About.com Surgery

Golden Girls Star Rue McClanahan Has Heart Surgery

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:08:19 +0000

Rue McClanahan, most famous for her role as Blanche Devereaux on The Golden Girls, has undergone heart surgery. �Her heart problem was reportedly discovered when she was having a cardiac examination as part of routine testing prior to having knee surgery. �Unfortunately, instead of having the planned orthopedic surgery, she ended up having cardiac bypass surgery instead.�

According to reports, which did not name the facility where the procedure was performed, the surgery went well and McClanahan is on the road to recovery.

Bypass surgery, commonly known as a CABG, reroutes blood around arteries blocked by plaque, helping more blood to reach the heart muscle. �

Keep up with surgery news and information by signing up for the Surgery Newsletter.

Check out the Surgery Forums for surgery discussions, support and more!

Golden Girls Star Rue McClanahan Has Heart Surgery originally appeared on About.com Surgery on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 23:08:19.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Pediatric Hospital Advertising Snot and Ouchies

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:36:08 +0000

The pediatric hospital in my city has a new advertising campaign. �Now, each day when I leave the house, I see a billboard that says "We Know Ouchies." �This billboard is a great improvement on the previous one in the same location, which stated "We Know Snot."

Now I understand why this seems like a good idea, they are showing that they know about the realities of parenting, but it seems a bit, well, gross, or at the very least, childish. �That's the point I suppose, and the campaign must be working on some level if �someone who doesn't have children is blogging about it, but I'm not so sure how I feel about the whole thing.

What do you think? �

Keep up with surgery news and information by signing up for the Surgery Newsletter.

Check out the Surgery Forums for surgery discussions, support and more!

Pediatric Hospital Advertising Snot and Ouchies originally appeared on About.com Surgery on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 19:36:08.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

11 Patients Blind and 20 More Hospitalized After Free Cataract Surgery

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:20:46 +0000

Patients in India who signed up for a free cataract surgery clinic are facing the worst possible outcome: blindness.

Low-income patients signed up for free, or very inexpensive, cataract surgery to improve their vision. �Now an infection has affected 31 of them, with horrifying results. �At least five have already had the infected eye removed, 20 are hospitalized and a further 6 will never see again.

Initially, officials blamed the patients for not taking proper precautions to prevent infections after surgery, but are now promising an investigation to see if negligence was responsible, or possibly prescribed eye drops .

Preventing Infection After Surgery

Keep up with surgery news and information by signing up for the Surgery Newsletter.

Check out the Surgery Forums for surgery discussions, support and more!

11 Patients Blind and 20 More Hospitalized After Free Cataract Surgery originally appeared on About.com Surgery on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 08:20:46.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Rhode Island Hospital Has Third Wrong Site Surgery This Year, How To Prevent Wrong Site Surgery

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:15:44 +0000

Rhode Island Hospital, located in Providence, has released information about the third wrong site surgery performed in the facility this year.

Wrong site surgery, where the correct surgery is performed on the wrong part of the body or the wrong patient, is supposed to be prevented by "time outs" and staff double checking the procedure and the patient. �In this case, the wrong finger was operated upon after the correct hand was marked before surgery, but the correct finger was not marked.

The wrong site surgery prior to this one was performed on a child who needed a cleft palate repair. In that case, the wrong side of the mouth was operated upon. �While the inside of the mouth cannot be marked, in this case, the wrong side of the mouth was indicated on the skin by the surgeon and staff did not catch the mistake.

The hospital has a history of wrong site surgeries, in the past, the center had three wrong site brain surgeries performed in one year. Those mistakes, coupled with the three surgeries this year, have led to a large fine and potentially further action against the hospital.

So, how do you as a patient prevent wrong site surgery from happening to you? �Insist that the doctor mark the surgery site while you are still awake and before any medications are given that relax you or make you sleepy. �

Keep up with surgery news and information by signing up for the Surgery Newsletter.

Check out the Surgery Forums for surgery discussions, support and more!

Rhode Island Hospital Has Third Wrong Site Surgery This Year, How To Prevent Wrong Site Surgery originally appeared on About.com Surgery on Saturday, October 24th, 2009 at 19:15:44.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Man Without Insurance Enlists In Army To Save Wife's Life

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:41:56 +0000

Bill Caudle, a 39 year old Wisconsin man, recently enlisted in the Army out of a desperate need to obtain health insurance for his family. His wife, Amy, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2006, and has needed surgery and chemotherapy in the years following.

Bill lost his job of 30 years in March, and by May he was desperate to obtain affordable insurance coverage. �When his job search didn't pay off, he did the nearly unthinkable, he enlisted in the Army.

Originally assigned to a base halfway across the country, Bill was thrilled to find out that he would be much closer to his family than planned, but he would still be hundreds of miles from his family while his wife continued chemotherapy.

While there is a media frenzy around their story, the Caudle's are not activists and have no desire to become poster children for healthcare reform. �Right now, they are just looking forward to Bill's graduation from basic training and hoping that Amy will be healthy enough to attend. �

As for Amy, she is now receiving the treatment that doctors recommended for her, which is chemotherapy for now. �Their health insurance became effective when Bill reported for basic training. �

Keep up with surgery news and information by signing up for the Surgery Newsletter.

