Medscape General Surgery Headlines

Black Rectal Cancer Patients Less Likely to Receive Adjuvant Therapy

Wed, 14 May 2008 08:43:35 EDT

Black and white rectal cancer patients on Medicare have similar referral rates to oncologists, but black patients are significantly less likely to receive adjuvant care after surgery.
Medscape Medical News

How Can We Prevent Functional Deterioration in the Hospitalized Elderly?

Tue, 13 May 2008 18:06:56 EDT

I work in a long-term care setting and we often find that after a resident is hospitalized, they suffer setbacks in mobility and functional status. Can anything be done to prevent this?
Medscape Nurses

Do Immigrants Help or Hurt US Healthcare?

Tue, 13 May 2008 17:57:23 EDT

Patients are not the only critical piece of the equation. A Web site that examines hot business topics in medicine offers an unusual perspective on this and other issues.
Medscape Med Students

Why the NIH Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT) Should Be Abandoned

Tue, 13 May 2008 08:53:01 EDT

The $30 million, NIH Phase 3 Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT) exposes subjects to a risky method that is known to be ineffective. The TACT should be abandoned and its origins investigated.
The Medscape Journal of Medicine

Anticoagulant and Antiplatelet Therapy for Endoscopic Procedures Reviewed

Tue, 13 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT

Guidelines have been issued regarding proper anticoagulant and antiplatelet treatment of patients who undergo endoscopic procedures.
Medscape Medical News

Lapatinib Not Cost Effective, Editorialists Argue

Mon, 12 May 2008 08:28:00 EDT

Ringing in at roughly US$2900 a month, experts are questioning whether a new treatment schedule or other strategies can be used to make the drug more accessible.
Medscape Medical News

Traumatic Biliary Stricture

Mon, 12 May 2008 08:28:45 EDT

A 48-year-old man with a history of short-gut syndrome presented with painless jaundice. Approximately 1 year earlier he was involved in a motor vehicle accident.
The Medscape Journal of Medicine

Collagen Denaturation Showing Positive Long-Term Results for Stress Incontinence

Mon, 12 May 2008 11:21:00 EDT

Transurethral radiofrequency collagen denaturation reduces stress leaks by more than 50% without adverse effects in women with urinary stress incontinence.
Medscape Medical News

Positive End-Expiratory Pressure Setting in Adults With Acute Lung Injury and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (EXPRESS)

Mon, 12 May 2008 17:14:29 EDT

Do different applications of positive end-expiratory pressure improve survival and/or reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation?
Medscape Critical Care

Laparoscopic Subtotal Hysterectomy Effective for Menorrhagia

Sun, 11 May 2008 22:50:30 EDT

Laparoscopic subtotal hysterectomy is safe and effective treatment for menorrhagia, according to a report in the May issue of BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Reuters Health Information

Icyou: How Social Media Is the New Resource for Online Health Information

Fri, 9 May 2008 09:16:25 EDT

Prerna Mona Khanna, MD, MPH, Medical Editor, Icyou.com, Charleston, South Carolina, describes another promising use of the health Internet.
The Medscape Journal of Medicine

Spotting an Asymptomatic Meckel's Diverticulum During Surgery -- What Next?

Fri, 9 May 2008 15:24:18 EDT

Commentary on a study on Meckel's diverticulum, published February 2008 in The Annals of Surgery
Medscape General Surgery

Eosinopenia Reliably Identifies Sepsis in Critically Ill Patients

Fri, 9 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT

Eosinopenia is better than C-reactive protein at indicating sepsis in patients in intensive care units.
Reuters Health Information

Performing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Outside the Hospital -- Is It Safe?

Thu, 8 May 2008 13:05:20 EDT

Commentary on a study on laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a nonhospital setting, published February 2008 in The British Journal of Surgery
Medscape General Surgery

Cost -- Not Evidence -- Driving Shift in Cancer Screening

Thu, 8 May 2008 16:43:00 EDT

High-deductible health plans could be prompting patients to choose fully covered screening tests to avoid out-of-pocket expenses.
Medscape Medical News

What Your Patients Are Reading: Long-Term NSAID Use Protective Against Alzheimer's

Thu, 8 May 2008 11:48:00 EDT

Long-term use of NSAIDs (particularly ibuprofen) may ward off dementia, hypertension is responsible for a large percentage of disease burden worldwide, chocolate may lower the risk for preeclampsia, exclusively breast-fed children are smarter than their classmates, and cosmetic filler injections may cause acute renal failure.
Medscape Medical News

Bowel Tumor Resection Improves Outcomes in Unresectable Liver Metastases

Fri, 9 May 2008 04:04:19 EDT

Bowel tumor resection before chemotherapy leads to better survival than first-line chemotherapy in patients with unresectable colorectal hepatic metastases, according to a report in the April issue of the Archives of Surgery.
Reuters Health Information

Surgeon Sews for Fun, Sutures for a Livin

Wed, 7 May 2008 13:53:46 EDT

Ramona Bates, MD, is a plastic surgeon who uses her blog to further her interests in surgical procedures and quilting.
Medscape Med Students

Can A Topical Immunomodulating Agent Obviate Need for Surgery in Vulvar Intraepithelial Neoplasia?

Wed, 7 May 2008 14:31:25 EDT

Results of a small placebo-controlled study suggest that a topical cream may serve as an alternative to surgery for some patients with vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia.
Medscape Hematology-Oncology

Perspective: Carotid Stenting and the History of Disruptive Technology in Vascular Surgery

Wed, 7 May 2008 18:54:01 EDT

Can CAS be considered a disruptive technology? An expert commentary from Frank J. Veith, MD.
Medscape General Surgery