Effective Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer Remains Elusive
Although therapeutic strategies have advanced for many common gastrointestinal cancers, significant progress in the treatment of pancreatic cancer remains elusive. The eagerly anticipated results of randomized trials that evaluated gemcitabine-based combination regimens have proven to be disappointing, researchers report in a review paper that discusses the use of systemic therapy in advanced pancreatic cancer. Whereas […]
Early Laparoscopic Surgery Best for Acute Cholecystitis
In patients with acute cholecystitis, performing laparoscopic gallbladder removal within 24 hours of admission, rather than waiting weeks to years after a course of antibiotics has been given, reduces the hospital stay without increasing the risk of complications, new research shows.
1 in 7 Americans Lack Health Insurance
One in seven Americans — one in six Americans under age 65 — do not have any kind of health insurance, the CDC reports. Lack of health insurance is greatest in the Southwest and lowest in the Northeast, with huge variation — by about 20% — among the states. "Overall, 43.1 million Americans lacked health […]
New AHA Obesity Statement Urges Clinicians to Think Beyond Clinical Treatment and Prevention
Think bigger: that's the thrust of the American Heart Association's (AHA) new scientific statement on obesity prevention [1]. To have any meaningful impact on the obesity epidemic, clinicians need to go beyond clinical prevention and treatments for obesity and use influence and advocacy to effect social and environmental change, authors of the statement say.
High-Intensity Ultrasound Destroys Esophageal Tumors
Intraluminal high-intensity ultrasound appears to be an effective treatment for esophageal tumors, which are usually not amenable to curative resection, and can even achieve complete tumor necrosis, according to French researchers who are the first to use this approach in a small pilot study. Their findings are published online on June 5 by the Journal […]
Increasing Global Surgery Volume Mandates Improved Safety, Availability
Surgery now occurs at a tremendous volume worldwide, resulting in a great need for public health efforts to improve the safety and availability of surgical services, according to the results of a study reported in The Lancet, published online June 25. "Little is known about the amount and availability of surgical care globally," write Thomas […]
New Bariatric Technique Using Gastric Tube Retains Duodenal Function, Avoids Dumping
A new surgical procedure for the treatment of morbid obesity produces better results than sleeve gastrectomy alone, and resolves many comorbidities. The new technique, called sleeve gastrectomy with enteral bypass (SGEBP), was described here at the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery 25th Annual Meeting.
Survey Assesses Bariatric Surgeons’ Expectations and Risk Tolerance for Endoluminal Procedures
Bariatric surgeons might be willing to accept less weight loss and more risk in revisional than in primary endoluminal procedures, according to a survey distributed here at the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) 25th Annual Meeting. The results indicate the levels of weight loss and risk considered acceptable for currently developing bariatric […]
Gastric Bypass Can Improve Renal Function in Patients With Morbid Obesity
Patients with morbid obesity who also have chronic renal disease (CRD) may improve or stabilize renal function after gastric bypass, according to a study presented here at the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery 25th Annual Meeting. CRD is common in obese patients, and chronic renal failure is more than 7 times higher in […]
Option of Open or Endovascular AAA Rupture Repair Cuts Mortality
In a single-center study, the availability of both open and endovascular repair significantly improved postoperative survival in patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAA), according to a report in the Archives of Surgery for June.
