Surgery

A new analysis of published data finds no evidence to indicate that the long-standing practice of having patients fast for a period of time prior to surgery prevents post-surgical aspiration: vomiting that is followed by gastric contents getting into the lungs, which in turn causes what is known as aspiration pneumonia.

A cancer patient in Angola was recovering Thursday after undergoing the first robotic surgery on the continent conducted remotely by a surgeon in the United States, according to the hospitals involved.

For patients with chronic sinusitis and nasal polyps, nasal endoscopic surgery can remove polyps in a shorter time, with less intraoperative blood loss compared with traditional open sinus surgery, according to a study published online April 18 in BMC Surgery.

The first study evaluating Medicare patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) demonstrated good safety outcomes, such as mortality and adverse event rates at 30 days, compared to outpatient hospital departments, but were less likely to use certain technologies. The late-breaking data were presented today at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) 2025 Scientific Sessions.

Roughly nine in 10 patients awaiting organ transplants in the United States are waiting for kidneys.

Doctors have had to remove the pig kidney implanted in an American woman after her body rejected it, but her four months living with the animal’s organ set a record, the hospital that performed the operation said Friday.

Gastric bypass is the most clinically and cost-effective form of interventional surgery for people living with severe obesity, reveals new research. Results of the By-Band-Sleeve trial are published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. The trial was led by the University of Bristol (U.K.).

Professor Rupert Pearse, NIHR Professor of Intensive Care Medicine from Queen Mary’s William Harvey Research Institute, and an international group of colleagues examined the records of 22,000 patients undergoing inpatient surgery across 17 Latin American countries. Their study found that 1 in 7 people developed complications after surgery, with 1 in 7 of those dying without ever leaving the hospital.

Researchers from NYU Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Microfluidics and Microdevices Laboratory (AMMLab) have developed an innovative sensing system that restores the missing tactile feedback in minimally invasive surgery (MIS), enhancing precision, ease of use, and safety. The new “off-the-jaw” system integrates force and angle sensors into the handle of laparoscopic tools, providing surgeons with real-time measurements of grasping forces and insights into tissue stiffness and thickness.

Almost half of children who require surgery for complicated appendicitis can safely complete their recovery at home, according to a new study.