Check out the Surgery Forums for surgery discussions, support and more!

Man Without Insurance Enlists In Army To Save Wife's Life originally appeared on About.com Surgery on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 18:41:56.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Surgery News: 19 Pound Baby Born By C-Section

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:32:49 +0000

A 19 pound baby was born in Indonesia on September 11th. �Due to his extreme size, he was delivered via Caesarian Section, commonly known as a C-section. �The reports indicate that his birth was complicated, as the procedure took 40 minutes, which is significantly longer than a standard surgical birth.

The baby, named Akbar, which means "the great" in Arabic, appears healthy in every way. �He has become a minor tourist attraction, with dozens of people visiting him while he remained in the hospital. �

Slide Show of Baby Akbar Photos

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Keep up with surgery news and information by signing up for the Surgery Newsletter.

Check out the Surgery Forums for surgery discussions, support and more!
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Surgery News: 19 Pound Baby Born By C-Section originally appeared on About.com Surgery on Friday, October 16th, 2009 at 09:32:49.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Surgery News: 8 Year Old Hits A Hole In One Golfing Days After Emergency Brain Surgery

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:44:48 +0000

Jonathan Brittain, an 8 year old boy from Virginia, hit a hole in one at the golf course last week. While a hole in one is a pretty rare occurrence, the circumstances under which Jonathan hit the ball are even more extraordinary.

Jonathan was born 28 weeks early with a condition called hydrocephalus, or water on the brain. He has had 8 surgeries in his short eight years. The last one, two weeks ago, was an emergency surgery, as the shunt that drains the extra fluid from his brain was no longer working.

Clearly Jonathan is recovering from surgery quickly, getting back to his favorite sports and other activities, rather than hanging out on the couch or in bed.

Way to go Jonathan! �You're an example for all of us!

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Keep up with surgery news and information by signing up for the Surgery Newsletter.

Check out the Surgery Forums for surgery discussions, support and more!
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Surgery News: 8 Year Old Hits A Hole In One Golfing Days After Emergency Brain Surgery originally appeared on About.com Surgery on Monday, October 12th, 2009 at 17:44:48.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Surgery News: Miss Plastic Hungary 2009-Beauty Pageant For Plastic Surgery Patients

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:58:37 +0000

Miss Plastic Hungary 2009 was conceived to promote plastic surgery in a country where isn't as accepted as surgeons would like. To promote the benefits of surgery, the pageant was created, requiring all contestants to have had some sort of elective plastic surgery.

There was an added twist, as surgeons also received awards for the work performed. �Contestants revealed a multitude of plastic surgeries, ranging from the more common procedures such as breast augmentation and rhinoplasty (nose job) to the rare (toe adjustment). �The promoters hoped to focus on natural looking surgeries, rather than overtly noticeable surgeries.

18 women participated in the contest, ranging in age from 18 to over 30, and included mothers, firefighters, hostesses and strippers.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Keep up with surgery news and information by signing up for the Surgery Newsletter.

Check out the Surgery Forums for surgery discussions, support and more!
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Surgery News: Miss Plastic Hungary 2009-Beauty Pageant For Plastic Surgery Patients originally appeared on About.com Surgery on Saturday, October 10th, 2009 at 11:58:37.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Surgery News: Swimmer Dara Torres To Have Major Surgery, May Be Out Of Pool For a Year or More

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:49:24 +0000

Dara Torres, the olympic swimmer who became famous for winning medals even though she was over forty, needs major knee surgery.

The procedure, a tibial tubercle osteotomy, requires the tibia (shinbone) to be broken, creating space for cartilage that forms around the kneecap.

The surgery has an extensive recovery period and it is estimated that Torres may be out of the pool for 12-18 months. Torres is not eliminating the possibility of a 2012 London Olympics, as she will still have a year to get back into form before the games, but does acknowledge that her age is working against her.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Keep up with surgery news and information by signing up for the Surgery Newsletter.

Check out the Surgery Forums for surgery discussions, support and more!
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Surgery News: Swimmer Dara Torres To Have Major Surgery, May Be Out Of Pool For a Year or More originally appeared on About.com Surgery on Saturday, October 10th, 2009 at 11:49:24.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Surgery News: Elizabeth Taylor Has Successful Heart Surgery And Uses Twitter

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:27:17 +0000

Elizabeth Taylor has announced her successful heart surgery to repair a leaky valve on Twitter. Taylor announced her need for surgery last week, surprising many with her ability to use social networking service Twitter.

She asked her 165,000 followers for prayers for a successful outcome, and thanked them for their well-wishes after the procedure was completed.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Keep up with surgery news and information by signing up for the Surgery Newsletter.

Check out the Surgery Forums for surgery discussions, support and more!
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Surgery News: Elizabeth Taylor Has Successful Heart Surgery And Uses Twitter originally appeared on About.com Surgery on Saturday, October 10th, 2009 at 11:27:17.

Permalink | Comment | Email this