Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Blogs This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Should I participate in a cardiac rehabilitation program?
Cardiac rehabilitation (CR), or “cardiac rehab,” is a multifaceted, medically supervised program proven to improve heart health and outcomes in people with certain types of cardiovascular disease. CR revolves around three major components: an individualized exercise and training program, education on topics related to heart health, and stress reduction. CR is currently recommended for the following diagnoses: angina (chest pain); heart attack with or without angioplasty or bypass surgery; heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF); and heart surgery including heart valve procedures or heart or heart/lung tran...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - October 10, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Hicham Skali, MD, MSc, FACC Tags: Exercise and Fitness Health Heart Health Source Type: blogs

From Surgeries To Keeping Company: The Place Of Robots In Healthcare
Assisting surgeries, disinfecting rooms, dispensing medication, keeping company: believe it or not these are the tasks medical robots will soon undertake in hospitals, pharmacies, or your nearest doctor’s office. These new ‘colleagues’ will definitely make a difference in every field of medicine. Here’s our overview to understand robotics in healthcare better so that everyone can prepare for the appearance of mechanic helpers in medical facilities. Metallic allies for the benefit of the vulnerable While there are concerns for machines replacing people in the workforce, we believe there are adv...
Source: The Medical Futurist - October 8, 2019 Category: Information Technology Authors: berci.mesko Tags: Future of Medicine Future of Pharma Robotics blood digital health future of hospital Healthcare medical medical robot nanorobot nanotechnology pharmacies social social companion social companion robot Surgery telemedical Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, October 7th 2019
In conclusion, our findings link the calcification of the vascular tissue with the expression of FGF23 in the vessels and with the elevation of circulating levels this hormone. Permanently Boosting Levels of Natural Killer Cells in Mice to Increase Cancer Resistance https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2019/09/permanently-boosting-levels-of-natural-killer-cells-in-mice-to-increase-cancer-resistance/ Researchers here demonstrate a very interesting approach to immunotherapy: they introduce engineered stem cells in mice that will give rise to additional natural killer T cells, boosting the capability of the...
Source: Fight Aging! - October 6, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

Laser Activated Gold Nanorods Create Silk Seal for Incisions and Wounds
Staples and sutures are currently used to seal soft tissues together in clinical practice, but researchers at Arizona State University have come up with an alternative technique that resembles welding. It may end up being used to seal tissues during surgeries and to treat wounds, and in many cases simply to enhance the effectiveness of staples and sutures. Moreover, because the seal can be more continuous, covering the entirety of an incision, it may help to prevent infections. The approach relies on a laser to activate gold nanorods so that they heat up and begin to gently melt silk fibers nearby. The silk fibers inter...
Source: Medgadget - October 3, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Medgadget Editors Tags: Cardiac Surgery Emergency Medicine Materials Military Medicine Nanomedicine Neurosurgery Orthopedic Surgery Thoracic Surgery Vascular Surgery Source Type: blogs

How are hospitals supposed to reduce readmissions? Part II
By KIP SULLIVAN, JD The notion that hospitals can reduce readmissions, and that punishing them for “excess” readmissions will get them to do that, became conventional wisdom during the 2000s on the basis of very little evidence. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) urged Congress to enact the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) beginning in 2007, and in 2010 Congress did so. State Medicaid programs and private insurers quickly adopted similar programs. The rapid adoption of readmission-penalty programs without evidence confirming they can work has created widespread concern that these prog...
Source: The Health Care Blog - October 1, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Health Policy CMS hospital readmissions Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program HRRP Kip Sullivan MedPAC Source Type: blogs

Ping Pong Balls in the Lungs
"She's worried I had a heart attack."That was the answer I got from the 70ish-year-old patient pointing at his wife when I asked why he came to the emergency department. She quickly added, "He had terrible pain four days ago on the right side, and now he gets winded when he walks."I had already seen his ECG, so I assured her that it appeared normal. I was going to order a chest x-ray, however, because his lungs sounds were pretty quiet. She said he had COPD, and wanted to know if he needed an inhaler.The last time I had seen something like this was in medical school 30 years ago. At that time, I was ...
Source: Lions and Tigers and Bears - October 1, 2019 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs

Ethicon ’s New ECHELON CIRCULAR Powered Stapler
Ethicon, a part of J&J, just unveiled the ECHELON CIRCULAR, which the company touts as the first powered circular stapler specifically designed for colorectal, gastric, and thoracic procedures. The device features so-called “Gripping Surface Technology” that is supposedly more tender on the tissues being stapled, distributing forces to reduce potential damage. Also, the staples are slightly twisted when applied, and so grip tissues from different angles, which Ethicon says distributes compression better and reduces leaks along the staple line while not compromising perfusion. Moreover, compared with ...
Source: Medgadget - September 24, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Medgadget Editors Tags: GI Surgery Thoracic Surgery Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, September 23rd 2019
Discussion of Developmental Effects on Aging Microtubule Function and Longevity in Nematodes Quantifying the Correlation Between Poverty and Faster Pace of Aging Matthew O'Connor Presenting on Underdog Pharmaceuticals at Undoing Aging 2019 https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2019/09/matthew-oconnor-presenting-on-underdog-pharmaceuticals-at-undoing-aging-2019/ Here Matthew O'Connor of the SENS Research Foundation talks about the research that led to founding of Underdog Pharmaceuticals, a biotech startup incubated by the foundation to commercialize a means of targeting 7-ketocholesterol in atheroscle...
Source: Fight Aging! - September 22, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

