https://medicalxpress.com/surgery-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in General surgery The liver is one of the few organs capable of regenerating after surgery—a remarkable ability that makes lifesaving procedures possible for thousands of patients each year. But not every liver regenerates as expected. Some patients develop post-hepatectomy liver failure, a serious complication that remains a leading cause of death after liver surgery. Now, a discovery by a Michigan State University researcher is challenging a long-held belief about how the liver repairs itself after surgery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-plasminogen-spur-stronger-liver-surgery.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 17:20:07 EDT news701619901 Taking a supplement before a hepatectomy, a surgery in which part of the liver is removed, may help the organ recover more quickly and become more resistant to further damage. This is the main finding of a study conducted by researchers at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The researchers investigated the effects of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) in an experimental model using mice. The results indicate that preoperative use of the supplement preserves the energy function of liver cells and improves the quality of regeneration following major injury. These results were published in March in the journal Acta Physiologica. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-supplement-surgery-liver-regeneration.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 11:26:38 EDT news701605548 Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have analyzed nearly 86,500 surgeries at Baystate Medical Center to identify the top factors that influence inefficiencies in surgeon schedules. Having an efficiently organized surgical schedule has the potential to lower costs and reduce surgeon burnout, which would also improve patient outcomes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-surgeons-factors-hospital-efficiency.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:40:05 EDT news701525401 The Ross Procedure, a highly specialized option for aortic valve replacement, is associated with significant long-term durability and excellent outcomes in a wide range of adult patients with aortic valve disease. These are the results of a new study led by Mount Sinai heart surgeon Ismail El-Hamamsy, MD, Ph.D., the director of aortic surgery for Mount Sinai Health System, and published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-procedure-excellent-outcomes-durability-efficacy.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 10:00:03 EDT news701335981 A liver cancer diagnosis frequently leads to surgery, with the goal of completely removing all malignant tissue. To ensure that no tumor remains in the organ, the resected tissue is subjected to frozen-section analysis during the procedure. This analysis takes time: Patients remain under general anesthesia throughout, operating room staff are occupied, and with every passing minute the risk of complications increases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ai-based-tissue-anomaly-duration.html Mon, 22 Jun 2026 15:20:03 EDT news701358601 Global health policymakers should focus on the way entire health care systems work together, argue researchers in new findings. Improving one element does not always create better outcomes if the wider system is not ready. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-patients-injury-intentioned-backfire.html Sun, 21 Jun 2026 18:30:01 EDT news701013787 A study led by researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) demonstrates a new method of using decellularized cartilage with patient-specific cells to help enlarge pediatric airways narrowed as a result of severe subglottic stenosis. Researchers demonstrate that this new method is faster, more effective and able to overcome issues associated with the current standard grafts, such as donor site morbidity, insufficient tissue volume and a delayed timeline. The findings are published in the journal Nature Communications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-scientists-personalized-cartilage-graft-infants.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 05:00:05 EDT news700744261 Metabolic and bariatric surgery for teens with severe obesity was found to be cost-effective over 10 years, according to a new analysis from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago published in JAMA Network Open. While long-term clinical benefits of weight-loss surgery for eligible teens have been well established, and it is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, insurance coverage has been limited and few teens can take advantage of the surgery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-economic-case-teen-weight-loss.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 11:00:14 EDT news700730821 Skin is our protective barrier from the outside world, and it is highly susceptible to damage. To prevent infection, restore protective skin cells, and reduce scarring, it is essential to quickly and robustly close a wound. A new study, published in Advanced Science, shows that a multi-axis stretchable wound zipper (MSWZ) is effective in closing complex wounds quickly, improving wound healing. The MSWZ uses programmable force that can be personalized via mobile application, enhancing patient comfort and compliance. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-programmable-wound-zipper-complex-skin.html Thu, 11 Jun 2026 03:10:01 EDT news700299601 There is a stark gap in how often hospitals screen older adults for postoperative delirium, with verified geriatric surgery programs screening nearly every patient while nonaccredited programs screen just half, according to new findings published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. This disparity may mean thousands of cases are going undetected and unaddressed. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-acs-geriatric-surgery-verification-hospitals.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 14:20:01 EDT news700314721 A landmark clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that tranexamic acid reduced transfusions across major surgeries without increasing the risk of dangerous blood clots. The trial was coordinated by the University of Manitoba (UM) and co-led by researchers at UM and The Ottawa Hospital. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-inexpensive-drug-major-surgeries-blood.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 08:30:01 EDT news700216081 Researchers from LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center and collaborating institutions have found that Americans with the highest levels of obesity are undergoing fewer surgical procedures overall. These procedures include common operations like knee or hip replacement, hernia surgery, and surgery of the breast, prostate and colon—operations that are frequently done for cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-americans-severe-obesity-surgeries.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:40:01 EDT news700228021 A Concordia-led research team has developed a planning tool that could help hospitals book their operating rooms more efficiently, shorten wait times and better cope with last‑minute emergencies. The researchers developed their model using artificial intelligence tools to plan which operating rooms to open on each day, when each surgery should start and which cases may need to be delayed, all in a single, integrated framework. Their model uses far fewer variables than a widely used previous approach, making it faster and more practical for real hospital conditions, especially when dealing with dozens or even hundreds of operations in a week. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-tool-hospitals-surgical.