Science-Based Medicine » Surgical Procedures

A whole eye transplant did not restore vision, but is still an important advance. The post First Whole Eye Transplant first appeared on Science-Based Medicine .

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/first-whole-eye-transplant/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=first-whole-eye-transplant

Lindsey Fitzharris' book describes the amazing innovations in plastic surgery brought about because of the horrors of World War I. The post The Facemaker first appeared on Science-Based Medicine...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-facemaker/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-facemaker

A therapy for brain tumors in young children involves deliberately infecting them with a virus. Scary, and is it worth it? The post A Desperate Choice first appeared on Science-Based Medicine .

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/a-desperate-choice/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-desperate-choice

A lot of the "facts" about providing healthcare to transgender youth turn out to be not actually facts. We present here a summary of the evidence relating to transition-related health care for tr...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/gender-affirming-care-is-not-experimental-part-ii/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gender-affirming-care-is-not-experimental-part-ii

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, eliminating the federal right to an abortion. What does that mean for science-based reproductive health and science-based medicine in gene...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/legislative-alchemy-and-abortion-how-the-fall-of-roe-v-wade-will-degrade-science-based-medicine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=legislative-alchemy-and-abortion-how-the-fall-of-roe-v-wade-will-degrade-science-based-medicine

In a first, a bioengineered pig heart is transplanted into a human donor, indicating we are on the threshold of a game-changing option for organ transplantation. The post Breakthrough Heart Xenot...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/breakthrough-heart-xenotransplantion-from-pig/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=breakthrough-heart-xenotransplantion-from-pig

What problems do tongue-ties cause? Do all of them need to be clipped? The post The Frenetic Frenum Freeing Frenzy first appeared on Science-Based Medicine .

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-frenetic-frenum-freeing-frenzy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-frenetic-frenum-freeing-frenzy

Surgery or antibiotics for appendicitis? This new study can help with the decision. The post Appendicitis: Surgical vs. Medical Treatment first appeared on Science-Based Medicine .

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/appendicitis-surgical-vs-medical-treatment/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=appendicitis-surgical-vs-medical-treatment

Paul Offit's new book covers the evidence for many surgeries, medications, and screening tests that have been proven ineffective and harmful yet are still being used by doctors who refuse to foll...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/when-doctors-refuse-to-believe-evidence/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=when-doctors-refuse-to-believe-evidence

Ian Harris explains that more than half of commonly performed surgical operations may be placebos. Adequate studies using a blinded control group are essential. The post Ian Harris on “Surgery,...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/ian-harris-on-surgery-the-ultimate-placebo/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ian-harris-on-surgery-the-ultimate-placebo

In the Olden Times (ten or so years ago), the indication for third molar (aka “wisdom teeth”) removal was the presence of wisdom teeth. Now, oral surgeons are rethinking things. The post The ...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-wisdom-of-third-molar-removal/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-wisdom-of-third-molar-removal

Stem cell treatments for knee arthritis are not yet ready for prime time, but that has not stopped their premature commercialization. The post Stem Cells for Knee Arthritis first appeared on Sci...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/stem-cells-for-knee-arthritis/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=stem-cells-for-knee-arthritis

An update on the tragic results of unproven stem cell treatments to treat macular degeneration. The post Patients blinded by stem cell therapy: an update first appeared on Science-Based Medicine...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/patients-blinded-by-stem-cells-update/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=patients-blinded-by-stem-cells-update

Over the last few years, AORN and the American College of Surgeons have been battling it out over AORN's 2014 guideline that has increasingly led to the banning of the surgical skull cap in the o...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/bouffant-caps-versus-skull-caps-in-the-operating-room-a-no-holds-barred-cage-match/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bouffant-caps-versus-skull-caps-in-the-operating-room-a-no-holds-barred-cage-match

Last week, the results of ORBITA were published. This clinical trial tested coronary angioplasty and stenting versus optimal medical management in patients with single-vessel coronary artery dise...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/orbita-another-clinical-trial-demonstrating-the-need-for-sham-controls-in-surgical-trials/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=orbita-another-clinical-trial-demonstrating-the-need-for-sham-controls-in-surgical-trials

