Robotic Hysterectomy: Everybody's Doing It!
Acohort study done by Columbia University evaluating the rise of robotic hysterectomy from 2007-2010 had some pretty breathtaking findings.Use ofrobotically assisted hysterectomy increased from 0.5% in 2007 to 9.5% of all hysterectomies in 2010. During the same time period, laparoscopic hysterectomy rates increased from 24.3% to 30.5%. Three years after the first robotic procedure at hospitals where robotically assisted hysterectomy was performed, robotically assisted hysterectomy accounted for 22.4% of all hysterectomies.... In a propensity score –matched analysis, theoverall complication rates were similar fo...
Source: Buckeye Surgeon - February 21, 2013 Category: Surgery Authors: Jeffrey Parks MD FACS Source Type: blogs
Top stories in health and medicine, February 20, 2013
This series is brought to you by MedPage Today.1. Deaths Trigger DEA Investigation of Pain Specialist. Among clinicians seeking ways to safely treat chronic pain, Lynn Webster, MD, serves as a beacon — a leading expert in the use of narcotic painkillers, who created an assessment tool to identify patients who are most likely to abuse opioids.2. Psych Meds Often On Board in Opioid Overdoses. When patients overdose on prescription opioid painkillers, other drugs given for mental health disorders are often involved.3. Use of Robots for Hysterectomy Soars, but with Little Benefit. Robotically assisted hysterectomy increa...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - February 20, 2013 Category: Family Physicians Tags: News OB/GYN Psychiatry Source Type: blogs
Happy Accidents
Of course not all accidents are happy ones.
However, some of my favorite personal (and often bizarre) discoveries only happened because something Frustrating and Annoying and Seemingly Pointless preceded it.
And btw, on a totally different topic, 'cause why not, this is not a freakin' textbook, my search for an "accident" picture led me to a terrifying (photoshopped, thank god) image that so succinctly captures one of my many phobias that I just had to share it!
Am I the only one who envisions this outcome as enough of a possibility to make amusement parks less amusing? And so yeah, I have trust issues. Do carnies...
Source: Cranky Fitness - February 13, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Crabby McSlacker Source Type: blogs
Why good IVF doctors do only IVF ( and nothing else)
IVF is a highly specialized branch of OB/GYN . IVF specialists all over the world stick to their core competence of providing IVF treatment , because it takes them many years of training and expertise in order to specialize in this particular field . They need to continue honing their skills , and the best way to do this is to do just one thing , and do it extremely well. While this is true in the Western world, it’s amazing that in India most clinics doing IVF are run by general gynecologists , who will continue to do general OB and GYN, along with doing IVF. For most of these doctors, IVF seems to be a part time servic...
Source: The Patient's Doctor - February 6, 2013 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Tags: Gynaecology Health In vitro fertilisation India Reproductive Health patient Infertility Physician Source Type: blogs
Bayer Sued Over Alleged Hidden Risks of Mirena Contraceptive
Bayer AG (BAYN) was sued over claims the German drugmaker failed to provide disclosures and warnings regarding the health risks associated with its popular contraceptive Mirena.
The label for Mirena, an intrauterine device that prevents pregnancy for as long as five years, doesn’t warn that it can can become embedded in the body or cause an ectopic pregnancy, Pennsylvania resident Tricia Prendergast said in a complaint filed in federal court in Philadelphia. Prendergast required surgery to remove the device after complications, according to her complaint.
Bayer “introduced a product into the stream of commerce which ...
Source: PharmaGossip - January 29, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: insider Source Type: blogs
How Nurses Save Lives (and make surgeons look better)
I had seen the lady in the ED at around noon. She presented with a 1 day history of non specific crampy abdominal pain and nausea/vomiting. The CT demonstrated a garden variety small bowel obstruction (SBO), likely related to adhesions from a hysterectomy from years ago. Her labs were all normal and her belly exam was not especially impressive. Nonetheless, I placed an NG tube and admitted her to the hospital for close monitoring.
In over 70% of cases, an SBO will resolve on its own just with nasogastric decompression, bowel rest, and appropriate hydration. Typically we will initiate a ...
Source: Buckeye Surgeon - January 13, 2013 Category: Surgeons Authors: Jeffrey Parks MD Source Type: blogs
Can I Still Have Biological Children After a Hysterectomy?
