Surgical Speciality

Surgery for Acute

Heart failure

As we consider the surgical approach to heart failure, it is helpful to distil physiological themes that support pharmacologic treatment such as reduction of after-load to the heart or increased force of contraction.

Assessing surgical outcomes

New techniques

Methods that assess individual patient variables would appear to offer the best methodology for assessing surgeon and anaesthetist performance.

Heart Valve Surgeries

Innovations and new developments

Operation through a smaller incision makes valve surgery easier on the patient. Because of improved durability, more tissue valves are implanted compared to mechanical valves. The latest development is percutaneous replacement of aortic valves and repair of mitral valves.

Treatment of Gastric Cancer

Role of radiotherapy

Radical surgery is the cornerstone in the treatment of gastric cancer, but results in high locoregional recurrence rates and poor survival. Therefore, further improvement is sought in pre- and postoperative multimodality approaches. High-precision modern radiotherapy, in particular when combined with chemotherapy, plays an important role in optimising clinical outcome.

Trends in Surgery of Kidney Tumors

Shift to less invasive and nephron-sparing techniques

Indications for nephron sparing surgery are expanding. In approach to partial nephrectomy, open surgery is still the gold standard. Laparoscopic approach is applied only in carefully selected patients. This method is more challenging, with a higher percentage of complications, however, it is expanding.

Bariatric Surgery

Experience with medical tourism

Medical tourism for obesity surgery is still in its infancy and needs to be taken care of.

Listen to the Patient

Assuring quality care

In striving for excellence in patient care via scientific means, clinicians may be omitting a potent source of relevant information—the patients themselves.

Patient Safety in Surgery

Current ‘key’ issues

Increased vigilance for key patient safety issues will impact quality assurance in the future and help to reduce the incidence of iatrogenic morbidity and mortality after surgery.

Surgical Response to Mass Casualty Incidents

The Israeli experience

When a Mass Casuality Incident occurs, the establishment of a defined system with central control is critical for the orderly evacuation and transfer of patients through a cascade of treatment from resuscitation and damage control to definitive care and eventually to rehabilitation.

Surgical Skills Simulation

Effect on quality and safety

There is an increasing evidence emerging that simulation in surgical training is effective. However, the problem remains that if all patients had completely error-free technical aspects to their admission approximately 97% of medical errors and bad outcomes would still occur.

Site Surgical PACS

Design and implementation

The OR and image-based interventional suites are the most cost-intensive sectors in the hospital, therefore, the optimisation of workflow processes has become of particular concern to healthcare providers. The understanding and management of workflows should become an integral part in the planning and implementation of complex digital infrastructure supporting diagnostic and interventional procedures.

Laparoscopic Repair of Inguinal Hernia

Drug Delivery and Molecular Imaging

A large series of randomised controlled trials conducted all around the world have confirmed clearly the advantages of endoscopic inguinal hernia repair compared to the open technique in terms of operative complication, discomfort, analgesic use and return to work.

Quality Assurance for Surgical Specialities in Asia

How and why in Asia

It is inevitable that the concept of quality assurance in surgery will expand worldwide and encompass other surgical disciplines; the process will be driven by patients, professionals and healthcare providers alike.

Advances in Cardiac Surgery

The combination of new intra-cardiac imaging technology and tool-tracking systems with the dexterity and stability of robotic instruments will enable safe and reliable off-pump intra-cardiac repair, including Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) closure and the repair of mitral valve insufficiency.

Minimally Invasive Surgery

Emerging trends

Technological innovations in the field of robotics, and telemedicine will drive the future of minimally invasive surgery.

Minimally Invasive Surgery

Rise of the robotic systems

The reason why MIS has so explosively spread all over the world is that there is a significant difference in postoperative quality of life of the patients with MIS vis-à-vis open surgery.

Bariatric Surgery

The minimal access approach

Minimal access surgery has come as a boon for bariatric surgery.

Are Pre-filled Syringes the Future?

Recent years have seen a movement towards plastic and disposable syringes so that the needle is protected and cannot be re-used.

The Risk Business

The provision of safe and effective medical devices for patients and users forms the basis for standards and regulations throughout the world.

Breast Cancer in India

Breast cancer is one of the commonest cancers affecting women. It is estimated that this disease will afflict one in eight women in the USA during their lifetime.