surgery

Poor patient outcomes are common after planned (elective) in-patient surgery and that mortality rates following complications are at broadly similar levels in the poorest and wealthiest countries although patient populations may differ, according to a paper, ‘Global patient outcomes after elective surgery: prospective cohort study in 27 low-, middle- and high-income countries,’ published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia by the International Surgical Outcomes Study Group.

A non-toxic glue modelled after adhesive proteins produced by mussels and other creatures has been found to out-perform commercially available products, pointing toward potential surgical glues to replace sutures and staples. More than 230 million major surgeries are performed worldwide each year, and over 12 million traumatic wounds are treated in the US alone. About 60 percent of these wounds are closed using mechanical methods such as sutures and staples.

The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) has claimed that smokers and overweight patients are becoming soft targets for NHS savings, according to the findings of their report found that over one in three Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in England are denying or delaying routine surgery to patients (such as hip and knee replacements) until they stop smoking or lose weight, in contravention of national clinical guidance.

Two published studies have demonstrated the negative impact obesity and metabolic disease can have on skeletal health. The first study published in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery (JBJS) has found a link between obesity and a higher risk for surgery in orthopaedic trauma patients. In addition, researchers found that patients with obesity had longer hospital stays and greater treatment costs. They were also more likely to be discharged to a care facility, rather than to home.

The Surgical Innovation Centre at Imperial College, London, UK, a global centre for excellence in innovation and design in healthcare delivery, has been formerly opened by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. At the heart of the Surgical Innovation Centre are two laparoscopic theatres for patients to benefit from the latest techniques in minimally invasive surgery such as robotics and image guidance surgery, and the first Da Vinci robotic programme in the UK, which aids surgeons in performing enhanced remote surgery.

Laparoscopic diverted sleeve gastrectomy with ileal transposition (DSIT) is a technically feasible operation that can be safely performed in type 2 diabetic patients with acceptable complication and mortality rates, according to the findings of a study by investigators from the Metabolic Surgery Clinic, Istanbul, Turkey, and published in Obesity Surgery.

With nearly 6% of all children and teens in the US classified as severely obese and the prevalence of severe obesity is increasing faster than that of moderate obesity or overweight, a more serious consideration of safe and effective treatment options that go beyond diet and lifestyle modifications are required, according to an article published in Childhood Obesity.

How we lose weight affects how our brains respond to images of food, according to brain imaging research conducted at the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

The study, published in the journal Obesity, examined brain changes associated with different methods of weight loss.

British Obesity & Metabolic Surgery Society (BOMSS) has announced its support for the current process of developing clear, practical and clinically sensible guidance for commissioning Body Contouring practice and has also called for further input from bariatric professionals.

The number of eligible bariatric surgery candidates in Canada outnumbers the number of publicly-funded procedures performed annually almost one thousand times over, and the most eligible candidates often go without surgery, according to a report in the International Journal for the Equity of Health.