Magellan is quick and good for complex ops
Surgeons at a leading UK hospital are pioneering robotic endovascular surgery to treat patients with complex conditions.
Minimal invasive
The 129th Congress of the German Society of Surgery
Meeting with EH editor Brigitte Dinkloh, Congress Secretary Professor Alexis Ulrich MD (left), Assistant Medical Director at the Clinic for General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery at the University of Heidelberg, outlined the scientific programme, discussed some impressive advances in surgical procedures, and explained why the gathering bears the slogan Surgery in Partnership.
New technique successfully dissolves blood clots in the brain and lowers risk of brain damage after stroke
Johns Hopkins neurologists report success with a new means of getting rid of potentially lethal blood clots in the brain safely without cutting through easily damaged brain tissue or removing large pieces of skull. The minimally invasive treatment, they report, increased the number of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) who could function independently by 10 to 15 percent six months…
Congenital heart defects
The German Paediatric Heart Centre (DKHZ) is one of the largest of its kind in Europe. Over 25 years the centre has treated big and small patients with congenital heart defects, very now and then being faced with rare, individual cases that present very particular challenges. In any one year, consultant paediatric cardiologist Professor Martin Schneider MD encounters perhaps five such non-…
Leipzig´s futuristic operating theatre
The next generation of integrated operating systems celebrated a world premiere in clinical use this November in Leipzig Germany. EH Correspondent Holger Zorn was there when Professor Gero Strauss entered the Surgical Deck of the International Reference and Development Centre for Surgical Technology (IRDC) as ´Commander`.
Article • Focus on TAVI
Transcatheder aortic valve implants
With transcatheder aortic valve implants (TAVI) forming some 20% of all heart valve replacement procedures today, and the technology constantly developing, the 'real art' to the intervention's success lies in precise patient selection and procedure performance carried out by a multi-disciplinary and effective team, according to Simon Redwood, Professor of the interventional cardiology at King's…
Interventional radiology in the trauma unit
Traumatic injuries result in 800,00 deaths per year in Europe, making this one of the leading causes of mortality and the primary cause of death in patients aged 45 years old or younger. Depending on the type and severity of injury, usually trauma patients are treated by a team of experts from different disciplines.
Trail blazing bariatric surgery devices
Major advances in Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) lead to a tremendous interest in new surgical endoscopes. The advantages of minimally invasive surgery via natural body orifices, such as the mouth, are obvious: less post-operative pain, a minor infection rate, minor incisional hernia, shorter hospitalisation and, finally, better cosmetic results. Karoline Laarmann reports
Visceral medicine in 2011
Excising the entire cancer tumour from the stomach prevents relapses. This procedure can now be performed endoscopically. Holger Zorn reports from the Visceral Medicine 2011 Congress in Leipzig.
Documentation and certification
The German Society for Interventional Radiology and Minimally Invasive Therapy (DeGIR) has been developing its nation-wide quality assurance programme since 1987. ‘We launched this instrument very early and on a voluntary basis. Other medical associations have been forced to do so by law,’ explains Professor Arno Bücker, Member of the Board at DeGIR and Director of the Clinic for Diagnostic…
A new definition for plastic surgery
Gathering in Austria, plastic surgeons proclaim the need for clarification and standards. Michael Krassnitzer reports
The 16th IFSO World Congress
September saw the international crème de la crème of bariatric surgery descend on Hamburg for the 16th World Congress of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO 2011). Among their discussions: new minimally invasive procedures, the importance of aftercare and the lack of recognition of the importance of surgical treatment of the severely obese in…
Mobile surgery firm steers towards Italy
Having secured significant contracts with hospitals in Sweden and the Netherlands, the UK-based mobile surgical services firm Vanguard Healthcare aims for further expansion in Europe. Mark Nicholls reports
The flying magnet
When Professor PD Dr Dr Marcos Tatagiba operates the recently installed five ton, ceiling mounted MRI scanner in the operating theatre at the Neurosurgery Clinic in University Hospital Tubingen, he will be using systems technology currently unique in Europe.
Cardiac conundrum
France – Re-opening clogged arteries with metal stents has proved a life-saver for a majority of patients with coronary disease. Yet the high rates of complications and mortality for patients with diabetes following a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) continue to baffle cardiologists. Report: John Brosky
Medical devices are not scrutinised enough
United Kingdom – A call has been made for tighter regulatory controls to ensure the safety regulation of medical devices, following joint investigations carried out by the British Medical Journal and the Channel 4 TV programme Dispatches, which were televised and published online at BMJ.com this May.
Bariatric surgery: A last resort -- or the only way to go?
More than half of the European population is overweight, or worst, obese. When diet and lifestyle changes do not result in permanent weight reduction in obese patients, bariatric surgery is now considered a final option. But, that’s far too late, says Professor Rudolf A Weiner, head of the surgical department at Sachsenhausen Hospital in Frankfurt/Main, Germany, and President of the German…
Sharper scrutiny on valve repair
One year ago interventional cardiologists raised champagne glasses to celebrate the first publication of clinical evidence showing that transcatheter valve implants (TAVI) is safe and effective. In May at EuroPCR 2011, cardiologists raised magnifying glasses to look closer at further clinical results. John Brosky reports from Paris
Coronary heart disease
Bypass surgery figures declined again in 2010. Reason: Most coronary heart disease (CHD) patients are being treated by removal of the obstruction followed by stent implantation -- a situation criticised by Professor Jochen Cremer, first Vice President of the DGTHG (German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery).
An all-rounder with many applications
Given the increase in overweight or obese populations (estimated at around 50% in Europe alone), hospital equipment that supports patients must be tried, tested and proved to be robust indeed. Like many hospital equipment manufacturers, the Tuttlingen-based firm Berchtold is well aware of this growing concern, already providing components and accessories for obesity surgery.
Diabesity surgery
Morbid obesity is a chronic, lifelong, multifactorial, constitutional disease with negative medical, psychological, physical, social and economic side-effects. Obesity-related secondary diseases are Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension or sleep apnoea. Report: Holger Zorn
Leaders in Electrophysiology Discuss Improving Atrial Fibrillation Treatment Using Laser Ablation Catheter
CardioFocus, Inc., developer of the Endoscopic Ablation System for the transcatheter treatment of Atrial Fibrillation (AF), convened international leaders in electrophysiology to discuss the advantages of direct optical visualization to guide catheter ablation for the treatment of paroxysmal AF.
Catheter-based valve surgery
Transcatheter valve implants (TAVI) have encouraged a new group of patients. Previously inoperable, they may now receive adequate treatment. Some centres report a success rate close to the conventional open surgical procedure. Naturally, the long-term outcome is still unclear. Holger Zorn reports.
Surgical staplers
Mechanical suturing tools are an indispensable part of modern surgery. Gastro-intestinal surgery as well as minimally invasive surgeries, would be unthinkable without this technology, a growing sub-market in an ever-growing industry, possibly driven by the patient’s benefit, writes Holger Zorn.
Role of simulation in surgical training
Rapid technological progress and the changed working patterns of surgeons has greatly increased the demand of simulated training in the United Kingdom, notes Professor Mike Larvin, Director of RCS Education at the Royal College of Surgeons in London, where a new Education and Simulation Centre is incorporating state-of-the-art education and training facilities in response to those changes.
