The exhibit hall at SAGES 2008 was something of an HD wonderland; everywhere you turned, there was another laparoscope pointing at a flower, the minute stalks of the stamen revealed in excruciating detail on a nearby flatscreen.
Of all the high definition systems shown, we must say that we were the least impressed with the optics […]

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What they were looking for; what they should have been looking for. 

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High definition laparoscopes offer phenomenal images, but as recently as this week we bemoaned the lack of user-friendly high definition recording platforms in the operating room. Sony’s new ImageCore HD, being shown this weekend in the SAGES exhibit hall, changes everything. This thing is so user-friendly and feature-loaded that, frankly, we can’t believe we’ve lived so long […]

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 There’s no question that the increased clarity and anatomic detail of high definition images are major advantages during laparoscopy. So far we’ve used the Storz and Stryker systems and have been impressed with both. Recording the beautiful images they provide, however, remains a major remaining challenge. Although Storz and Stryker each offer their own capture systems, both […]

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Although percutaneous coronary interventions are becoming more popular than ever, many states still require that a cardiothoracic surgeon be ready to operate in the event of complications. Dr. Michael Kutcher and colleagues at Wake Forest University report new data this week, however, that suggests this is an unnecessary precaution, and that cardiologists can safely perform PCIs at centers […]

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We reported a few weeks back on two studies in the New England Journal of Medicine claiming to offer definitive proof that trasylol, the once-popular antifibrinolytic drug used in tons of cardiac procedures, significantly increased the risk of post-operative MI and renal failure. 
An even newer report by Pagano and colleagues in the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular […]

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In what will come as news to almost no one, researchers have found that “after hours” procedures, defined as those beginning after 4PM, are associated with higher rates of complications than procedures starting between 7AM-4PM, even after excluding emergency cases and controlling for patient and procedure conditions.

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There is an amazing amount of hype and bad data surrounding the use of hemostatic and sealing agents. Despite thousands of manuscripts published on the various glues, pastes and potions currently being hawked, there is a major dearth of solid information.

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A disturbing new report has revealed that hackers can gain wireless control of implanted cardiac defibrillators and then turn them off or, worse, deliver unneeded electric shocks. I mean, stealing our credit numbers is one thing, but this is just mean.

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Ever wish you could share the feeling of standing over an open chest field, watching the heart beat, or perhaps relive the experience in the comfort of your own home? Okay, that latter part may be a stretch, but you should check out this movie anyway (WMV HD format), shot in oh-so-sweet high definition to […]

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