General Surgery Medical Library Stories & Articles

If you suffer from acid reflux, there’s new evidence you can avoid the damage this can cause by changing the way you sleep. Acid reflux disease is a common cause of heartburn. And many times the acid can travel back up into the food pipe at... ( Read more about Acid Reflux and Right Side)

What are Blood Thinners?

Pero Fluorochemicals are a group of chemicals that do the same job as hemoglobin in red blood cells. It transports oxygen to tissues... ( Read more about Artificial Blood)

There is a good chance that many of you women reading this will at some point in your lifetime have to go for a breast biopsy; and that biopsy won’t turn out to be a cancer. But does that mean you’re completely out of the woods? The answer is... ( Read more about Benign Breast Lesions)

The most advanced method used to perform open heart surgery means a quicker recovery time and less postoperative risks. However, very few doctors use the technique. The term port access refers to a technique that allows doctors to put a patient... ( Read more about Better Cardiac Surgery)

According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease remains America’s number one killer. The disease continues to devastate as it takes the lives of hundreds of thousands each year. Now, a new study conducted by the Centers... ( Read more about CDC Study on Heart Disease)

So when is a trip to the candy counter a cure for a common problem that costs the country millions in healthcare dollars and gets patients out of the hospital days earlier? It’s when you buy a pack of gum of course! It might sound weird, but... ( Read more about Chewing Gum Cure)

“It is burning and tingling that is how it feels all the time and then there are other pains where it is shooting pains and you feel like someone is stabbing you,” says Diana Baez. Diana Baez is about to have computer aided knee surgery that... ( Read more about Computer Aided Surgery)

As a youngster, Angela Benvenuto had a diving accident which severely damaged her spine. Her vertebrae became compressed in several different places. "I was writhing in pain for years and it was my chiropractor who suggested yoga would be... ( Read more about Core Strengthening and Back Pain)

Is your doctor putting you through unnecessary tests, even biopsies, say, simply because he or she fears being sued? According to the results of a new survey, the answer is a concerning yes! Defensive medicine may be a subtle issue, like... ( Read more about Defensive Medicine)

Megan Moynihan never suspected that her regularly scheduled visit to the dentist would have her facing the drill. "I came in for a check-up and a cleaning and they took X-rays. It turned out that I had 7 cavities." says Megan.

Many teaching hospitals are known for their cutting edge technology and various specialty services for treating highly sophisticated conditions. They are often the first choice when a loved one is facing a serious health crisis. But in today's... ( Read more about Do Teaching Hospitals Offer Better Value?)

It is perhaps the simplest, but most important part of the doctor patient visit: time when the physician or other caregiver washes his or her hands. But new research shows doctors frequently don’t clean themselves before touching the patient

It's a question every patients is asked by every doctor who examines them is there a history of a drug allergy? While many patients believe they might have a significant drug allergy that precludes them from getting that medication, new... ( Read more about Drug Allergies Study)

"All my life, I've worn glasses. I think I first got glasses when I was in the third grade." says Ben Anderson, whose eyesight was corrected with laser surgery. 58 year old Ben Anderson has wanted to toss his glasses for years. He has struggled... ( Read more about Farsiightedness Laser Surgery)

An important medical study shows what you see all around you. It might sound plain and simple, but the study looked at obesity trends and found that most of us are getting- plain and simple- fat. This is one of those studies that makes people... ( Read more about Fat Study)

For 25-year old Jon Delutio, it's important to be able to flash those pearly whites this fall. "I am getting married in October. I wanted it to look better than what I have now." explains Jon. The dental implant he has is what's known as a... ( Read more about Fluoride Dental Implants)

Gastric Surgery:

Gastric Surgery Viable Option to Treat Severe Obesity)

Would you get heart valve surgery if you didn't have any symptoms? New research says many patients with a common heart valve problem should have performed a heart valve surgery. The study looks at a problem with the mitral valve, which is the... ( Read more about Heart Valve Surgery Study)

Researchers from the University of California, San Diego report that experimental rats recovered from blood flow related paralysis after receiving grafts of human spinal stem cells. When damage occurs due to loss of blood flow to the spine's... ( Read more about Human Stem Cells Return Motor Function to Paralyzed Rats)

A new kidney transplant drug might just make life much easier for kidney transplant patients who have to live with the fear of kidney transplant rejection. People like Edie Hudgins, who cherishes each and every day. "This is my baby. I started... ( Read more about Kidney Transplant Drug)

As a Broadway press agent, Michael Hartmans life is jam-packed with deadlines, meetings and mountains of stress. But 3 years ago, his world was turned upside down. Michael began passing blood, and was diagnosed with colon cancer.