I had a hysterectomy at 26 years old and have no biological children. While I do plan to adopt at least one child in the future, I wanted to know if having a biological child was still possible.Contributor: R. Elizabeth C. KitchenPublished: Jan 10, 2013 (Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content)
Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content - January 10, 2013 Category: Other Conditions Source Type: blogs
Why is IVF documentation so poor in India ?
I see lots of patients who have failed IVF cycles in other clinics . What breaks my heart is the poor quality of medical documentation they have with them . They are very poorly informed , and don't know the dose of injections used for super ovulation ; what the size of their follicles were ; how many eggs were retrieved; or what the quality of their embryos was. This is very disheartening and disappointing for multiple reasons at multiple levels. Firstly, we can use this to revise and tweak the IVF treatment protocol , so that the patient has a better outcome for their next IVF cycle . If you don't have all this val...
Source: The Patient's Doctor - January 8, 2013 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Tags: Clinic Health In vitro fertilisation India ivf patient Embryo Infertility Source Type: blogs
Who is NOT a good DIEP flap candidate?
With more women becoming aware of DIEP flap breast reconstruction as an option, the question of who is and who isn't a candidate is coming up more often.
As a rule, women that have had extensive abdominal surgery like a previous TRAM flap, tummy tuck or a complex hernia repair cannot have a DIEP or SIEA flap breast reconstruction. This is because the lower tummy tissue that is needed has usually been removed or moved around, and the necessary blood supply has been disrupted.
Having said that, most of the time previous abdominal surgery isn't an issue in experienced hands.
Many women these days have had at leas...
Source: Breast Cancer Reconstruction Blog - January 7, 2013 Category: Cancer Tags: diep flap candidate complications c-section hysterectomy breast reconstruction CT angiogram hernia ultrasound TRAM flap siea flap bulging tummy tuck Source Type: blogs
Clare Gerada's speech to the RCGP conference
" Like blood, health care is too precious, intimate and corruptible to entrust to the market " < br / > < br / > Woolhandler & amp; Himmelstein " When Money is the Mission –The High Cost of Investor-Owned Care, " New England Journal of Medicine. 1999 < br / > < br / > The full text of the speech in case you prefer to read it (and it is quicker to read) is below. < br / > < br / > < br / > < embed src= " http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1485945011 " bgcolor= " #FFFFFF " flashVars= " videoId=1237320371001 & playerId=1485945011 & viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgatewa...
Source: Dr Grumble - October 22, 2011 Category: Primary Care Source Type: blogs
What's Happening
< span style= " font-size:130%; " > I don ’t post on a regular basis anymore. My blog reading has slowed down considerably too. Still, I think about you guys often and even if I don’t type out an actual post, I’ve written many a blog post in my head. < br / > < br / > Just wanted to update anyone who might be interested on what ’s been going on lately. < br / > < br / > < br / > ● First, the biggest news; Holden got engaged last weekend. He and his new fiancé, Brittaney, have been dating for almost 4 years now. They have set a date for April 23, 2011. That will be the 5 year anniversary of when they first s...
Source: My son has diabetes - March 8, 2010 Category: Endocrinology Source Type: blogs
Sparing the Cervix in Hysterectomies
For decades, surgeons performing hysterectomies cut out the cervix because it could develop cancer. Now, more gynecologists argue for sparing the cervix. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Journal)
Source: WSJ.com: Health Journal - February 24, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: FREE Source Type: blogs
The De-valuation Of Pediatricians And The Death Of Pediatrics
Let's open with an oldie but goodie: "Pediatricians are a dime a dozen" - thus sayeth Steven Eblin, V.P. of Corporate Planning & Development at Randolph Hospital. In the fiscal year ending September 30, 2007, Mr. Eblin pulled down $222,350 in salary & benefits and had a $4,464 expense account.Prompted by the opening of Randolph's Cancer Center (where "Healthcare Heroes" and grossly overpaid unconvicted felons abound) . . . as well as this post at Kevin's . . . not to mention a comment left by Jeff Sykes over at Joe's, I felt compelled to share my thoughts on primary care - especially Pediatrics - and especially as ...
Source: Dr.J's HouseCalls - October 9, 2008 Category: Pediatricians Source Type: blogs
