The robot that can independently perform keyhole surgery
Believe it or not, robots can now perform surgery with no human assistance! The Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR), was designed by a team from Johns Hopkins University. The laparoscopic procedure was carried out on the intestine of a pig, as reported this week in Science Robotics. "Our Read More...
Doctors transplant pig's heart into human patient for the first time ever
A remarkable milestone in medicine was reached by doctors in Maryland who have successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig’s heart into a human patient in a do-or-die situation. David Bennet, a 57-year-old handyman, was the recipient of this life-saving operation. He knew that the Read More...
This biosensor can detect infections post surgery
Preventing infection is vital after surgery to avoid a range of complications. Currently, to monitor the progress deeper in the surgical wound a clinician needs to assess the site or expensive radiological tests need to occur. Unfortunately, both tend to fail detection of an infection before it Read More...
New part of the body discovered
Not taught in medical school With millions of doctors performing complex surgery every day worldwide, you would think someone would have successfully described all parts of the human body right? Well, science is ever surprising, with researchers managing to pinpoint a muscle that is not taught in Read More...
Dr. Nadine Hachach-Haram is making safe surgery more equitable
Dr. Nadine Hachach-Haram attributes her concern for medical inequity to her exposure to war-torn Lebanon as a child. There she saw how people suffered because they lived in inaccessible places, didn’t have the opportunity to connect with highly specialized medical professionals, or couldn’t Read More...
Innovative surgery spares dozens of babies with spina bifida from paralysis
Spina bifida is a birth defect that prevents the spine and spinal cord from forming properly, and can eventually make the baby vulnerable to life-threatening health problems, including bladder and bowel dysfunction, as well as paralysis. The most common strategy to treat the condition is to perform Read More...
Scientists develop technique to heal wounds without scarring
Between 50 and 80 million new scars are created from surgery in the US each year with far more occurring from accidents. This is not only a cosmetic issue. Scarred tissue has no hair follicles or sweat glands and is weaker and less flexible than unblemished skin. This can make it unable to adapt to Read More...
6 Kids successfully receive heart transplants thanks to brilliant machine
While heart transplant surgeries have saved numerous lives, far more lives could be saved if there were just as many organs available as people in need of heart transplants. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Most patients will spend time on a transplant waiting list, and many will never find a Read More...
Doctors just used augmented reality to perform knee replacement surgery
Augmented reality systems (AR) are starting to prove incredibly useful in the medical world. Just last month, doctors completed the first AR-assisted knee replacement surgery in the US. Before we talk more about the surgery, let’s dive a little deeper into what AR actually is. By now, you’re Read More...
Scientists develop 3D-printing method to replace damaged knee cartilage
Out of all the parts of the human body, the knee is perhaps the most infamous for its susceptibility to wear and tear. Surgeries to remove some of the damaged meniscus—the rubbery cartilage in the knee— is not uncommon amongst older adults, but the good news is that there’s a promising Read More...