Several of the doctors who were involved in clinical research trials of a new back injury treatment, Prodisc, were also early investors in the product and had a financial incentive to see it succeed, reports the New York Times. This may have led to its success as a treatment being overstated.
surgery
Warning: Those Breast Implants Do Not Come With An Extended Warranty
By 1.18.08
Thinking about buying yourself some new boobs? You might want to make sure you can handle the after effects. The NYT informs that breast augmentation doesn’t always involve a single surgery and there’s no warranty on your boobs. In fact, one third of women who get breast implants end up having another surgery within four to five years.
Surgical Objects Accidentally Left Inside 1500 Patients A Year
By 12.11.07
“When there is significant bleeding and a sponge is placed in a patient, it can sometimes look indistinguishable from the tissue around it,” said Dr. Steven DeJong, vice chair, department of surgery, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, Ill. “Unintentional retained sponges and instruments is a devastating complication for patients and is a national problem affecting every hospital in the country that performs invasive and surgical procedures.”
Loyola has developed a new way to track sponges. It uses a bar code reader and a unique bar code on each sponge.
Surgery With A Warranty?
By 5.17.07
What if your surgery came with a warranty? One group of hospitals in central Pennsylvania is trying it, according to the NYT:
The group, Geisinger Health System, has overhauled its approach to surgery. And taking a cue from the makers of television sets, washing machines and consumer products, Geisinger essentially guarantees its workmanship, charging a flat fee that includes 90 days of follow-up treatment.
10 Questions To Ask Your Doctor Before Surgery
By 1.9.07
Healthbolt’s got a good list of 10 questions you should ask before undergoing surgical procedure.
Don’t Get a Kidney from Kaiser
By 8.11.06
Kaiser agreed to a punitive damages totaling $5 million after opening a new kidney transplant center with a disapointing success rate, to say the least.
A Knee With a View, Towards Women
By 5.12.06
A new line of artificial knees has been announced, strong enough for a man, but sophisticated in social nuances and group decision making for a woman.
China’s Executed Supply Japanese Ill With Organ Transplants
By 3.22.06
In Japan, organ donation is almost entirely unheard of, due in large part to a taboo associated with it according to traditional Buddhist beliefs. An organ transplant supposedly makes the body less clean and perfect — an odd mentality to take when you’re talking about replacing a black and diseased kidney with a functioning one. Nevertheless, those who are in dire need of organ transplants tend to die in Japan because there aren’t enough organs to go around.