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 17:40:03 EDT news699805081 More adults are surviving both the wait for an organ and transplant surgery, but the number of people who need transplants continues to exceed the number of organs available, especially for kidneys, according to a national analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-transplant-survival-shortages-persist-limit.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:20:08 EDT news699789181 A pioneering clinical trial has successfully enabled two patients with end-stage kidney disease to receive previously improbable kidney transplants. These individuals were considered among the most difficult in the nation to match with a compatible donor kidney due to harmful antibodies they had developed ("sensitized"). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-car-treatment-door-patients-kidney.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 17:00:05 EDT news699715466 Each year, about 250,000 Americans undergo sleeve gastrectomy, one of the most common weight-loss operations in the United States. For most patients, recovery is uneventful. But for a small share—between 1% and 3% in routine cases, and as many as 1 in 10 in revision surgeries—the procedure can leave behind a gastric leak, in which fluid escapes from the stomach and forms an abscess. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-3d-stent-lily-recovery-weight.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:00:07 EDT news699708962 Tissue expansion is a common technique used in reconstructive surgery. Surgeons slowly stretch nearby skin to grow extra tissue that can be used to rebuild areas such as the ear, breast, or nose. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-custom-4d-implants-painful-path.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:40:05 EDT news699617641 Pediatric patients with obesity undergoing adenotonsillectomy (AT) face longer operating times, according to a study published online May 21 in the Ear, Nose & Throat Journal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-obesity-longer-pediatric-adenotonsillectomy.html Fri, 29 May 2026 14:20:03 EDT news699281464 Researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine have found that patients who continue to smoke ahead of lung cancer surgery have a higher risk of pulmonary complications, but their short-term mortality rate is similar to patients who were able to stop smoking before surgery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-lung-cancer-patients-dont-surgery.html Thu, 28 May 2026 16:20:07 EDT news699202561 After nearly two decades of life-threatening illness, repeated complications, and organ failure, 33-year-old Briana Dery of Twining, Mich., is looking ahead to a healthy future, after successfully undergoing one of the rarest and most complex procedures in modern medicine. On January 14, 2026, she became the first person in Michigan to receive a new intestinal transplant and a new kidney in a single combined transplant operation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-combined-intestinal-kidney-transplant.html Wed, 27 May 2026 21:40:01 EDT news699092403 A nationwide study has shed new light on how to most effectively and safely treat Chiari malformation and syringomyelia, rare neurological diseases that impact both children and young adults. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-chiari-malformation-syringomyelia-treatment-large.html Wed, 27 May 2026 17:00:02 EDT news699102841 A simple blood test could one day replace invasive biopsies for detecting acute cellular rejection (ACR) after lung transplantation, an American Journal of Transplantation study finds. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-blood-lung-transplant.html Wed, 27 May 2026 16:20:07 EDT news699110822 Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago is the first in the world to eliminate months of pain after surgical repair for microtia—a rare condition where a child is born with an underdeveloped or missing outer ear. Previously, children with microtia have suffered prolonged postoperative pain because cartilage for ear reconstruction is harvested from one of their ribs. Now, prior to plastic surgery, Lurie Children's specialists freeze the nerve at the rib harvesting site through a minimally invasive, ultrasound-guided procedure that lasts only 20 minutes. Patients can go home without pain as early as a day after surgery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-natural-ear-reconstruction-prolonged-pain.html Tue, 26 May 2026 16:40:05 EDT news699027961 Researchers published a story on how 3D-printed anatomical models are being used to improve surgical outcomes. Authored by ICU nurse and health writer Jenna Congdon, BSN, RN, "Printing Personalized Medicine: 3D Models Bring Better Surgical Outcomes" reports how ENT surgeon Kyle VanKoevering, MD first used 3D modeling to recreate, then print, the head of a fetus with a potentially airway-obstructing facial mass in order to determine whether a risky surgical procedure would be necessary during delivery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-3d-surgical-outcomes-expert.html Tue, 26 May 2026 12:20:08 EDT news699013261 Metabolic/bariatric surgery is a highly effective treatment for people living with severe obesity and/or metabolic health conditions, which works through changing the anatomy of the digestive system and thereby changing the way it functions and the hormones it produces. Procedures include the sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-weight-loss-drug-semaglutide-patients.html Fri, 22 May 2026 12:00:06 EDT news698667362 For a very long time, bariatric surgery, in which doctors removed a portion of the stomach, was the standard procedure for helping patients lose weight and manage obesity, alongside metabolic disorders such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. However, ever since GLP-1 medications like Ozempic became available on the market, there has been a shift in how people seek to lose weight. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-glp-drugs-surge-popularity-bariatric.html Thu, 21 May 2026 10:10:01 EDT news698576114 How can robots and humans work together as effectively as possible in the operating room of the future? Researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and TUM University Hospital investigated this question as part of the ForNeRo research project. Using a sensor-equipped system, they analyzed surgeons' movements during procedures and collected data from simulated robot-assisted operations. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-robots-surgical.html Wed, 20 May 2026 17:00:02 EDT news698500232 Surgeons are an integral part of the health care system, supplying critical and urgent care in nearly every field of medicine. But surgeons are already in short supply, with the gap between the number needed and the number working expected to get worse. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-surgeons-years.html Wed, 20 May 2026 12:40:01 EDT news698496422 Patients treated for rectal cancer at hospitals that are accredited by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) were less likely to have cancer left behind after surgery, a major factor for recurrence, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. The findings reinforce that where patients receive care can significantly influence their outcomes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-rectal-cancer-surgery-affect.html Tue, 19 May 2026 17:00:03 EDT news698427122 A new study from University Hospitals Connor Whole Health found that patients with mental health and/or substance use disorders who undergo surgery and receive music therapy are more medically complex and therefore may experience longer hospital stays compared to other patients receiving usual care. The findings from this study were recently published in the Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-surgical-patients-mental-health-conditions.html Mon, 18 May 2026 23:20:02 EDT news698331175