hip) or a change in your ability to walk, contact your orthopedic surgeon right away. If you experience changes in your general health, including new or worsening symptoms outside your hip, let your doctor or other health care professional know you have a metal-on-metal hip implant.
Osteoarthritis – from NIH MedlinePlus magazine
Feature article from NIH MedlinePlus magazine covers the causes, symptoms and treatments of a condition that affects 27 million Americans: Osteoarthritis
5 things to know about breast implants
Researching breast implants can be overwhelming and confusing. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has online tools available to help women sort through the information and provides questions to consider before making the decision.
Reviving research into US gun violence – BMJ feature
For much of the 20th century, gun violence in the US had been considered a law enforcement issue. But in the late 1970s and early 1980s, a series of reports and workshops started to recast the issue as a public health problem and calling for a far broader societal approach.
Need a price for a hip replacement? Good luck with that . . .
Let’s say your 62-year-old granny needs a hip replacement.
So how much will it cost her?
Who knows. Seriously.
How the NRA undermined law to require mental health checks for gun buys
Bush administration proposed legislation that would require all states to share the names of residents involuntarily committed to mental health facilities. The information would be provided to a Federal Bureau of Investigation database. The idea, in part, was to help gun dealers get important information about whether potential customers were mentally ill.
Film features medical technology from UW, the Hutch and Children’s
A short film about a technology invented by the UW, Fred Hutch, and Children’s Hospital is a semi-finalist at the Sundance Film Festival. The technology, called Tumor Pain, uses a scorpion toxin to cause cancer cells in the brain light up so that they can be seen and removed during surgery, protecting nearby normal brain tissue
Instagram comes to the OR
Seattle’s Swedish Medical Center will cover a cochlear implant surgery live, displaying images from the operation on the online photo website Instagram while narrating the procedure simultaneously on the micro-blogging site Twitter.
Group Health study finds “shared decision making” may reduce medical procedures
A new Group Health Cooperative study about decision aids, materials given to patients to help educate them about treatment options, shows that they can help hold down costs.
Four appointed to Harborview leadership posts.
Dr. Eileen Bulger appointed Chief of trauma; Darcy Jaffee, Chief Nursing Officer; Kera Rabbitt, Assistant Administrator of Finance; and Becky Pierce, Associate Administrator for Surgical, Emergent and Integrated Services.
Ruth McDonald has been appointed pediatrician-in-chief at Seattle Children’s
Dr. Ruth McDonal, a pediatric nephrologist, has been appointed pediatrician-in-chief at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Dr. Mark Del Beccaro, former pediatrician-in-chief, has moved to the position vice president of medical affairs at Seattle Children’s.
Why can’t Medicine seem to fix simple mistakes?
It’s long been known that medical errors are a major problem—a national panel concluded more than a decade ago that nearly 100,000 people die each year as a result of errors in hospitals. Despite the resulting national focus on patient safety, patients continue to be harmed and killed by medical shortcuts, inadequate training and breakdowns in communication.
Research news – July 19th
Study casts doubt on prostate surgery for men with early-stage disease. MS drug fails to slow progression to disability. FDA approves first drug to prevent HIV infection.
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