69 year old Betty Dreschel had plans of enjoying every moment of retirement being active and social with friends, but incontinence left her feeling anxious. "If you were out socially, and you got either a coughing spell or even if you laughed a... ( Read more about New Incontinence Therapy)

Today, Marisa Auerbach looks like your typical teenager. But as a baby, Marisa had cardiomyopathy, a disorder that causes muscle and tissue damage in the heart. Two years ago, her condition worsened. She waited for a heart for eight weeks,... ( Read more about Organ Donation)

A new study just released looks at a problem that affects millions of people going for surgery each year postoperative nausea and vomiting. This research tested a variety of different regimens, altering the combinations of anesthetics, pain... ( Read more about Postoperative Nausea)

If you were faced with having heart surgery, would you want your doctor to capture images of your heart so you can see your organ first hand?

Chief justice William Rehnquist’s diagnosis of thyroid cancer is a concerning one. His age, and the fact he needed to have a breathing pipe put in has experts worried about his overall prognosis.

Inspired by the pre-flight checklists used by airline cockpit teams to maximize flight safety, the World Health Organization (WHO) has concluded a study on operating-room checklists for surgical teams, finding that deaths and serious... ( Read more about Simple Surgical Checklist Reduces Deaths, Complications)

What is the Tonsillect?

The word "tonsils" ususally refer to the palatine tonsils which are a strategically placed pair of lymph nodes placed at the back of the mouth. They are a... ( Read more about Tonsillect)

Marlene Cameron likes to think that her zest for life is infectious…at 70 years old, she is an avid walker, exercises regularly and has a jam-packed social calendar. But, over the past couple of years, her arthritic knees began to zap away her... ( Read more about Triathlon Knee Replacement)

What are Anal Fissures?

Fissures account for the most common type of painful rectal disease after hemorrhoids. These fissures are small, painful tears in the... ( Read more about Understanding Anal Fissures)

What is the Appendix?

The appendix is a small, finger-like appendage that sits at the juncture of the small and large intestines. The appendix is thought to... ( Read more about Understanding Appendectomy | Symptoms, Causes, Methods)

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome also called repetitive strain syndrome results when a nerve that supplies that hand called the median nerve becomes... ( Read more about Understanding Carpal Tunnel Syndrome)

Diverticulitis:

The colon or large bowel stores waste products of digestion and reabsorbs salt and water back into the body.Many people develop out-pouching... ( Read more about Understanding Diverticulitis)

A new study suggests the sickest patients waiting for donor livers may be short-changed by an unfair system, where less-ill patients are getting the organs first. While the intention of organ donation networks is to give first priority to the... ( Read more about Unfair Organ Distribution)

Moserata Santana is not worried about colon cancer in spite of the fact that the disease killed her father and brother. She’s getting a screening colonoscopy, and has faith that the colonoscopy procedure will detect anything unusual, before it... ( Read more about Virtual Colonoscopy)

A dangerous liver disease that's a side effect of obesity appears to be completely overcome in a majority of patients as a result of the weight loss following bariatric surgery, according to a recently published report. Obesity, which has... ( Read more about Weight-Loss Surgery May Eliminate Liver Disease)

Peptic Ulcer Disease One out of eight people in the United States will be diagnosed with Peptic Ulcer Disease (PUD) over the course of their lifetimes. As with many diseases are understanding of the issues and causes of the disease have been... ( Read more about What Is a Peptic Ulcer?)

What is Cancer?

Cancer is a term used to describe a group of illnesses all having certain common characteristics. There are over 200 different types of cancer and all have a... ( Read more about What is Cancer and How it is Caused)

By Dr. Chitti Moorthy -Director, Departments of Radiation Medicine and Radiology, New York Medical College, Valhalla , NY The cause of cancer lies deep within the building blocks of a person's cells (genes and DNA). If these blocks become... ( Read more about What is Cancer? Searching for the Cause)

Dr. Sateesh Babu of Vascular Associates of Westchester discusses "What is Carotid Stenosis?", the treatments, who should be screened and future developments, such as new stenting techniques.

Video: Dr. Jonathan Cohen of the Concorde Medical Group discusses Gastroenterology. Gastroenterology is a specialized field of medicine that focuses on the digestive tract - from the mouth to the anus. Gastroenterolgy studies the functioning... ( Read more about What is Gastroenterology?)

Dr. Sattesh Babu of Vascular Associates of Westchester discusses Peripheral Arterial Disease, who is at risk, why it is important to be screened and current treatments. Pad is essentially a blockage of the arteries in the lower... ( Read more about What is Peripheral Arterial Disease?)

Dr. Valentin Fuster discusses the Polypill. The Polypill is being developed in response to an important reality surrounding cardiovascular disease. There are three important drugs that can help prevent heart disease (statins, ACE inhibitors,... ( Read more about What is the Polypill?)

The idea of a wrong site surgery is almost unthinkable--going in for an operation at a well-respected hospital, and having the wrong arm, or wrong organ being operated upon. According to surgical unit experts, a major cause of wrong site... ( Read more about Wrong Site Surgery)