A study of robot-assisted colectomies found that the procedure offered minimal safety benefit compared with laparoscopic colectomy and should continue to be questioned by surgeons and hospitals. The trial was conducted because of the rapid increase in robotic surgery for common operations like colectomy, combined with a lack of evidence regarding its effectiveness. It was […]
Journal of the American Medical Assn. (JAMA)
Study: Nearly $1 trillion wasted in U.S. healthcare annually
About 25% of U.S. healthcare spending — between $760 billion and $935 billion annually — is wasted, according to a new report published today. Researchers from Humana (NYSE:HUM) and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine searched medical literature from January 2012 to May 2019, looking for waste and savings opportunities in six domains of […]
ESC Congress: Study shows bariatric surgery can improve cardiac outcomes in Type 2 diabetes
Bariatric or metabolic surgery can significantly lower the risk of major cardiovascular events among patients with Type 2 diabetes and obesity, according to a new clinical study released at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Paris. The retrospective study followed 13,722 Type 2 diabetes patients who underwent bariatric surgery to lose weight or metabolic […]
Study: Electronic reminders, monitoring don’t improve adherence, results for AMI patients
Interventions involving wireless electronic pill bottles, financial incentives and social support may not help improve compliance or clinical outcomes for patients who’ve experienced acute myocardial infarctions, according to a new study. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association this week, aimed to explore the use of wireless tech and behavioral economic […]
Study: Personalized coaching no better than standard treatment for Type II diabetes
A study published online last week in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. showed no benefit for lifestyle coaching over standard medical treatment in Type II diabetes in a real-world setting. Researchers at the University of North Carolina randomized 450 Type II diabetics between January 2014 and July 2015 to 1 of 3 treatment arms: […]
Diabetes: Medtronic touts JAMA study of closed-loop artificial pancreas
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) said data from a study of its closed-loop hybrid artificial pancreas, published in the Journal of the American Medical Assn., showed that the system is safe and effectively maintained blood glucose levels within range in Type I diabetes patients age 14 and older. Results from the 3-month, 124-patient trial, also presented this week at […]
When an airport scanner sees a cyst as a security threat
(Reuters) – A traveler with a bulge in their body from a cyst or hernia might get flagged for an invasive airport security screening to look for explosives, a case report suggests. In many larger airports, X-rays have been replaced in recent years by machines that use radio frequencies to detect suspicious items on travelers, […]
Study: Revascularization beats medical management for intermittent claudication in PAD
Revascularization through endovascular or surgical interventions may be superior to medical management for peripheral artery disease patients with intermittent claudication, according to a new study from the University of Washington, Seattle. Data from the study was published online in JAMA Surgery. The study reported that patients with intermittent claudication, which presents as pain in the calf or […]
Crowd-sourced diabetes app Nightscout details talks with FDA, development
Open-source diabetes app developer Nightscout detailed their development process, including crowdsourcing and their talks with the FDA in a new editorial from the Journal of the American Medical Association. In the article, NightScout foundation prez James Wedding and Dr. Joyce Lee and Emily Hirschfield from the University of Michigan discuss the patient-led initiative during its 2-years […]
Study: No benefit for biological mesh in hernia repair
Using biologic mesh for abdominal wall hernia repair provides no benefit over using cheaper synthetic mesh, according to a new study from the UT Southwestern Medical Center that compared the 2 materials. Findings from the study were reported earlier this week in JAMA Surgery. “In the absence of evidence demonstrating superiority of biological mesh materials, the […]
Medical journals propose mandatory data sharing
Editors of some of the most prominent medical journals – including the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Assn., the Annals of Interal Medicine and the British Medical Journal – are proposing to require researchers to share the data behind their published studies. “[T]here is an ethical obligation to responsibly share data […]
