surgery news stories on Newser

Prostate Cancer Shocker: Surgery Does Nothing?

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:54:05 CDT

Cancer experts are nervously awaiting the publication of a new study that may revolutionize the treatment of prostate cancer, the Independent reports. First revealed at a urology conference in February, the 12-year study of 731 men showed that standard prostate cancer surgery did nothing to prolong life. "The only rational...

Need Your Appendix Out? Not So Fast

John Johnson — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:03:05 CDT

Having your appendix taken out may be a common, ho-hum procedure as far as surgeries go, but a new study suggests it may be too common. British researchers say antibiotics could be a better alternative, reports the BBC . Their study found that two-thirds of patients treated with the drugs for...

Gun Victim Gets Full Face Transplant

Matt Cantor — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:17:12 CDT

A Virginia man who suffered a gun accident has undergone a face transplant at the University of Maryland, and doctors say it's the most extensive such operation yet. The surgery required input from 300 health workers and took more than a day to complete, the Baltimore Sun reports. Doctors used...

Was Dick Cheney Too Old for a Heart Transplant?

Matt Cantor — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 06:30:07 CDT

Heart transplant recipients of Dick Cheney's age—that would be 71—"don't generally do so well" after the surgery, a leading cardiologist tells USA Today —but the former VP is by no means the oldest patient to undergo the procedure, experts say. In this case, health trumps age: A younger...

12-Year-Old Boy Stops Cancer Treatment

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 16:40:58 CST

Five years of surgery, chemo, and rehabilitation have convinced a 12-year-old cancer patient to halt his treatments, ABC News reports. Alex Rodriguez of Shelbyville, Tenn., chose hospice care at home with his family over going to Texas for experimental treatments. “He is a very courageous young man to have a...

Docs Perform First Quadruple Limb Transplant

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 13:58:05 CST

Doctors in Turkey say they have performed the world's first quadruple limb transplant on a man who lost both arms and legs at age 13, Sky News reports. The 20-hour operation at a hospital in Ankara required more than 50 doctors working on the patient, 27-year-old Sevket Cavdar. "We have...

Dirty Medical Instruments a Rising Threat

Dustin Lushing — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 07:01:32 CST

A disturbing and dangerous trend is growing in hospitals, according to a report from the Center of Public Integrity : the use of dirty instruments leading to serious infections. The problem is showing up with "alarming regularity" and could be linked to the difficulty in cleaning modern surgical tools and the...

Docs to Remove Twin From Tot's Stomach

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:14:58 CST

Doctors planned to operate yesterday to remove something unusual from a Peruvian toddler's belly—his twin. The partially formed fetus weighs over a pound and is nine inches long, according to Dr. Carlos Astocondor. The parasitic twin has no brain, lungs, or heart but utilizes the boy's blood supply The...

Docs Find Working Pen in Woman's Stomach

Matt Cantor — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:16:50 CST

So that's where it went. When a 76-year-old complained of digestive problems, doctors in Britain X-rayed her stomach—and found a pen. When they asked the patient about it, she thought back 25 years and recalled the incident: She'd been using a pen to investigate her tonsils in the mirror...