Thyroid surgery safe for patients above 65:Studyf

October 20th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new American study suggests that the 'superobese' veterans and those with more chronic disease burden may die within a year of undergoing bariatric surgery. The study conducted by David Arterburn, M.D., M.P.H., of Group Health Research Institute, Seattle, and his team has been published in the October issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

October 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Oscar-winning documentary 'Smile Pinki', that gives the message about the cleft surgery in India was premiered in New Delhi on Thursday. Six-year-old Pinki is the star of the short documentary "Smile Pinki", which won an Academy Award.

October 6th, 2009 FDA sees no safety issues with Pfizer HIV drugWASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday an HIV drug from Pfizer appears safe for expanded use in patients who have not already taken other drugs to combat the virus. However, the FDA said Pfizer studies paint a mixed picture of its drug's effectiveness.

October 5th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Cosmetic surgery to repair droopy eyelids has also been found to improve patients' overall quality of life, say researchers. Blepharoplasty (BLEF-uh-ro-plas-te) is surgery to repair droopy eyelids by removing excess skin, muscle and fat.

October 5th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study suggests radiofrequncy-tonsillotomy, a procedure that helps surgeons reduce the size of the tonsillar tissue rather than remove the tonsils entirely, to be an effective and safe method of treating children with symptoms of enlarged tonsils. Presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting and OTO EXPO in San Diego, the study involved 167 children under the age of 15 years, who had undergone radiofrequency surgery for symptoms of tonsillar hypertrophy-such as snoring, nocturnal sleep apnea, dysphagia, or speech impairment.

September 30th, 2009 SHILLONG - Taking a cue from 'Smile Pinki', an Oscar winning documentary, a hospital in Meghalaya provides free treatment to cleft patients. Woodland hospital in Shillong has been providing a ray of hope to impoverished cleft patients by treating them for free.

September 24th, 2009 Patient sues over brain surgery dispute in NYMINEOLA, N.Y. — A patient who was under anesthesia when a brain surgeon refused to step in for a no-show colleague is suing both doctors as well as the New York hospital.

September 23rd, 2009 Hospital cited; NY doc refused to perform surgeryGARDEN CITY, N.Y. — A New York doctor's refusal to perform brain surgery on a patient already under anesthesia — whose scheduled surgeon had failed to show up — has led the state health department to file violations against a Long Island hospital.

September 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A Chinese patient, who was given an anaesthetic injection and taken into the operation theatre for a surgery, was wheeled back into his room only to find out that the doctors "forgot" to operate on him. Cao Longbao was to undergo a surgery to get three polypi removed from his intestines at a local hospital in Shanghai.

September 10th, 2009 Court: Employer must pay for weight-loss surgeryINDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled that a pizza shop must pay for weight-loss surgery for an obese employee to ensure the success of another operation for a back injury he suffered at work. The decision is raising concern among businesses bracing for more such claims.

September 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Doctors at Toronto Western Hospital have come up with a new minimally invasive, outpatient spine surgical procedure for treating cancer that has spread to the spine. It is believed that almost 40-50 percent of metastic cancers end up in the spine and the most common primary cancers to spread to the bones of the spine are breast and lung cancer.

September 4th, 2009 LONDON - People who start nicotine replacement therapy at least four weeks before surgery can halve their risk of poor wound healing, says a new analysis. "It is not easy to quit smoking just before an operation," observes Peter Sawicki, professor and director of German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).

September 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Nicotine replacement therapy at least four weeks before surgery can almost halve the risk of poor wound healing in smokers, suggest researchers. "It is not easy to quit smoking just before an operation," said Professor Peter Sawicki, the Institute's Director.

September 1st, 2009 Gov. Patrick OK after hip replacement surgeryBOSTON — Massachusetts Gov. Deval (deh-VAHL') Patrick is resting comfortably after undergoing hip replacement surgery to alleviate pain from arthritis and an injury he sustained three decades ago.

August 31st, 2009 Pat Robertson, 79, recovering from heart surgeryVIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A spokesman says religious broadcaster Pat Robertson is recovering well after undergoing 10 hours of heart surgery in North Carolina.