Sony Introduces Head-Mounted Display for Endoscopic Surgery
Sony is launching a head-mount display for endoscopy. During laparoscopic procedures, surgeons normally have to divide their attention between the monitor displaying the endoscopic image and the surgical field where the instruments are. Sony’s head-mounted display allows surgeons to quickly switch between the two without changing position by implementing a gap at the bottom of the device, which enables the wearer to view both the images inside the head-mounted monitor and the actual area of surgery outside of it.
Additionally, the head-mounted display gives the benefit of viewing 3D images. Multiple 3D endoscopes hav...
Source: Medgadget - July 23, 2013 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Wouter Stomp Tags: Ob/Gyn Surgery Source Type: blogs
Endometriosis - laparoscopy or IVF
Patients with endometriosis who are
infertile are often very confused. They don't know which doctor they
should go to ? Gynecologist ? Infertility specialist ? and what
treatment they should take. The first point of consultation is usually
their gynecologist - and most gynecologists usually advise doing a
laparoscopy. This is usually a knee-jerk reflex - for many reasons. The
importance of making the right diagnosis has been drilled into doctors
right since Day 1 of medical school - and the only way of making a
definitive diagnosis of endometriosis is a laparoscopy. They also sell
the patient on this procedure, by...
Source: The Patient's Doctor - June 27, 2013 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Source Type: blogs
The monetization of obesity
It’s all over the news: The American Medical Association released a statement recognizing obesity as a disease.
Obesity advocacy groups hailed the decision as a major victory. AMA Board Member, Dr. Patrice Harris, said, “Recognizing obesity as a disease will help change the way the medical community tackles this complex issue that affects approximately one in three Americans.” Joseph Nadglowski, president and CEO of the Obesity Action Coalition, a non-profit obesity advocacy group, felt that identifying obesity as a disease may also help in reducing the stigma often associated with being overweight.
It ...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - June 19, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Obesity Source Type: blogs
How to get an effective second opinion
Patients are often confused when exploring their treatment options. This is not surprising , because there are now so many choices ! When they are confused , they turn to their doctor for medical advice. Patients understand that doctors don’t have all the answers , which is why they will often get a second opinion to confirm that the advise which the first doctor gave was reliable or not. For example, if a patient has endometriosis, she goes to a gynecologist who advises her to do a laparoscopy to make the diagnosis and to treat the disease. She is understandably uncomfortable about subjecting herself to surgery, which i...
Source: The Patient's Doctor - May 21, 2013 Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists Source Type: blogs
Will the da Vinci robot go the way of laparoscopic surgery?
The real problem is not whether machines think, but whether men do.
- B. F. Skinner
When I was a relatively junior member of the surgical faculty, an even more junior member came to my office and announced that a general surgeon and gynecologist in Georgia had performed gallbladder surgery with a laparoscope.
“Stupid stunt,” I snorted, or something equally derisive and all-knowing.
Some weeks or months later he returned to the topic, telling me it was just the beginning, and we should get in. I admired him, and I was also feeling a little guilty for squelching his enthusiasm. I agreed to visit another medical center wi...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - May 12, 2013 Category: Family Physicians Tags: Physician GI Surgery Source Type: blogs
Top stories in health and medicine, May 9, 2013
Brought to you by MedPage Today.
1. Robotics No Help in Cystectomy. A randomized trial comparing robotic with open cystectomy ended early after an interim analysis showed the minimally invasive approach did not reduce complications.
2. Medicare Reveals Hospital Charge Information. The Obama administration made public on Wednesday previously unpublished hospital charges for the 100 most common inpatient treatments in 2011, saying a similar release of physician data is on the horizon.
3. Robotic Surgery: Safe but Costly. Laparoscopy for treatment of pelvic lesions was equally safe whether performed conventionally or with rob...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - May 9, 2013 Category: Family Physicians Tags: News Medicare OB/GYN Surgery Source Type: blogs
And now presenting . . . robotic lap choles!
As a non-medical person, I was so excited when I could say "laparoscopic cholecystectomy" without pausing or tripping over all the syllables. In English, this is a surgery to remove a gall bladder using laparoscopic instruments through holes in the abdomen instead of cutting it open. Lap choles, for short, are among the most routine and safest surgical procedures. The folks at USC note:Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a very safe operation. The overall complication rate is less than 2%. The complication rate for laparoscopic gallbladder surgery is similar to the complication rate for trad...
Source: Running a hospital - May 9, 2013 Category: Health Managers Source Type: blogs
Chris Christie Lap Band Surgery
We are following with interest the news reports today of the Chris Christie lap band surgery. Although we are not participating in his care, some general information on what lap band or laparoscopic gastric banding and typical clinical issues to be considered is detailed below.
Lap band surgery is a commonly performed surgical operation done for the control of morbid obesity. It is best performed by experienced bariatric surgeons and is sometimes referred to as the “mini” weight loss surgery.
However, while the surgery is not as extensive as the roux-en-Y reconfiguring of the gi tract, it is a operation that i...
