Procedure
Inspire Therapy for Sleep Apnea: A Mask-Free Alternative
Inspire therapy offers a mask-free option for people with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea who cannot tolerate CPAP. This implantable system uses gentle nerve stimulation to keep the airway open during sleep. Many patients experience fewer breathing events, improved energy, and better sleep quality with long-term adherence.
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Transoral Endocrine Surgery: A Scarless Neck Option
About 250,000 thyroidectomies and parathyroidectomies occur each year in the United States. Most thyroid and parathyroid surgeries use a front-of-the-neck approach. These operations treat thyroid enlargement, nodules, cancer, and parathyroid masses. While safe and effective, they often leave a visible neck scar that many patients dislike.
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Hypoglycemia due to gastric bypass surgery
Obesity and its complications are common, yet on the rise. Subsequently, gastric bypass surgery is on the rise too. Severe hypoglycemia can be a long-term complication of bariatric surgery. The most common method to negate or reduce hypoglycemia is dietary modifications. Patients need to consume small meals of a low glycemic index frequently. Medical therapies with acarbose, diazoxide, and octreotide are often not useful. Here authors describe the utility of calcium channel blockers (CCBs) in…
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Sexual function after bariatric surgery
This meta-analysis shows that bariatric surgery significantly improves sexual function in men but that a more limited degree of improvement is achieved in women. In obese male patients who underwent bariatric surgery, the levels of the sex hormones TT, FT, LH, FSH, and SHBG significantly increased, and the level of E2 decreased. In obese female patients, the levels of the sex hormones TT, FT, and E2 decreased, but the levels of LH, FSH, and SHBG increased.…
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New FDA approval: a more convenient test for adult growth hormone deficiency
FDA has approved the oral agent macrilen for evaluation of growth hormone deficiency in adults. Macrilen is a ghrelin agonist which leads to the provocative release of growth hormone by the anterior pituitary gland. The diagnostic procedure is safe, efficient and comparable with the gold standard isulin tolerance test (ITT). This is a meaningful advancement in the field of endocrinology. GT
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Bariatric surgery improves mortality outcomes
Bariatric surgery using laparoscopic banding, gastric bypass, or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, compared with usual care nonsurgical obesity management, was associated with lower all-cause mortality over a 4.5 years follow-up. JAMA
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Precision is everything, even in acute MI
Among patients who had multivessel coronary artery disease and acute myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock, the 30-day risk of a composite of death or severe renal failure leading to renal-replacement therapy was lower among those who initially underwent PCI of the culprit lesion only, than among those who underwent immediate multivessel PCI. NEJM
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New Treatment for blood pressure: Baroreflex activation therapy (BAT)
Baroreflex activation therapy (BAT) is a new method to treat patients with advanced high blood pressure. It works by electrically stimulating the carotid sinus, leading to reduced sympathetic tone. Impressively systolic BP dropped on average by 35 mmHg and diastolic BP by 17 mmHg. About 25% of patients reduced the number of anti-hypertensive medications by half. Full benefits were seen within the first 6 months of procedure, but more importantly results were maintained in 6…
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Aspiration therapy for obesity – a possible Intervention?
Aspiration therapy was implemented in 25 adults with average body mass index 40. BMI decreased to 32 in one year and 31 in two years. No electrolyte anomalies or major side effects were noted. Stomach was drained 20 min after each meal, 3 times a day. Adherence to procedure was 80% in 12 months and 60% in 24 months. Could this be a future viable therapy for obesity? GT
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