Madely Health Headlines Commentary for November 18, 2009
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Watchful waiting for prostate cancer is safe
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Archive
Category: SurgeryI am reminded of a scene from the science fiction movie Logan’s Run where a plastic surgeon uses a laser to cut the skin, makes the cosmetic change, and then seals the wound with a laser leaving no scar. Although this seemed an impossible feat of technology at the time, real science has edged closer [...]
Original broadcast date: September 13, 2009 A recent poll commissioned by The Arthritis Society reveals that almost two out of three Canadians struggling with arthritis believe that physical activity poses the risk of aggravating their symptoms. This percentage was considerably higher than the general population who responded at just under 1 in 2, as indicated [...]
Original broadcast date: September 6, 2009 Injuries are unfortunately part of the risk of participating in sporting activities. For adults, there seems to be a specific treatment pathway for various types of injuries but for children, questions remain about its management. One such injury is an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear. A study presented at [...]
Original broadcast date: August 30, 2009 “There has to be a better way,” says orthopedic surgeon Dr Cyril Frank. What Dr. Frank refers to is the present approach used to repair damaged ligaments in joints such as the knee with methods that are still “fairly barbaric”. In that vein, the University of Calgary is expanding [...]
Original broadcast date: August 30, 2009 Major trauma from severe injuries can have a devastating impact on the lives of the individual, their friends and family. A report by released July 30, 2009 by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), reviewed the principle causes of these injuries in Ontario. Alcohol was involved in at [...]
Original broadcast date: June 14, 2009 Pathogenic or disease-causing bacteria want to survive. To that end, they have complex mechanisms that will allow them, over time, to adapt and resist antibiotic treatments. The pace of new antibiotics being introduced into the market is slowing and other approaches are needed to help fighting difficult to treat [...]
Original broadcast date: May 24, 2009 One of the wonders of science is how an action based on initial assumptions, hypotheses and theories can lead, at times, to unexpected and indeed beneficial consequences. When these consequences have the potential to affect the lives of millions of people, the research obviously takes on added significance. The [...]
Original broadcast date: May 18, 2009 What are abdominal aortic aneurysms? What simple tests can be done to screen for them and what age group is most susceptible? What new surgical approaches are available to treat them? Dr. Prasad Jetty, assistant professor at the University of Ottawa and a vascular surgeon at the Ottawa Hospital [...]
Original broadcast date: May 10, 2009 Why are women two to eight times more likely to suffer anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries than men? Several studies published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine and The American Journal of Sports Medicine from the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary points to a relationship [...]
Original broadcast date: February 22, 2009 You have heard the advertisements ad nauseum. Promises of shedding weight made easy and safely. There are testimonials about the efficacy of the various weight-loss approaches and how it can change your life. It is a multibillion-dollar industry that according to two physicians authoring this week’s Canadian Medical Association [...]
Original broadcast date: February 8, 2009 For many people with inner ear problems, the ability to diagnose the anatomical changes due to damage or disease is problematic because of the resolution limitations of the imaging technology in use today. A new technology is in development at Dalhousie University in Halifax that circumvents these litigations using [...]
Original broadcast date: February 1, 2009 For people with degenerative disk disease of the lumbar spine, the morbidity from pain and restricted movement can have severe adverse affects on their quality of life. For many because of the extent of their disease, surgery cannot be performed to fuse the damaged area. A new microsurgical technique [...]
Original broadcast date: January 18, 2009 Colorectal Cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in North America. Screening is essential to catch the disease in its early stages. From a clinical standpoint colonoscopy is considered to be the gold standard for evaluation of the colon. There is a caveat introduced into this interpretation. [...]
Original broadcast date: January 18, 2009 The number of bariatric surgeries (also known as gastric bypass) performed each year is increasing. There are numerous approaches with the end goal being substantial weight loss for the patient. Some of the surgical approaches are more invasive than others and each has its own set of risks and [...]
