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General surgery news

Scientists transform wool into bone repair material

Scientists have shown how wool could offer an effective and sustainable alternative to materials currently used to repair damaged bone. In the new study, keratin—a natural structural protein derived from wool—was shown to ...

Surgeons debate promise and limits of robotics in lung transplantation

The expanding use of robotic technology in lung transplantation came under scrutiny at the 46th Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT), held from 22–25 ...

Gaps in pediatric burn care must be addressed, experts urge

The UCI Health Regional Burn Center is one of the only burn centers in Orange County equipped to treat the most complex burn patients 24 hours a day, including children. Orange County is not unique in that such centers are ...

Redo mitral valve surgery outperforms transcatheter option

A new multicenter study published in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery finds that reoperative surgical mitral valve replacement (rSMVR) is associated with significantly better long-term survival compared to transcatheter mitral ...

How long does a transplanted heart last?

Heart transplant surgeon Raymond Lee, MD, explains what patients can expect after a heart transplant—including how long the heart will last. The average lifespan of a transplanted heart is about 10 years, though outcomes ...

Innovative surgery relieves chronic leg and arm swelling

Advances in cancer treatment mean more people are living longer after a cancer diagnosis. But some survivors develop lymphedema—long-term swelling in the arms, hands, legs or feet that can cause pain, limit movement and raise ...

An injectable particle could make surgery safer for infants

Biomedical researchers have designed an injectable microgel to help reduce bleeding in infants who require surgical care. In an animal model, the engineered microgel reduced bleeding by at least 50%. The paper, "Hemostatic ...

Q&A: Gassing up bioengineered materials for wound healing

Biomaterials are specifically engineered to support tissue, nerve and muscle regeneration across the body, yet physicians and researchers have limited control over the size and connectivity of the internal pores that transfer ...

How to gauge your personal risk for a hernia

If you're carrying extra weight, smoke, or have a cough or sneeze that won't go away, you may be at higher risk for a condition many people don't think about: A hernia.

Workplace standards framework for surgeons released

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has released the first national framework outlining measurable workplace standards for surgeons, aimed at improving surgeon well‐being, patient safety, and workforce sustainability. ...

New record: Laser for surgery cuts bone deeper than before

Lasers cut precisely and without contact—ideal for surgery. The problem is that in hard tissues such as bone, they are too slow and do not cut deep enough. Researchers at the University of Basel have now demonstrated a way ...

High-risk patients account for 80% of post-surgery deaths

A major new study, led by Queen Mary University of London has been published in The Lancet Public Health. It found that out of the five million surgical procedures performed each year by the NHS, around 300,000 are carried ...