…but we were. Who could have guessed there were a few “deficiencies” in the heparin production process?

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Although laparoscopic procedures are largely considered clean, safe affairs, there is one major complication that can happen early on in all of them — namely, the harpooning of an organ or major vessel with a Veress needle, which is blindly inserted in the abdomen at the beginning of most cases to achieve initial insufflation.
Although such […]

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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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Since its suspension from the market in November of last year, the adverse effects of Trasylol (aprotinin) have been well known. Although this antifibrinolytic drug was once used in nearly a third of CABG procedures to reduce intraoperative bleeding, an NEJM study published in 2006 revealed that it doubled the risk of renal failure and […]

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For the past seven years, and at two different institutions, I have had the pleasure of working in dedicated laparoscopy suites. No longer does my neck hurt from looking up at a tower with a monitor fixed at a non-intuitive height! I can also control much of the OR from a nice touch-screen […]

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The past several years have seen significant advances in the field of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), which allow users to interact with computers using only their thoughts.
Although originally developed for quadraplegics, the technology is now moving into the mainstream, which raises the tantalizing possibility that in coming years it will be possible to manipulate and position […]

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The Wall Street Journal has a nice slideshow this morning that shows, in vivid detail, the process by which heparin is extracted from porcine intestine. Or, as they put it:
In a small, damp factory here, blood-smeared men wring pulp from pig intestines, then heat it in concrete vats.
Since you cannot throw a ping pong ball […]

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According to Harper’s index the two most frequent workplace complaints are:
1. The office is too cold.
2. The office is too hot.
If you (a) agree with either of these statements, and (b) do not mind looking like a doofus*, then we recommend picking up either the Shafer Surgeon Cooling System (now with an add-on to cool […]

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Get your patients onto Facebook: A study of 605 patients undergoing thoracic or abdominal procedures at two VA hospitals shows that those with larger and more active support networks reported less pain and anxiety before procedures. These patients also used less opiates post-op, had better outcomes, and were more likely to be discharged within seven […]

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I recently had the opportunity to test out the LigaSure Advance, the latest update to Valleylab’s popular line of Ligasure vessel sealers.
This instrument has several great new features. First, the handle design departs from the typical pistol grip and incorporates controls that actually feel like they’re properly placed (which is not as routine as you’d […]

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