News • Extended treatment
New trial doubles down on antibiotics against life threatening infections
Hospital patients who develop infections where 10% of sufferers die will be offered double the traditional course of antibiotics in a new trial.
News • Tumour shrinking
"Downstaging" liver cancer before transplant improves outcomes
Treating liver cancer tumours to shrink them in order to allow the patient to qualify for a liver transplant leads to excellent 10-year post-transplant outcomes, according to new research.
Video • Intervention
Magnetic catheter to improve stroke treatment
A spin-off from ETH Zürich has developed a magnetically steerable catheter for quick and safe stroke treatment that no longer requires surgeons to be on site.
News • Workload evaluation
When anaethesiologists are spread too thin, more surgeries go wrong
A new US study indicates that the number of overlapping procedures managed by an anaesthesiologist increases the risk of death or complications after surgery.
News • Vascular preconditioning
Proper 'training' can protect blood vessels against heart attack, stroke
Similar to the way exercise helps muscles adapt to workouts, short, repeated bouts of reduced circulation with a blood pressure cuff may help prevent the worst outcomes of heart attacks and strokes.
News • Identification of treatment barriers
Immunotherapy: The right environment for fighting cancer
Cancer immunotherapy is a successful treatment form in oncology, but it doesn't work for every patient. One problem may be the lack of a specific type of immune cell in the tumor, researchers found.
News • Better outcomes, fewer costs
Experts propose less invasive bowel cancer treatment approach
New research suggests that providing a break in treatment to patients with advanced bowel cancer could not only benefit a patient’s quality of life but could also help reduce costs.
News • Novel disease therapies
"Soft” CRISPR may offer fix for genetic defects
A new approach makes use of natural DNA repair machinery and provides a foundation for novel gene therapy strategies with the potential to cure a large spectrum of genetic diseases.
News • Heart failure
Atrial fibrillation after surgery increases risk of hospitalization
People who develop an abnormal heart rhythm after surgery have an increased risk of subsequently being admitted to hospital with heart failure, according to a study of over 3 million patients.
News • Self-powered
Smart implants monitor spinal fusion healing
Spinal fusion—fusing two vertebrae together—can treat a wide variety of spinal disorders. A patient-specific 3D-printed smart metamaterial implant doubles as sensor to monitor spinal healing.
News • Medical equipment
Low-tech: just what the surgeon ordered
Medical equipment that can be manufactured at low cost, is simple to use and can be easily maintained will help extend surgery to the 5 billion people worldwide who currently cannot get access to it.
News • Eye treatment
Self-plugging microneedle for drug delivery
Reseachers have developed a novel microneedle for injecting therapeutics into the eyes, potentially solving one of the major challenges of treating eye diseases.
Sponsored • User report
Robotic assistance brings benefits for paediatric patients
Robot-assisted surgery has seen marked advances in the past years and thus become a viable tool for more interventions. For example, the challenging field of paediatric surgery can benefit greatly from the new possibilities, reports Prof Wim van Gemert. Using the Senhance Surgical System from Asensus, the expert details on the advantages of the solution.
Sponsored •
Preanalytical challenges and their clinical impact in point-of-care testing
The European Society for Emergency Medicine (EUSEM) held their annual congress on October 27th to 31st, 2021 in the city of Lisbon, to promote education, training and research in European acute care.
News • 'Meteorite impact in the brain'
Personalized treatment of acute stroke
When every minute counts: A Swiss team is currently developing a diagnostic procedure that can be used to start a tailored therapy for acute stroke in a timely manner.
News • New treatment approach
Injectable gel to repair damage after a heart attack
Researchers have developed a biodegradable gel that can help to improve the delivery of cells into the living heart and could form a new generation of treatments to repair heart attack damage.
News • Novel manufacturing technique
3D printed heart valves to support tissue growth
Researchers have developed 3D printed artificial heart valves designed to allow a patient’s own cells to form new tissue.
Video • Bowel cancer removal
Sustainability: UK surgeons perform first ‘net zero’ operation
Surgeons completed the first documented ‘net zero’ operation in the NHS, combining evidence-based approaches and documents using a carbon output calculator developed specifically for this task.
News • Cancer treatment
Ultrasound-guided microbubbles boost immunotherapy efficacy
Researchers have developed an ultrasound-guided cancer immunotherapy platform that generates systemic antitumor immunity and improves the therapeutic efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade.
News • World premiere
A liver was treated in a machine and successfully transplanted
The research team Liver4Life has treated an originally damaged human liver in a machine for three days outside a body and then implanted the recovered organ into a cancer patient.
News • Oncology
A new biomarker for personalized breast cancer therapy
"Crown-like structures" surrounding breast tumors in overweight and obese patients could hinder their response to therapy. The findings of this study could potentially be used to improve personalized treatment for patients.
Video • No more staples
‘Bio-glue’ could mean end to surgical sutures
Biomaterial engineers have developed the first-ever hydrophobic fluid, which instantly displaces body fluids surrounding an injury allowing for near-instantaneous gelling, sealing, and healing of injured tissue.
News • Model to predict efficacy
Phage therapy: a viable alternative to antibiotics?
Bacteriophages – viruses that kill bacteria – could be a solution for fighting antibiotic-resistant pathogens, French researchers have developed a model to better predict their efficacy.
News • Minimally invasive cardiology
TAVI: viable alternative to open heart surgery in aortic stenosis
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) is a less invasive procedure that is just as effective as open-heart surgery in treating severe symptomatic aortic stenosis, a new study shows.
News • Opening the blood-brain barrier
3D-printed acoustic holograms against Alzheimer's or Parkinson's
A research team in Spain and the US has created 3D-printed acoustic holograms to improve the treatment of diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, among others.
