As surgery has been extended into the elderly population, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has been appropriately added as a parameter to evaluate surgical success. Surgery remains of significant risk in older patients, and an estimate of the type of outcome, including morbidity, mortality, and HRQOL can aid in that decision. New techniques, such as laparoscopic or minimally invasive surg...

In the clinical practice the concerns about the administration of hypnotics and analgesics for minimally invasive diagnostics and therapeutic procedures have enormously increased in recent years. The automatic detection of changes in the signals used to evaluate the depth of anesthesia is hence of foremost importance in order to decide how to adapt administered doses to patients undergoing surg...

A novel cobalt-chromium (CoCr) based alloy, optimised for speciality needle applications, has been benchmarked against Type 304 stainless steel in a series of mechanical test and experimental needle trials. The results reported indicate that the CoCr alloy has the potential to overcome current limitations in endoscopic and minimally invasive surgery.

The advent of minimally invasive surgical techniques in the neonate has been delayed due to the limited working space and the unique physiology of the newborn. In the last decade, with the introduction of new instruments and techniques, many of the initial problems have been solved making minimally invasive surgery feasible for a variety of indications in the neonate and a favored approach in s...

When a new technology bursts on the horizon and reenergizes a field that has seemed to be flagging, as minimally invasive surgery has done for the field of general surgery, many enthusiasts rapidly embrace the discipline. Questions should arise, however, as to what novelty has really been introduced, where it should fit in our treatment of patients, and, when the dust settles, what alternatives...

In this paper the delivery of high power Er:YAG laser pulses through a silica hollow core photonic crystal fibre is demonstrated. The Er:YAG wavelength of 2.94 µm is well beyond the normal transmittance of bulk silica but the unique hollow core guidance allows silica to guide in this regime. We have demonstrated for the first time the ability to deliver high energy pulses through an all-silica ...

BACKGROUND Balance control during standing is essential while performing surgery. The postural sway must be controlled to enhance movement accuracy. Postural control was compared between novices and experts during standardized laparoscopic tasks. METHODS Seven novices with limited exposition to laparoscopy were compared with 7 expert surgeons. The subjects were requested to perform 4 laprosco...

Millions of Americans are affected by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in many different ways. The magnitude of the problem of GERD was brought to light by the ambulatory pH test, the introduction of minimally invasive surgery, and the advent of the many medications that are effective in acid suppression. Patients with GERD suffer from various consequences associated with the disease. How...

BACKGROUND This paper aimed to evaluate the application of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) technology and the factors that affect the survival of restorations. MATERIALS AND METHODS A thorough literature search using PubMed, Medline, Embase, Science Direct, Wiley Online Library and Grey literature were performed from the year 2004 up to June 2014. Only relevan...

The field of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in neonates and infants is a relatively new field, evolving over the last 20years. This has required the development of not only new techniques but new instruments. The process has resulted in a unique partnership between pediatric minimally invasive surgeons and industry, as both groups have struggled to find the right mix of need, technical viabil...