FDA Clears Siemens Artis icono Angiography Systems
Siemens Healthineers won FDA clearance for the ARTIS icono angiography systems that are designed for use in a variety of procedure types. The ARTIS icono 2D/3D biplane system is intended for neuroradiology and abdominal imaging while the ARTIS icono floor has a single fluoroscope and is designed for vascular, interventional cardiology, surgical, and oncology procedures. Siemens touts its “OPTIQ image chain” implemented in the ARTIS icono, which supposedly “redesigns image processing for 2D imaging”. The technology works to optimize images taken from different angles and in patients big and sm...
Source: Medgadget - September 17, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Medgadget Editors Tags: Cardiac Surgery Cardiology Neurology Neurosurgery Oncology Radiology Thoracic Surgery Vascular Surgery Source Type: blogs

Totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting (TECAB)
Totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting (TECAB) is done with precision using robotic surgery equipment [1]. Unlike conventional coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) which is done through a midline sternotomy, TECAB is done through four to five small ports with the help of the da Vinci Surgical System. The da Vinci robotic system is a highly advanced tool which helps the surgeon sitting in the equipment console to control the robotic surgery arms. Tiny video cameras attached to robotic arm give a detailed three dimensional view of the operating field inside the thoracic cavity. Robotic endostabilizer is avai...
Source: Cardiophile MD - September 8, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: Cardiac Surgery Source Type: blogs

Barostim Neo Neuromodulation Device for Heart Failure Wins FDA Approval
CVRx, a Minneapolis, Minnesota company, won FDA approval for the first neuromodulation device designed to address heart failure. Intended as a treatment option for patients with an ejection fraction ≤35% and New York Heart Failure Classification of III or II (with recent history of Class III), the device stimulates the carotid artery and in turn the baroreceptors that control cardiovascular activity. The system monitors and adjusts the signals it delivers to achieve optimal beat-to-beat stimulation. It has been approved in Europe for a number of years (see flashbacks below). “With the FDA’s approval of the...
Source: Medgadget - August 27, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Medgadget Editors Tags: Cardiac Surgery Cardiology Vascular Surgery Source Type: blogs

How a Value Focus Could Change Health Care
By BRIAN KLEPPER, PhD How will the drive to health care value affect health care’s structure? We tend to assume that the health care structure we’re become accustomed to is the one we’ll always have, but that’s probably far from the truth. If we pull levers that incentivize the right care at the right time, it’s likely that many of the problems we think we’re stuck with, like overtreatment and a lack of accountability, will disappear. A large part of getting the right results is making sure that health care vendors have the right incentives. All forms of reimbursement carry incentives, so it’s important...
Source: The Health Care Blog - August 14, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Health Policy Value-Based Care Brian Klepper Health Care Reform Validation Institute Source Type: blogs

The March Toward a Pre-Modern Approach to the Treatment of Pain Continues, Undeterred by Science
It seems that no amount of data-driven information can get policymakers to reconsider the hysteria-driven pain prescription policies they continue to put in place.I can understand lay politicians and members of the press misconstruing addiction and dependency, but there is no excuse when doctors make that error. Yet National Public Radio reports that surgeons in 18 Upstate New York hospitals have agreed on an initiative to limit the amount of pain medicine they will prescribe to postoperative patients discharged from the hospital. The reporter says that researchers “now know” that patients prescribed opioids for pos...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - August 12, 2019 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs

The importance of patient education before surgery
A guest column by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, exclusive to KevinMD.com. For years, research and common belief have supported the concept that patient education alters patient behavior and improves patient outcomes. For instance, lifestyle changes, implemented after improved physician-patient engagement and education, have demonstrated clinical benefits in a wide range of chronic illnesses, such as cardiovascular […]Find jobs at Careers by KevinMD.com. Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now. Learn more. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - August 6, 2019 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/steven-young-and-joseph-answine" rel="tag" > Steven Young, MD and Joseph Answine, MD < /a > < /span > Tags: Conditions Cardiology Surgery Source Type: blogs

LipoGlo Makes Bad Cholesterol Glow Inside Zebrafish
So-called “bad cholesterol” is a molecular complex of fat and protein. Specifically, the protein is Apolipoprotein-B, or ApoB, and the fat is cholesterol. While ApoB helps fat molecules to move around the blood vasculature, it is also what makes cholesterol stick to vessel walls, forming dangerous plaques that are one of the main causes of cardiovascular disease. Now, researchers at Carnegie Institution for Science, Johns Hopkins University, and the Mayo Clinic have developed a way to make such lipoprotein complexes glow so that they can be better studied and new drugs developed to help prevent plaque build...
Source: Medgadget - August 5, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Medgadget Editors Tags: Cardiology Materials Medicine Nanomedicine Radiology Vascular Surgery Source Type: blogs