surgery 77 articles

Children who undergo surgery to have their tonsils or adenoid removed are often prescribed codeine for pain relief, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns the medication – even when given in amounts that are the recommended dose range – can be fatal. In August 2012, the FDA warned that this danger exists for children who are “ultra-rapid metabolizers” of codeine, meaning that their liver converts codeine to morphine in higher than normal amounts. Since then, the FDA has conducted a comprehensive safety review of codeine use in children. A search of the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) ... Read More

Botox and an implantable device known as InterStim are being tested as new therapies to treat urinary incontinence in women. Women & Infants Hospital in Santa Barbara, Calif., is testing the popular anti-wrinkle treatment Botox against InteStim to see which device helps with the symptoms of urinary incontinence. Nina Celona is part of the study, and received Botox treatment three months ago. The Botox can help to paralyze the muscle and prevent contractions when the bladder is not supposed to be contracting. Urinary incontinence is a common problem with women and often develops as a result of childbirth, obesity or ... Read More

The contaminated steroid shots from a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy blamed in the deadly multistate fungal meningitis outbreak are now causing a new health problem. Some of the patients who have received the tainted shots have developed an infection known as an epidural abscess near the spine where the drug was injected. The abscesses are localized infections, unlike meningitis, which is an inflammation of the membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord. However, many patients who developed the abscesses have had to be hospitalized and some had to undergo surgery. If left untreated, epidural abscesses could progress to meningitis. Some patients ... Read More

Women should not be routinely screened for ovarian cancer because doing so can put them at risk for unnecessary harm, a government task force recommends. The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force, an independent group of national experts, first made the recommendation in 2004, but restated its concerns based on recently published data from a large clinical trial. The trial involved 78,216 women, half of whom were screened with transvaginal ultrasounds and a blood test called CA-125. The other half of women were not screened at all. At the end of the study, whether women were screened had no bearing on ... Read More

Total hip replacement surgeries are increasing in the United States and more are being performed on younger patients, many of whom see this “last-ditch” procedure as a quick means to decreasing pain and increasing mobility. It is a trend that surprises some orthopedic surgeons. “I’m a little surprised sometimes when people come into the office thinking that joint replacement is for anyone. They take it very lightly,” Dr. Joseph Borrelli, an orthopedic surgeon at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital and the Texas Physicians Group told the Dallas News. “It’s important to know the magnitude of putting in a total joint. ... Read More

Metal-on-metal stemmed hip implants should no longer be used in patients, and patients with these artificial hips should be carefully monitored, particularly young women whose hip implants have large diameter heads, according to a new study. The study, conducted by researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Exeter, and the Centre for Hip Surgery at the Wrightingdon Hospital in Lancashire, was based on data from the National Joint Registry in England and Wales. Researchers looked at 402,051 first total hip replacements using a stemmed implant between April 2003 and September 2011. They then singled out revision operations carried out on ... Read More

Teresa Hughes of Great Britain says electing to have surgery to treat her stress urinary incontinence was one of the worst decisions she has ever made. The 61-year-old mother of two had suffered in silence for more than a decade from urinary incontinence caused by weakened pelvic muscles. The condition is not uncommon and can be caused by advanced age, childbirth and being overweight. When Teresa found out she was a candidate for a new procedure in which a mesh device is implanted through the vagina to hold up the bladder much like a hammock, she jumped at the opportunity. ... Read More

A Chicago man is suing the manufacturer of the blood thinner Pradaxa claiming the drug caused him to develop a severe hematoma for which he needed to be hospitalized. The bleeding condition required the man to under go surgery and to have a blood transfusion. Pradaxa is a blood thinner that was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010 to prevent strokes in patients with a common type of heart rhythm abnormality known as atrial fibrillation. Pradaxa became the first anticoagulant approved for that indication since warfarin, which hit the market more than 50 years ago. Pradaxa ... Read More

The prescription painkiller codeine is often prescribed to children following surgery to remove their tonsils or adenoids to treat sleep apnea, but the medicine may cause serious side effects – and even death – in some children even when the right dosage is used. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a consumer alert this week to make parents aware of the potential dangers of codeine. The FDA is aware of three recent deaths and one life-threatening case in children who took codeine for pain relief after surgery to remove their tonsils or adenoids to treat sleep apnea. The agency ... Read More

C.T. Tomlinson, a traveling nurse who had experience working for dozens of hospital cardiac catheterization labs, knew he was witnessing a fraudulent procedure as he watched a heart surgeon prepare to insert a stent in a patient with healthy arteries. According to the New York Times, in 2008, Mr. Tomlinson questioned Dr. Abdul Shadani of HCA’s Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce, Florida before the procedure began: “Sir, what are we going to fix?” Mr. Tomlinson told the New York Times he saw no blockages as he examined images of the patient’s arteries. “The doctor responded by asking the nurse if ... Read More