Robotic surgery
What if you need a hysterectomy, and the surgeon wants to do the surgery with a robot? Instead of working directly with his hands, he will sit at a console manipulating a set of robotic arms outfitted with tiny surgical instruments.
First ever surgery performed by doctor wearing Google Glass
Dr. Rafael Grossmann
At Eastern Maine Medical Center, Dr. Rafael Grossmann recently performed his first Google surgery with Google Glass in tow. It may be the first such Google Glass-equipped surgery in the device’s history – complete with a corresponding Google Glass Hangout (which wasn’t open to the public, for those looking to tune in to a live surgery when the thrill of a YouTube video just isn’t enough anymore).
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Plastic surgery motivated by the fear of death
Cosmetic surgery
When people who were instructed to think about their own mortality they were more receptive to the idea of having cosmetic surgery than those who weren’t (3.57 versus 2.96 on a seven-point scale). This suggests that fear of death is a motivator behind patients’ decisions to have tummy tucks, says Kim-Pong Tam of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
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End of week surgery ‘has higher death risk’
The first 48 hours following a procedure is most critical.
Researchers have found that people who have surgery towards the end of the week are more likely to die than those who have procedures earlier on. A British Medical Journal report into non-emergency operations in England, suggests the overall risk of death from such planned procedures remains low. But it also shows “unacceptable” variation in survival rates through the week, a leading body of UK surgeons says.
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World’s most extensive full-face transplant in medical history
The most extensive face transplant ever gives a man a new jaw, teeth, tongue, muscle, tissue, bone and skin.
Thirty seven year old Richard Lee Norris from Virginia was so severely disfigured by a 1997 gun accident, he has received the most extensive full-face transplant in medical history, according to University of Maryland Medical Center surgeons.
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Man ‘grows’ six inches taller through surgery
Apotheosis is one of a “growing” number of men pursuing limb-lengthening procedures for cosmetic reasons.
Apotheosis, at five foot, six inches, was shorter than the average American male and very unhappy about it.
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Augmented reality will help astronauts in the future perform surgery on each other
A new augmented reality system could help astronauts take care of each other.
Astronauts will face all kinds of medical problems when traveling to Mars or other distant destinations , but rocket science isn’t surgery. And vice versa. A new augmented reality system could help astronauts take care of each other, overlaying computer graphics over a real patient to guide diagnoses or even surgery. It could even improve telemedicine in developing countries or remote spots.
Listening to Bach eases pain of patients during surgery
Listening to Bach on headphones eases the pain of patients during surgery, research has found.
Noise-canceling headphones playing a classical melody may reduce the pain and anxiety of prostate biopsies, according to researchers at the Duke Cancer Institute in North Carolina.
China’s c-section baby boom
Medical staff deliver a baby by cesarean section at a hospital in China.
Caesarean sections are on the rise globally. But China’s sky-high C-section rate is out of control and they are trying to get a handle on it.
C-sections in U.S. climb to all-time high
Between 2002 and 2009, the number of cesarean deliveries rose significantly, from 27 percent of births to 34 percent, finds a new report based on information from 19 U.S. states.
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Study Shows Little Benefit of Bypass Surgery for Heart Failure
New research shows that survival rates are not better than those taking pills to fight risks from high blood pressure and cholesterol.
New research has cast doubt on the benefits of bypass surgery for many patients with very weak hearts. Doctors claim the operation did not improve survival rates for those already taking medicines to control risks like high cholesterol and blood pressure.
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Obese Women Gain Control of Incontinence After Weight Loss Surgery
Another benefit for women from weight loss surgery for is gaining control over urination.
In an encouraging sign for severely obese women who suffer from incontinence, a new Australian study says that many gain control over urination after undergoing gastric-band weight-loss surgery.”This could be an additional benefit for females undergoing the procedure,” said Dr. Weranja K.B. Ranasinghe, the study’s lead author.
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