Tissue welding!!!

Tissue welding has been around for sometime now. However, welding with just a laser is a rather weak fix and concerns have risen in which welded holes are reopening. Normal  tissue welding is used to weld holes in the intestines and after the removal of infected tissue in the body. So it would become a concern because the intestines do some rigorous work and reopen these new sealed wounds. With that said a new technique is being used with a new kind of glue that acts as a solder. This just adds the extra umph needed to keep the tissue sealed.  It uses a laser and special glue to hold the tissue together. What is really cool and what makes welding tissue is this glue actually has microscopic gold rods!! Holy welding gold is difficult enough but to weld microscopic rods must be even harder. Because it is glue and the material it is made of it also elastic and allows for the muscle to contract and stretch the way it needs to without causing a risk for reopening anything. However, it is still in the test phase. Because it has gold particles in it there is concern for toxicity later on. I suggest you read this article.

As a person who finds herself having to weld things from time to time (like my go-cart- self built btw and school projects - welding is related to geometry) I find this article particularly interesting; to be able to weld tissue is something that's amazing and it is a technique I hope to learn as a surgeon.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-lasers-and-glue-help-to-weld-tissue-ruptures

Gastric Bypass Surgery Relieve Diabetes Symptoms

Patients undergone gastric bypass surgeries release more insulin and hormones GIP and  GIP-1 in the new bypassed digestive tract after meal. Branched amino acid levels rose, and free fatty acids level dropped. These activities help the patients to digest meal while controlling their blood sugar. It relieves symptoms of type II diabetes.

Gastric bypass surgery is often done to treat morbid obesity. This study shows the potential to combine the treatment for obesity and type II diabetes at the same time, possibly through non-surgical means in the future.

One part of the body can be related to other distant structures that seemed irrelevant. The study is a positive result, but it also shows us no one had paid attention to how hormones may change as an aftermath of gastric surgeries. We need to research more on the intertwined physiology of human body to better understand the effect of different surgeries that alters our entire system.

A Text Message a Day Keeps the Asthma Attack Away

This article caught my attention at first sight: how is text message related to Asthma attack? A comparative study in Georgia shows that a text message to Asthma patients everyday asking about their symptoms and giving some knowledge about their condition greatly improved the pulmonary function of Asthma patients.

The text messages works like a reminder for patients to take their medication. It is a great idea for elders and children who are more forgetful. Sending a text message also seems caring for the patient.

While most people believe electronic devices are bad for patients nowadays, the results of the study shows some potentials to use mobile devices to improve patient health. Children with Asthma may have impaired social skills due to their health condition, introducing text messages encourage them to communicate with others. This treatment might also be useful in supporting people with Autism.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130430142134.htm

Advances in General Surgery-KeyHole Cup

I came across this article when I was searching for new technology in surgical procedures. The KeyHole Cup device was recently invented to prevent organ damage during laparoscopic procedures. It helps during entry into the abdominal cavity so that needle delivery is more safe. The device is sterile and can only be used one time. The KeyHole Cup is basically a plastic dome that has openings for a suction system and an injection port that the surgical equipment can be put through. The apparatus is placedinto the abdomen and a suction hose is attached to the suction port. Negative pressure is used to make the abdomen rise. The needle can then be inserted without the risk of puncturing an organ.

Although I am interested in cardiovascular surgery, I thought this invention was pretty cool! It does have more of an engineering aspect to it, but I thought it was relevant. New inventions to make surgery both easier and less risky are always needed.

http://www.medgadget.com/2013/04/keyhole-cup-helps-prevent-organ-damage-in-laparoscopic-procedures.html