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SA surgeon scoops award for paediatric brain injury research
A Cape Town surgeon is leading research that could transform how brain injuries in children are treated across the globe.
The University of Cape Town’s...
AI surgical robot performs gallbladder op autonomously
Researchers in the United States say their experimental AI-guided robot can autonomously perform a delicate, complicated phase of a common gallbladder operation, marking a...
Less invasive anaesthesia option for thorascopic resection – Dutch trial
A nerve block approach proved superior on some measures to epidural for thoracoscopic anatomical lung surgery, according to a Dutch randomised trial.
In their findings...
Non-operative appendicitis treatment a better option, argue surgeons
Non-operative treatment of uncomplicated appendicitis (NOTA) has been demonstrated through major clinical trials to be surgery- and complication-sparing, with earlier acute pain resolution and...
Kenyan surgery offers hope for amputees
A team of surgeons at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has achieved a world first by restoring the sensation of touch to the stump of an amputated...
Vagal-nerve stimulator implant for baby epilepsy patient
The implantation of an epilepsy treatment device into a 5.5kg baby’s brain marks a first in such a young and low weight patient, paediatric...
UK woman has two amputations after injuries cause ‘suicide disease'
A British woman had a leg and hand amputation after minor injuries – dropping a perfume bottle on her foot, and a dog scratch...
NHS approves robotic surgery for England
State-of-the-art robotic systems approved for use on the NHS could transform treatment for thousands of people across England, say health authorities, after the technology was...
Metals from implants could be leaking into CSF – German study
Researchers who found patients with metal-containing joint replacements had significantly higher concentrations of cobalt in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) than patients without arthroplasties said...
Groote Schuur emergency trauma project kicks off for Easter weekend
The Groote Schuur Hospital Emergency Funds for Emergency Surgeries project – which has raised more than half a million rands, and which was launched...
UK’s first baby born to woman with transplanted womb
A “miracle” baby girl has become the first child in the UK to be born to a mother using a donated womb – from...
Chinese team reports xenotransplant and first-step liver experiment
A Chinese patient is the third person in world known to be living with a gene-edited pig kidney, with the research team also reporting...
Cutting-edge surgical robotics system for Free State
The launch of a first-of-its kind surgical robotics system at a Free State hospital has catapulted the province – and the country – into...
FDA passes lab-grown blood vessel despite major concerns
Concern has been expressed by the Food & Drug Administration’s own scientists after the agency’s decision to approve an artificial vessel to restore blood...
Gynaecologist not at fault for perforation, judge says
A Cape Town woman has been ordered to pay part of the legal costs of a case – which the judge dismissed – in...
High wastage of anaesthetic drugs in SA theatre – Bara study
Reducing anaesthetic drug wastage in hospitals is crucial for improving operating room efficiency and controlling costs, particularly in developing countries where resources are limited,...
British paediatric surgeon suspended for ‘below standard’ ops
An orthopaedic surgeon who specialises in treating children has been suspended from a hospital in Cambridge, England, after nine surgeries were found to fall...
Canada’s first tooth-in-eye surgeries could restore blind man’s vision
Brent Chapman was 13-years-old when he took two ibuprofen tablets during a basketball tournament and had a severe allergic reaction known as Stevens-Johnson syndrome....
Teenager’s 16kg ‘parasitic’ twin removed in rare surgery
Doctors in India have successfully carried out a rare and life-changing surgery to remove a 17-year-old boy’s “parasitic” twin.
Parasitic twins occur when one foetus stops developing but remains...
One in five – and more women – get infections after heart surgery
One in five older adults will develop an infection up to six months after heart surgery – and women, in particular, have a 60%...
Mitral clip implant first for Charlotte Maxeke Hospital
Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital has become the first government health facility in Gauteng to perform the MitraClip implant, a procedure designed to treat...
Family sues after patient’s face catches fire in surgery
The wife of a US man whose alcohol-swabbed face caught alight during surgery has filed a $900 000 lawsuit against the hospital.
John Michael Murdoch,...
Rare case of stubborn tonsils twice removed
In an unusual case, an American woman has just had her tonsils removed – 40 years after they were first taken out when she...
Surgery backlogs balloon as billions slashed from budget
Surgical backlogs continue to rise countrywide, as reduced budgets and staffing shortages eat away at public healthcare capacity, and institutions and medical professionals feel...
Bariatric surgery benefits confirmed in 10-year follow-up study
Ten years after undergoing bariatric surgery as teens, more than half of study participants demonstrated not only sustained weight loss, but also resolution of...
Elective ops too soon after heart attack risky for seniors – US study
After a heart attack, ageing adults face double or triple the risk of life-threatening complications – like a debilitating stroke or another heart attack...
Brain tumours removed through eyebrows
In what is believed to be a world first, a surgeon in Scotland has developed a procedure to remove apple-sized brain tumours through patients’...
Virtual hearts a game-changer for cardiac surgery
Twice a week, scores of people gather at Boston Children’s Hospital in the US to plan the most difficult cardiac surgeries. They analyse three-dimensional,...
Operating team describes spleen surgery gone horribly wrong
A US Health Department has issued an emergency licence suspension for an osteopath who removed a patient’s liver instead of his spleen, contributing to...
British surgeon uses penknife to open patient’s chest
A surgeon at a crisis-hit NHS Trust used a Swiss Army knife to open the chest of a patient in an emergency because he...
UK hospital reviews cases of 700 children treated by orthopaedic surgeon
London’s well-known Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) is overseeing an urgent review of the cases of more than 700 patients after concerns were raised...
Antibiotics vs surgery for appendicitis
Appendicitis is nearly always treated with surgical removal of the appendix, making it the most common cause of emergency surgery in children, but growing...
Thousands of transgender US teens had double mastectomies
A Manhattan Institute report has revealed that “gender-affirming” mastectomies for patients under 18 are more common than thought, and that at least 50 of the...
Routine hernia op leads to seven more surgeries for pastor
A Johannesburg pastor has launched an official complaint saying she endured an agonising series of complications after a routine hernia repair at a government...
Pre-surgery iron vs blood transfusions for anaemic patients – US study
Researchers have suggested – after a rigorous medical records study covering tens of thousands of patients – that some patients with pre-operative anaemia have...
Paediatric group flags baby tongue-tie op ‘epidemic’
The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) has sounded the alarm about what they believe is an over-diagnosis of tongue-tie – a condition in infants...
Children’s Cardiac Foundation of Africa saves its 100th life
The Children’s Cardiac Foundation of Africa (TCCFA), which since 2019 has been offering lifesaving procedures to South African and African children suffering from congenital...
Cancer patient third US person to have larynx transplant
American Marty Kedian, who had been without a voice for years and unable to swallow and breathe normally after dozens of surgeries for a...
Prosthesis driven by nervous system improves gait – US study
Using a new surgical intervention and neuroprosthetic interface, researchers were able to restore a natural walking gait in people with amputations below the knee,...
Cutting edge robotic surgery at Cape Town hospitals
Surgical robots have been used to perform more than 600 surgeries at two Cape Town public hospitals, beacons of excellence offering a glimmer of...