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Surgery (General) Topic Homepage
Surgery (General) Overview
Surgery is the term traditionally used for treatments that involve cutting or stitching tissue.1
Surgery is one of the oldest forms of medicine; evidence of its activity has been found since prehistoric times, mainly through acts of trepanation.2 Patient survival has been dependent on technical and scientific advances that have marked the centuries.3 The invention of writing, and then printing,...
... allowed for the acquisition and transfer of knowledge.3 The discovery of germs and antiseptics, caused a reduction of postoperative mortality, and the development of imaging techniques has improved surgical practices.3
Nowadays, technical advances make it possible to perform surgery through smaller incisions causing less tissue disruption compared with traditional surgery.1 This type of surgery, called laparoscopy, has been common practice for the past twenty years.4 This minimally invasive surgery has some advantages over traditional surgery; including a quicker postoperative recovery, less postoperative pain and lower blood loss.4 Introduced in the last ten years, the use of robotic assistance has grown primarily in urology, but is also used in gynecological and gastrointestinal surgery. However, the use of this technique remains limited by high costs.5
Surgery is an evolving area; it is always developing techniques that are less invasive for the patient in order to reduce tissue damage and postoperative complications, and to enable a faster recovery.
1. Beers M.H. et al. The Merck manual of medical information. Merck research laboratories. Second home edition. 2003 : 1698-1703.
2. Zabihyan S. et al. The origin of cranial surgery. World Neurosurgery. July 2010 ; 74 (1) : 4-13.
3. Berman J.A. Understanding surgery: A comprehensive guide for every family. Branden Books. 2011 : 496 pages.
4. Lambaudie E. et al. Robot-assisted laparoscopy in gynoncologic surgery: what’s new? Oncologie. 2010 ; 12 (1 ) : 49-54.
5. Houvenaeghel G. et al. Ten years later, what is the role of robotic assistance in surgical oncology? Oncologie. 2011 ; 13 : 7
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Drug News
Genous stent (Orbus Neich) has lower restenosis rate than bare metal stents in ACS treatment
22-05-2013
OrbusNeich announced that the company's Genous Stent is associated with a significantly lower rate of binary restenosis compared to bare metal stents (BMS) in low-risk non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) patients at six months.
Data from JACK-EPC, an investigator-initiated randomized study, were published in the June issue of Minerva CardioangiologicaStent, of...
Xience Xpedition 48 everolimus eluting coronary stent from Abbott Vascular has CE Mark
22-05-2013Abbott announced CE Mark granted on 21 May 2013 in Europe for the Xience Xpedition 48 Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System, the first-of-its-kind treatment for very long blockages in the vessels that supply blood to the heart due to coronary artery disease (CAD). Xience Xpedition 48 leverages the proven design and clinical outcomes of the Xience family of drug eluting stents in a unique 48...
Four year follow up on EVEREST II study of Mitra Clip (Abbott)
08-05-2013
Four-year follow-up of the Endovascular Valve Edge-to-Edge Repair Study II (EVEREST II) show no differences in the primary end point between the Mitra Clip (Abbott) procedure and surgery and significantly more follow-up surgeries for residual mitral regurgitation (MR) in the clip group.At four years, surgery for mitral-valve dysfunction was needed for one out of every four patients treated...
Surgery (General) Drug Data - A-Z
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Recent Drug Updates
Binocrit
22-05-2013Treatment of symptomatic anaemia associated with chronic renal failure (CRF) in adult and paediatric patients: - Treatment of anaemia associated with chronic renal failure in paediatric and adult...
Privigen 100mg/ml solution for infusion
07-05-2013Replacement therapy in • Primary immunodeficiency (PID) syndromes such as: – congenital agammaglobulinaemia and hypogammaglobulinaemia – common variable immunodeficiency –...
Herceptin 150mg Powder for concentrate for solution for infusion
03-05-2013Breast Cancer Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) Herceptin is indicated for the treatment of patients with HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer: - as monotherapy for the treatment of those...
Clinical Guidelines
Guidelines on Reporting and Grading of Complications after Urologic Surgical Procedures
Feb 2012The aim of our work was to review the available reporting systems used for urologic surgical..
... complications, to establish a possible change in attitude towards reporting of complications using standardised systems, to assess systematically the Clavien-Dindo system (currently widely used for the reporting of complications related to urologic surgical interventions), to identify shortcomings in reporting complications, and to present recommendations for the development and implementation of future reporting systems that focus on patientcentred outcomes. The panel did not take intraoperative complications into consideration, which may be addressed in a follow-up project.
Management of children and young people with diabetes during surgery
Oct 2011This protocol is intended for those children with diabetes mellitus undergoing surgery. It is..
... important to avoid the immediate complications of diabetes peri-operatively, particularly hypoglycaemia and ketoacidosis.
Online CME
Practice Guideline Insights: New Methods for Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Otitis Media
Apr 2013
... clinicians and other healthcare professionals in order to enhance patient care.
Incorporating Treatment Advances for Basal Cell Carcinoma Into Clinical Practice
Apr 2013
... clinicians involved in the care of patients with BCC on assessing recurrence risk, developing evidence-based treatment plans, and educating patients on recommended follow-up after primary therapy.
Clinical Trials
Short-term Investigation of Resveratrol on Fat Metabolism in Morbidly Obese Women Undergoing Gastric Bypass Surgery
03-04-2013The purpose of this study is to investigate potential metabolic effects of resveratrol in morbidly obese women undergoing gastric bypass surgery.
Extracorporeal Photopheresis in Liver Transplantation. Phase II Clinical Trial in Safety and Efficacy in Patients With Gradual Decrease of Immunosuppression. (FEC-TH)
01-04-2013The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety of extracorporeal photopheresis in patients with long-standing liver transplantation subjected to a progressive reduction of immunosuppression by complications arising from its use.
Medical Videos
Medical Journal Abstracts
Depression before and after cardiac surgery: Do all patients respond the same?
The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Dec 2012
Objective: To characterize the prevalence, incidence, and risk factors for depression before and after cardiac surgery. Methods: Patients awaiting nonemergent surgery (N = 436), completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for depression, as well as the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short version..
Tirone David valve-sparing aortic root replacement and cusp repair for bicuspid aortic valve disease
The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Dec 2012
Objectives: The durability of valve-sparing aortic root replacement with or without cusp repair in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) disease is questioned. We analyzed the results of 75 patients with a BAV undergoing Tirone David reimplantation valve-sparing aortic root replacement. Methods: Average age was 45..
Medical Apps
Surgery Q&A - £5.48
General Surgery Instruments: Reference Guide - £1.49
WebMD - Free
Surgery a-Pocketcards - £3.68
Social Media
What's the most ridiculous rule your hospital has enforced?
on doc2doc... Afterall in A&E we are not taking out tonsils or doing brain surgery so no risk of prion transmission that I can see. We also have a rules that ...
Straws and camel's backs.
on doc2doc... thyroid disease, 90% of mental health problems, and most post-operative follow-ups all of which used to go back to hospital) with a workforce that is ...
ECG Quiz
on doc2docECG Quiz 83 years old lady attends surgery for her annual review,a routine ECG is done by the practice nurse, what does the ECG shows ...
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