Original broadcast date: January 11, 2009 As with many disease processes, catching it in its early stages, treating it or instituting preventive measures usually results in better clinical outcomes. This especially holds true for colorectal cancer. A new surgical procedure offered at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami-Dade County offers patients an incisionless option [...]
Hip and knee replacement surgery is one of the areas targeted by Canada’s wait times strategy. For people suffering with osteoarthritic pain from damaged joints, waits of one to two years is not reasonable. Indeed the benchmark for the province Ontario is a maximum of six months wait. The Queensway Carleton hospital is the site [...]
An estimated 500,000 people in Ontario who have brain injury are unsupported in the community. Many end up on the streets or in prison, or inappropriately placed in nursing homes or psychiatric facilities. Many individuals post-ABI ‘fall through the cracks’ because society does not provide them with the community resources they need – supportive housing, [...]
A review published in this week’s The Lancet claims that induced hypothermia is underused in the UK and in the USA. This practice of deliberately cooling the body is capable of preventing or limiting permanent injuries if it is employed within the first couple of hours of a clinical event. Dr. Klees Polderman, Department of [...]
Should adults receive a prescription for an antibiotic if they have an acute sinus infection that has persisted for seven to 10 days? What are the outcomes of antibiotic use in adults? An analysis of this issue was published in the March 15, 2008 issue of The Lancet. Dr. James Young, PhD, Basel Institute for [...]
Original broadcast date: April 6, 2008 A study published in the January 2008 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association demonstrated that obese type 2 diabetics who underwentL compared to those who used diet and exercise. Dr. Amish Parikh, MD, FRCPC, endocrinologist with the Diabetes Management Centre, Staff Endocrinologist at the Trillium Health [...]
Original broadcast date: March 30, 2008 In mid March 2008, surgeons at UC San Diego Medical Center performed what is the first removal of a diseased appendix through the mouth in the United States. One of the first reactions and questions from people who hear this story is amazement and wonder how the surgery was [...]
Many of us have had the unpleasant experience of developing a skin abscess. The approach to treating this infection is variable and can include the use of antibiotics. It would seem to make sense because abscesses are usually caused by bacteria. In a study published in the April 2007 edition of the Annals of Emergency [...]
A new surgical procedure being performed at the Heart Centre of St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver is transforming the lives of patients too sick to undergo conventional treatment to replace diseased aortic valves. The results of this new technique were presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2007, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and [...]
An important factor that helps oncologists and surgeons decide whether aggressive chemotherapy and or surgery will be effective in treating cancerous tumours is a system of tumour classification. A recent overhaul to this system has opened new opportunities for thousands of patients with lung cancer previously classified as inoperable or beyond treatment. Dr. Peter Goldstraw, [...]
Although there is a tendency to associate cardiovascular disease with heart attacks and stroke, there is another serious condition that causes significant morbidity and poor quality of life. It is peripheral arterial disease or PAD. Although prevention is the best way to avert the complications of this disease, there remain many people in advanced stages [...]
A study presented in early March at the Society of Interventional Radiology meeting held in Seattle asked a straight-forward question: For small tumours of the kidney detected at an early stage, what method works just as well or better at eliminating them? What patient would be best suited for such a procedure. Dr. J. Louis [...]
Degenerative Disk Disease is a common painful condition experienced by many for whom treatments are limited by the anatomy of the spine. The FDA’s Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Devices advisory panel announced the approval of a new medical device late last year; a Cervical Disc System designed to alleviate some of the symptoms of cervical disk [...]
People with frostbite who were treated with a clot-busting drug typically used in stroke patients had fewer amputations than those who were not. Dr. Amalia Cochran, Assistant Professor, Faculty of General Surgery at the University of Utah Health Sciences Centre
We bear witness to many kinds of injuries. Indeed when watching sporting events, some injuries do not galvanize much attention other that an exclamation like “Oh that’s gotta hurt!” Inherent in this statement is the knowledge that the injury is likely to be temporary and the player will recover. However, watch the crowd’s reaction when [...]
