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Surgery
Worm glue could help repair broken bones
By Jeff Salton
01:28 October 28, 2009 PDT
A sea creature called the sandcastle worm could hold the secret to repairing broken bones in humans. The screws and pins favored by many surgeons today have achieved much success over the years, but they are not suitable for repairing all kinds of fractures. For more precise reconstruction of compound fractures and shattered bones, bioengineers have looked beyond metal hardware and have now duplicated a natural glue secreted by the tiny sandcastle worm. The research team hopes it will provide a better solution to fixing small bones broken in battlefield injuries, car crashes and other accidents. Read More
Painting brain tumors with nanoparticles may help defeat cancer
22:52 August 12, 2009 PDT
Nanotechnology is preoccupying science to the point where it's starting to seem unremarkable. But a group of researchers from the University of Washington has released findings that could profoundly improve the chances of surviving brain cancer. The team has developed a fluorescent nanoparticle that is capable of penetrating – for the first time – the blood-brain barrier without damaging it. The fluoro nanoparticle targets tumors using a derivative of scorpion venom and enables precise imaging of the size and location of cancerous growths. When the particles meet the tumor, they light up like Christmas. Read More
Coating technique helps bionic implants fit right in
By Darren Quick
18:12 July 5, 2009 PDT
Six million dollars probably wouldn’t get you much of a bionic man these days, but a new process for coating metal implants could vastly improve the lives of the growing number of people who have undergone complicated total joint replacement surgeries. The new electrochemical process improves the implants’ functionality, longevity and integration into the body by producing a coating that is virtually indistinguishable from the body’s own material. Read More
Surgery may not be necessary for Achilles tendon rupture
By Mike Hanlon
23:37 May 14, 2009 PDT
May 15, 2009 The Achilles tendon, which attaches the calf muscle to the heel, is the body's strongest tendon. The tendon may rupture on sudden tensing of the muscle, something that affects middle-aged men in particular, typically when playing badminton or tennis. The two ends of a ruptured Achilles tendon are often stitched together before the leg is put in plaster, in order to reduce the risk of the tendon rupturing again. However, a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, now suggests that surgery may be unnecessary. Patients who do not undergo surgery have just as good a chance of recovery. Read More
Robot can perform surgery on beating heart
By Kyle Sherer
21:19 April 12, 2009 PDT
Scientists at Japan’s Waseda University have created a machine that can perform surgery on a functioning heart by adjusting to the rhythm of its beat. The Waseda crew’s robot has been operating on pig’s hearts since 2004, with a claimed 95% tracking accuracy. Read More
da Vinci robotic surgery system gets visualization upgrade
By Kyle Sherer
17:56 April 11, 2009 PDT
Robotic Surgery specialist Intuitive Surgical has added enhanced 3D HD resolution, an updated interface and new ergonomic settings to the latest incarnation of its da Vinci System. Read More
Safer surgery using mussels and inket printers means no needle and thread
By Jamilah Le
03:50 March 25, 2009 PDT
You’ve probably never thought of mussels or inkjet printers having much to do with surgery, but Research by North Carolina State University is underway to create a medical adhesive based on these things which could replace traditional sutures. Mussels on rocks are near impossible to pry off by hand if you’ve ever tried (let’s face it, you have) due to their adhesive proteins that can bond them to stone underwater to resist the relentless surging of the sea. The researchers believe this mussel glue and a variation on an inkjet printer could “result in faster healing, less scarring and increased precision for exacting operations such as eye surgery.” Read More
Rebuilding the face: medicine meets engineering at the beginning of an industrial revolution
By Loz Blain
00:11 February 10, 2009 PST
February 10, 2009 Mass-production technology has revolutionized so much of modern life that we take it for granted - but early iterations of all technologies were hand-built, relying on the skills and intuition of master craftsmen for the effectiveness of each end product. It might surprise you to learn that in the field of facial reconstructive surgery, the vast majority of work is still being done in a pre-industrial revolution fashion - and results for patients who present with horribly disfiguring facial tumors or bone injuries are as varied and inconsistent as the human hands that do the work. Dr. Ninian Peckitt, originally from the UK, has pioneered a truly revolutionary "Engineering Assisted Surgery" approach that uses advanced CT-to-CAD modeling, rapid stereolithographic prototyping, pinpoint CAD design, electron beam melting (EBM) mass-production and error-eliminating surgical procedures. The results are absolutely stunning. Patients that would normally require traumatic 20-hour operations involving complicated, imprecise and ugly bone grafts are being fitted with incredibly precise, long-lasting titanium facial inserts so effective that once surgical scars fade you'd never know they had a facial injury. Surgery is simple and can often be completed in an hour or two using techniques that eliminate human errors - and the entire procedure comes in at a fraction of the price. Peckitt's work is amazing - but if powerful lobbies in the medical fraternity have their way, it may cost him his career. Read More
Terotech
- November 21, 2009 @ 19:38 UTC
