surgery

COVID is changing medical fly-in missions — and it might be for the better

6:57am October 07, 2021

For decades, Western docs and nurses have parachuted into poor countries to perform surgeries. That's not working in this pandemic. But there's a new twist that holds promise.

Orthopedic surgeon Kebba Marenah and his team get ready to perform knee surgery on a 14-year-old at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital in Banjul, the capital of Gambia. The country struggles with a lack of access to sufficient pain medications.

Health & Safety

A Place Where The Opioid Problem Is Upside Down

10:36pm September 27, 2019

by Jason Beaubien

While the opioid problem in the U.S. is about too many opioids, in some countries there are few options for treating or controlling pain.

Queue Listen Now

During a training session, Dr. Kenneth Kim and a surgical resident practice a hysterectomy on a robotic simulator at UAB Hospital.

Doctors Learn The Nuts And Bolts Of Robotic Surgery

12:07pm June 23, 2019

by Mary Scott Hodgin

Robot-assisted surgery is minimally invasive and recovery time is shorter. Those are a few reasons why more medical schools are training students how to be better robotic surgeons.

Queue Listen Now

Patients operated on by surgeons who display rude or unprofessional behavior toward colleagues tend to have higher rates of post-surgical complications.

Health & Safety

When Surgeons Are Abrasive To Co-Workers, Patients' Health May Suffer

4:40pm June 19, 2019

by Susie Neilson

A new study shows a link between how surgeons act around co-workers and their patients' outcomes. Turns out rudeness and other unprofessional behavior isn't just obnoxious — it may be dangerous.

Dr. Omar Ibrahim: "You have to be calm because people are scared, the civilians and the patients are scared, and they can't see you scared."

Health & Safety

As Bombs Fall, A Neurosurgeon Tells How He Keeps Calm In Syria

7:31pm June 03, 2019

by Diane Cole

Dr. Omar Ibrahim spoke to NPR via Skype from the only working hospital in south Idlib province. The staff, he says, has "just moved into the basement [because of] the attacks."

Is It Time To Rethink The Fly-In Medical Mission?

9:55pm March 27, 2019

by Joanne Silberner

These trips — where volunteers from the West perform surgeries in poorer countries — are a multibillion-dollar endeavor. But is this the best way to provide health care to needy nations?

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg during a talk with Georgetown University law students in Washington.

Politics & Government

Justice Ginsburg Has No Remaining Signs Of Cancer, Will Return To Supreme Court

3:45pm January 11, 2019

After having surgery last month for lung cancer, liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is recovering well and has "no evidence of remaining disease," according to the Supreme Court.

The limbs had been evenly cut (left), and researchers were able to identify bullet holes (right).

Civil War Battlefield 'Limb Pit' Reveals Work Of Combat Surgeons

11:34am June 20, 2018

by Christopher Joyce

Scientists have been analyzing bones first uncovered by a utility crew digging at the Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia. The remains provide insights into surgery during the Civil War.

Queue Listen Now

An operating room in a hospital in Ethiopia.

Too Little, Too Late, Too Risky: Surgery In Africa

5:39pm January 29, 2018

by Susan Brink

A new survey looks at the state of surgery in Africa. We asked Dr. Forster Amponsah-Manu, a general surgeon in Ghana, about his reaction — and his personal experiences.

Surgeons at the University of Michigan are prescribing fewer opioids to reduce the risk of addiction.

Health & Safety

Surgeons Try Prescribing Fewer Opioids To Lower Addiction Risk

1:27pm December 06, 2017

by Shefali Luthra

Based on research conducted at the University of Michigan, surgeons developed a simple strategy to reduce misuse and abuse of painkillers after surgery: give patients fewer pills.