Alberta children may have joints worn beyond their years by middle age and may need hips and knees replaced sooner and in far greater numbers than the previous generation unless obesity rates are reversed, the Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute (ABJHI) said today. “Rising rates of obesity in our children are an alarming omen [...]
Childhood obesity may lead to joint replacements at younger ages Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadHigh level spinal cord injuries and neurodegenerative diseases can paralyze a patient’s ability to breathe. This ability is wholly dependent on an intact nervous system and the diaphragm, a specialized muscle that sits just under the base of our lungs. Paralysis of this muscle as a result of nerve damage requires can result in a [...]
New device lets quadraplegic man breathe on his own for the first time in five years Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadHIV infection rates are a major public health problem especially in Africa. Treatment with retroviral medications is expensive and not available in many regions of the continent. Prevention is of great importance if the spread is to be curtailed. According to final data from two National Institute of Health-funded studies conducted in Uganda and Kenya [...]
Routine male circumcision could reduce a man's risk of HIV infection Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadIs there another method to repair a child’s defective heart valve other than invasive surgery? Two Montreal cardiologists went to London, England to learn a new technique that accomplishes just that. The procedure, called percutaneous pulmonary valve implant, replaces open-heart surgery, and was performed in February this year by Montreal cardiologists Giuseppe Martucci and Adrian [...]
New surgical technique to replace defective heart valve in children Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadWhat is the risk of a child who suffers a head injury to suffer a subsequent head injury? A study, published in the April, 2007 issue of the journal Pediatrics, sought to answer this question? Dr. Bonnie Swaine, PhD., Associate Professor, Physiotherapy Program, School of Rehabilitation in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of [...]
Deep vein thrombosis or DVT occurs when a large clot forms in the larger veins of the leg or thigh. It can have potentially life threatening consequences if a piece of the clot breaks away and travels to the lung. Early intervention and treatment can reduce this risk. Treatment can last for months using blood [...]
With increasing numbers of children participating in a greater variety of organized sports, injury patterns seem to be following a pattern seen in professional sports venues. New research presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery in San Diego, finds that serious injuries in young athletes are happening more frequently, and [...]
Many men, after having a family decide on vasectomy as a means of contraception. The technique has changed over the years and has become less painful and traumatic with fewer post-operative complications. However men have been advised to consider vasectomy as an irreversible procedure and despite surgical reversal the success rates are poor. A new [...]
Up to now lung cancer screening has not been effective. Repeated studies have shown that annual chest X-rays were not sensitive enough to pick up early-stage ling cancer. A study published in the October 26, 2006 edition of the NEJM reported that lung cancer can be detected at its very earliest stage in 85 percent [...]
In a report entitled, The Canadian Joint Replacement Registry (CJRR) 2006 Annual Report on Hip and Knee Replacements in Canada released on October 25, 2006, the Canadian Institute for Health Information found that even after accounting for population changes and aging, there was an 87% increase in hip and knee replacements over a 10-year period [...]
Although not foremost on a person’s mind after curative, restorative or cosmetic surgery, questions are being raised about the short and long-term health outcomes from the surgical procedure and anesthesia. At the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Anesthesiologists in early June and as guest editor of the June 2006 issue of Anesthesiology [...]
It can be one of the more frustrating and distressing experiences for parents; their child screaming in the night because of a painful infected middle ear infection or otitis media. In the past, children would immediately be prescribed an antibiotic to destroy the bacteria contributing to their pain and inflammation. However, a new study, published [...]
There are many people waiting for knee replacement surgery. Innovations in surgical techniques have made this a relatively routine procedure despite its invasive nature. However hospital stay and recovery times can be a protracted affair. A new technique has been developed that can save parts of the original knee joint replacing only the damaged areas [...]
Plastic surgery is an area that fascinates many. Although many people associate it with cosmetic procedures like face lifts and nose jobs, it is in the area of reconstructive and restorative surgery where innovation, technology and artistic skills can change a person’s life for the better. Dr. Helmut Ragnitz, Ottawa facial plastic surgeon
