Ophthalmology News

• Surgeon Volume May Not Relate to Complication Rates in Esophageal Surgery How often a surgeon performs esophageal cancer surgery does not necessarily influence rates of technical complications, according to a report in the February issue of the Annals of Surgery.
  Reuters Health Information, March 2009
• Margaret Hamburg Picked for Top FDA Post, Over Possible Cardiologists, NYT and WSJ Report The media is reporting Margaret Hamburg has been chosen for FDA Commissioner, but the White House has not made a formal announcement.
  Heartwire, March 2009
• Retinopathy Predicts Mortality From Coronary Heart Disease The presence of retinopathy lesions may signal an increased risk of mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD), according to a report in the March issue of Heart.
  Reuters Health Information, March 2009
• Race Heats Up for New US Surgeon General Candidates The search is back on for the country's top public health job.
  Medscape Medical News, March 2009
• Obama Lifts Ban on Federal Funds for Stem Cell Research President Obama is lifting the Bush administration's restrictions on federally funded human embryonic stem cell research. He is expected to sign an order doing so later today.
  Medscape Medical News, March 2009
• Gold Shunt Controls Pressure With Glaucoma Implantation of a tiny gold-containing shunt into the supraciliary space is a safe and effective means of controlling intraocular pressures in patients with glaucoma, the results of pilot study suggest.
  Reuters Health Information, March 2009
• Anesthetic Care for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Reviewed The American Society of Anesthesiologists Task Force on Anesthetic Care for Magnetic Resonance Imaging issues a practice advisory.
  Medscape Medical News, March 2009
• Health Finance Expert Named Health Reform Czar Nancy-Ann DeParle, a former Medicare-Medicaid head, will move immediately into the massively complex task.
  Medscape Medical News, March 2009
• FDA Safety Changes: Combivent, Qualaquin, Sucraid The FDA has approved revisions to the safety labeling for ipratropium bromide and albuterol sulfate inhalation aerosol, quinine sulfate capsules, and sacrosidase oral solution.
  Medscape Medical News, March 2009
• IOM Integrative Medicine Summit: New Paradigm in Healthcare Needed Speakers at the Institute of Medicine meeting addressed the need to focus on prevention of disease rather than intervention after disease processes have begun as well as the need for the US health system to be come more accommodating of holistic health management.
  Medscape Medical News, March 2009
• Ocular Abnormalities Seen in Children With Sensorineural Hearing Loss Approximately one fifth of children with sensorineural hearing loss also have ophthalmological abnormalities, according to findings published in the February issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery.
  Reuters Health Information, March 2009
• Obama Picks Kansas Gov. Sebelius for HHS Secretary President Barack Obama has asked Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to join his cabinet as secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, and Sebelius has agreed to serve.
  Medscape Medical News, March 2009
• High Levels of Serum Cystatin C and Chronic Kidney Disease Linked to Age-Related Macular Degeneration Data from the Beaver Dam Eye Study show a relationship between the level of serum cystatin C and chronic kidney disease with the incidence of age-related macular degeneration, but the underlying biological processes are still not known.
  Medscape Medical News, February 2009
• US Preventive Services Task Force Issues New Plan Regarding Insufficient Evidence The USPSTF plans to commission its Evidence-based Practice Centers to gather and routinely report information in 4 domains pertinent to clinical decisions about prevention.
  Medscape Medical News, February 2009
• Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma Not Associated With Excess Mortality A meta-analysis of observational studies shows that patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) are not predisposed to a shortened life span.
  Reuters Health Information, February 2009
• Folic Acid, B Vitamins May Reduce Risk for Age-Related Macular Degeneration Daily supplementation with folic acid, pyridoxine, and cyanocobalamin appeared to lower the risk for age-related macular degeneration in women at high risk for cardiovascular disease.
  Medscape Medical News, February 2009
• JAMA Commentary Highlights How to Improve US Healthcare Strategies include quality measurement, health information technology, comparative effectiveness of devices and medication, quality improvement collaborative, learning networks, and clinician training.
  Medscape Medical News, February 2009
• Hospital Teaching Intensity Associated With Higher Survival After Surgery Patients undergoing surgery at teaching hospitals had a 15% lower risk for death compared with surgical patients at nonteaching hospitals, but this difference was not seen in black patients.
  Medscape Medical News, February 2009
• Hearing Loss and Eye Disorders Sometimes Coexist in Children A retrospective analysis showed that about one fifth of children with sensorineural hearing loss also have ocular disorders.
  Medscape Medical News, February 2009
• Pediatric Poisoning With Brimonidine May Carry Serious Consequences Children unintentionally poisoned with brimonidine tartrate, an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist used in glaucoma eye drops, exhibit several adverse effects and may require hospitalization, new research shows.
  Reuters Health Information, February 2009