BiotechMashup

One of the most severe complications of brain surgery is a pulmonary embolism. But a new study suggests that screening methods used to access the risk of pulmonary embolisms may fall short.

(University of Michigan Health System) Patients with sever cases of H1N1 are at risk for developing life-threatening complications like pulmonary emboli.

Researchers have found that computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA), meant to improve detection of life-threatening pulmonary embolisms, has led to over-diagnosis and over treatment of this condition. These findings may continue to grow worse as the as the use of CT scans continue to rise.

(University of Michigan Health System) A new University of Michigan Health System study shows a rising risk for blood clots among the large and growing group of patients having outpatient surgery.Once a setting for the young and mostly healthy, today more than 60 percent of procedures are done on an outpatient basis, including cancer operations, orthopedic surgeries and plastic surgeries. The study signaled a need for better screening and prevention of venous thromboembolism in this changing outpatient environment.

(Loyola University Health System) Possible neurological complications of heart surgery, ranging from headaches to strokes, are detailed in a new report in the online journal MedLink Neurology. For example, complications from bypass surgery can include vision problems, paralysis, hoarseness, movement disorders and disturbances in learning, memory, attention, concentration and mental agility.

(University of Michigan Health System) Blood clot risk assessments aren't common practice among plastic surgeons nationwide. A study released today shows that patients undergoing plastic or reconstructive surgery should receive a risk assessment before their procedure to predict whether they'll develop potentially fatal blood clots in the legs or lungs. Researchers also found that one in nine patients at highest risk based on that assessment will develop clots if not given clot-preventing medications after surgery.

Sepsis and septic shock appear to be more common than heart attacks or pulmonary blood clots among patients having general surgery, and the death rate for patients with septic shock is approximately 34 percent within 30 days of operation, according to a new study.

(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) Thromboembolic events -- such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT), blood clots developing in the extremities; or pulmonary embolism (PE), a complication that causes a blood clot to move to the lungs.

Outpatient care for certain low-risk patients with pulmonary embolism can be safely and effectively used in place of inpatient care, according to a randomized, multicenter study in 19 emergency departments. The findings support current practice guidelines that are rarely followed by physicians.