Naturopaths are fake doctors who, increasingly, are cosplaying real doctors. Not surprisingly, because naturopaths go where quacking takes them, they've started to open their very own dubious ste...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/naturopaths-are-fake-doctors-cosplaying-real-doctors-even-the-ones-running-dubious-stem-cell-clinics/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=naturopaths-are-fake-doctors-cosplaying-real-doctors-even-the-ones-running-dubious-stem-cell-clinics

Advocates of CAM* (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) have long argued that mainstream medicine is a dangerous undertaking using toxic drugs and invasive interventions that often do more ha...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/in-pursuit-of-patient-safety/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=in-pursuit-of-patient-safety

The carotid artery in the neck is a common site of atherosclerosis. As plaque builds up, it leaves less room for blood flow and can cause strokes through clotting or embolization. Carotid stenosi...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/carotid-artery-stenosis-surgery-stent-or-nonsurgical-stroke-prevention/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=carotid-artery-stenosis-surgery-stent-or-nonsurgical-stroke-prevention

It’s a seldom mentioned aspect of my professional history that I used to do a lot of trauma surgery in my youth. I did my residency at a program that included a county hospital with a busy trau...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-cost-of-repealing-mandatory-motorcycle-helmet-laws/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-cost-of-repealing-mandatory-motorcycle-helmet-laws

Timely surgery for breast cancer is obviously better than delaying surgery, but how long can a patient safely wait for surgery once diagnosed. Because a randomized controlled clinical trial to an...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/you-have-breast-cancer-how-soon-do-you-need-treatment/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=you-have-breast-cancer-how-soon-do-you-need-treatment

Evidence matters. Science matters. However, when advocates of "integrating" quackery into medicine via the vehicle of "integrative medicine" invoke weak science and poor quality evidence in conve...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/on-integrative-medicine-and-walking-and-chewing-gum-at-the-same-time/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=on-integrative-medicine-and-walking-and-chewing-gum-at-the-same-time

My title doesn’t refer to alternative medicine, it refers to an alternative within medicine: treating appendicitis with antibiotics instead of surgery. You may be surprised to learn that patien...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/an-alternative-to-appendectomy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=an-alternative-to-appendectomy

Trials of new experimental drugs frequently compare them to placebo, particularly when there is a large subjective component to the disease being treated, such as pain. In contrast, placebo-contr...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/should-placebos-be-used-in-randomized-controlled-trials-of-surgical-interventions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=should-placebos-be-used-in-randomized-controlled-trials-of-surgical-interventions

Sometimes, weird things happen when I’m at meetings. For example, I just got home from the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) meeting in Houston over the weekend. Now, one thing I like about th...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/angelina-jolie-surgical-strategies-for-cancer-prevention-and-genetics-denialism-revisited/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=angelina-jolie-surgical-strategies-for-cancer-prevention-and-genetics-denialism-revisited

The Mütter Museum in Philadelphia has a marvelous collection of human bones, surgical specimens, monsters in jars, and medical memorabilia. It holds attractions for everyone, from the jaded medi...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-marvelous-dr-mutter/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-marvelous-dr-mutter

I love the new Cinemax series The Knick, which is set in 1900 and portrays a brilliant maverick surgeon named Dr. John Thackery on the cutting edge of medicine at the time. I also love Star Trek'...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/medicine-past-present-and-future/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=medicine-past-present-and-future

The post Dental Management Of Obstructive Sleep Apnea first appeared on Science-Based Medicine .

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As 2013 comes to a close, because this probably will be my last post of 2013 (unless, of course, something comes up that I can’t resist blogging about before my next turn a week from now), I ha...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/science-based-medicine-throughout-time/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=science-based-medicine-throughout-time

Every so often, the reality of trying to maintain a career in science-based medicine interferes with the fun that is writing for this blog. Basically, what happened is that I spent the entire wee...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/on-humility-confidence-and-science-based-surgery/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=on-humility-confidence-and-science-based-surgery

One more time: acupuncture and glucosamine are useless for osteoarthritis. The post Knee Osteoarthritis: Thumbs Down for Acupuncture and Glucosamine first appeared on Science-Based Medicine .

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/knee-osteoarthritis-thumbs-down-for-acupuncture-and-glucosamine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=knee-osteoarthritis-thumbs-down-for-acupuncture-and-glucosamine