Source: Inside Surgery - May 7, 2013 Category: Surgeons Authors: Editor Tags: Medical News Wire Chris Christie gastric surgery lap band surgery weight loss surgery Source Type: blogs
World Class
This is what can happen when a private practice surgeon refers a complicated colon cancer patient to a medical oncologist affiliated with a certain multinational, gigantic world-famous non-profit health care system.
Let's say the surgeon is asked to see a patient with a large bowel obstruction. Perhaps the colonoscopy demonstrated a high grade constricting lesion in the distal sigmoid/upper rectum and the CT scan revealed a massive, locally infiltrating mass invading into the bladder and a possible liver lesion. Perhaps the patient has lost 30 lbs recently and has noted foul smelling material in her urine. &nb...
Source: Buckeye Surgeon - May 3, 2013 Category: Surgeons Authors: Jeffrey Parks MD Source Type: blogs
World Class
This is what can happen when a private practice surgeon refers a complicated colon cancer patient to a medical oncologist affiliated with a certain multinational, gigantic world-famous non-profit health care system.Let's say the surgeon is asked to see a patient with a large bowel obstruction. Perhaps the colonoscopy demonstrated a high grade constricting lesion in the distal sigmoid/upper rectum and the CT scan revealed a massive, locally infiltrating mass invading into the bladder and a possible liver lesion. Perhaps the patient has lost 30 lbs recently and has noted foul smelling material in her urine. Th...
Source: Buckeye Surgeon - May 2, 2013 Category: Surgery Authors: Jeffrey Parks MD FACS Source Type: blogs
NYTimes Bits Blog: Brain-computer interfaces moving closer to the mainstream
The ACM TechNews email pointed me to a new entry in the New York Times Bits blog on the subject of brain-computer interfaces.
Human-computer interface (HCI) technologies are the means by which we tell computers what we want them to do, and how they respond to our commands, requests, and in some cases plaintive beggings.
The computer-to-human direction is working best so far. Computers generally do fairly well at communicating with healthcare providers, including but not limited to physicians and nurses. Providers generally are asking computers for information, and computers can easily display text and graphical informat...
Source: FutureHIT - Speculations on the Future of Health IT - May 2, 2013 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Hunscher Source Type: blogs
Microline Flexible Ligating Shears for SPIDER Laparoscopy Platform
Microline Surgical of Beverly, Mass. received FDA regulatory clearance to bring to market its Flexible Ligating Shears. The device is designed for use with TransEnterix’s SPIDER Surgical Platform, a flexible system that allows access for multiple tools to be used during laparoscopic procedures.This is the world’s only cut and seal device featuring a flexible neck, allowing surgeons to access difficult sites and bite down on tissue at any angle.Read More (Source: Medgadget)
Source: Medgadget - April 22, 2013 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Editors Tags: Ob/Gyn Surgery Thoracic Surgery Urology Source Type: blogs
Robotic surgery: New medical malpractice underwriting risk
If I am a medical malpractice insurance company, should I be concerned about a new underwriting risk?The question is prompted by a recent story in the Denver Post. The lede:The Colorado medical board has charged Dr. Warren Kortz with 14 counts of unprofessional conduct after a series of failed procedures with Porter Adventist Hospital's robotic surgery arm, as federal officials launch a wider review of the highly touted procedures. The state alleges that from 2008 to 2010, Kortz cut and tore blood vessels, left sponges and other instruments inside patients after closing, injured patients through improp...
Source: Running a hospital - April 14, 2013 Category: Health Managers Source Type: blogs
Olympus Unveils Articulating HD 3D Laparoscopic Surgical Video System
Olympus released a new laparoscopic surgical video system that provides 3D HD visualization of the surgical field. This is the world’s first 3D HD articulated system for laparoscopic applications, offering capabilities similar to those only found in robotic systems such as the da Vinci S HD from Intuitive Surgical.Depth perception is an important consideration when working in small spaces, and tasks like suturing using laparoscopic instruments is already similar to juggling without essentially having to do it with one eye closed. By offering surgeons a more natural stereo visualization of the scene, it is hoped that ...
Source: Medgadget - April 10, 2013 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Editors Tags: Ob/Gyn Surgery Thoracic Surgery Urology Vascular Surgery Source Type: blogs
Robot Rebuked
Once again, a paper has come out evaluating the efficacy and cost effectiveness of daVinci Robotic surgery. From Diseases of the Colon & Rectum comes a retrospective review assessing elective robotic vs laparoscopic colectomy from 2008-2009 (over 12,000 procedures):
Patients undergoing robotic and laparoscopic procedures experienced similar
rates of intraoperative (3.0% vs 3.3%; adjusted OR = 0.88 (0.35–2.22)) and
postoperative (21.7% vs 21.6%; adjusted OR = 0.84 (0.54–1.30)) complications, as
well as risk-adjusted average lengths of stay (5.4 vs 5.5 days, p =
0.66). However, robotic-assisted colectomy r...
Source: Buckeye Surgeon - March 20, 2013 Category: Surgeons Authors: Jeffrey Parks MD Source Type: blogs
