Articles Tagged With: surgery
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A Randomized Trial of Shunting for Idiopathic Normal-Pressure Hydrocephalus
In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, investigators demonstrated that ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery produces a clinically meaningful improvement in gait (but not in cognition or urinary symptoms) at three months in carefully selected patients with idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus.
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Ethical Considerations if Patient Undergoing Surgery or Invasive Procedures Has DNR Order
Managing do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders during surgery is complex. Guidelines stress patient autonomy and preoperative discussions. Misinterpretation of DNR can lead to under-treatment. Structured workflows, education, and ethics consults help align care with patient goals while minimizing perioperative risks.
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Clinicians Fail to Address Risks of Medical Interventions for Patients with Dementia
Clinicians often overlook dementia-specific risks when recommending interventions, leading to uninformed consent and decisional regret among caregivers. Supported and shared decision-making frameworks can promote autonomy, respect, and ethical care tailored to patients’ cognitive capacity and evolving goals.
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Jury Awards $20 Million in Fatal Surgery Malpractice Case
A jury awarded $20 million to the estate of a 68-year-old patient who died following what was supposed to be a routine abdominal surgery. The three-week trial revealed that the patient experienced internal bleeding during a sigmoid colon resection, but neither the hospital’s surgeons nor the anesthesia group recognized or adequately responded to it. By the time action was taken, the patient had entered hemorrhagic shock and could not be revived.
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Surgery or Fibrinolysis for Thrombosed Mechanical Valves
A randomized trial of urgent surgery vs. thrombolytic therapy for symptomatic left-sided mechanical valve thrombosis has shown that surgery completely restores valve function in all patients compared to three-quarters of patients with thrombolytic therapy, but at a cost of higher in-hospital complications and mortality.
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Patients Vary on How They Want to Make Medical Decisions
Do patients want to make a decision right away about surgery, or do they want time to think about it? As it stands currently, surgeons usually do not know this important information about their patients.
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Neurosurgeon Found Not Negligent in Emergency Surgery Delay Case
The California Court of Appeal for the Second District upheld a trial court’s ruling in favor of a neurosurgeon accused of medical negligence in a case involving a delayed emergency surgery.
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Antiplatelet Therapy for Coronary Stent Patients Undergoing Noncardiac Surgery
A larger randomized controlled trial of aspirin monotherapy vs. no antiplatelet therapy in patients more than one year post-drug-eluting coronary stent placement failed to show a difference in ischemic outcomes or major bleeding, but minor bleeding was more common in the aspirin group.
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Antiplatelet Therapy for Coronary Stent Patients Undergoing Noncardiac Surgery
A larger randomized controlled trial of aspirin monotherapy vs. no antiplatelet therapy in patients more than one year post-drug-eluting coronary stent placement failed to show a difference in ischemic outcomes or major bleeding, but minor bleeding was more common in the aspirin group.
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Comparison of Postoperative Antibiotic Regimens for Complex Appendicitis
In a pragmatic, open-label, randomized trial conducted at 15 hospitals in the Netherlands, two days of postoperative intravenous antibiotics for complex appendicitis was found to be noninferior to five days in terms of infectious complications and mortality within 90 days.