The official MedZine Blog

Patients who listen to music before, during or after surgery recover with less pain, less analgesics and less anxiety. These are the results of a large systematic review of 72 randomised controlled trials that was published in The Lancet. Continue reading

In a group of diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) patients who underwent bariatric surgery, up to forty percent experienced disease remission, whereas the patients with only lifestyle interventions remained dependent on medication. Those are the results of a cohort study with 52 DM2 patients from the US, published in JAMA Surgery. Continue reading

The crew resource management (CRM) training not only improves safety in aviation but is also useful for intensive care unit (ICU) personnel, researchers of the Dutch Radboud University Medical Centre discovered. Their prospective cohort study of three years was published in Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica and describes the effects CRM on the ICU complication rate. Continue reading

Treatment with antibiotics is often sufficient for curing acute appendicitis, scientists of the Amsterdam Medical Centre write in Surgery. In a small prospective cohort study, the researchers monitored the clinical course of simple appendicitis in children treated with antibiotics instead of appendectomy. Continue reading

Slowly the attendants of the second conference of the International Society for Wearable Technology in Healthcare gather in the Amsterdam Medical Centre. At first sight, this looks like a conference like any other, but the careful spectator notices a Google Glass here and there. This is the start of a day filled with technical gadgets. The organisers state: “We are the trendsetters in health care.” Continue reading

In children, CT scans have more downsides than benefits. Often, no extra information is obtained and non-radiation alternatives are equally suitable. This conclusion was presented by surgeon David Nellensteijn, who defended his thesis ‘Paediatric abdominal injury: Initial treatment and diagnostics’ on April 1st, 2015, at the university of Groningen. Continue reading

Last Friday a 3D printer for cartilage implants was put into practice in the VU medical centre in Amsterdam. The machine has been specially designed to produce models of living cells and biomaterials. From now on, customised cartilage ears and noses can be manufactured for each patient. Continue reading

Many physicians advocate the healing powers of music that are beneficial to doctors as well as patients. Various studies confirm this: the positive effects vary from soothing to analgesic for patients to anxiety-reducing for the doctors who support them. The British surgeon David Bosanquet and his colleagues compared these studies in an editorial, recently published in British Medical Journal. Continue reading

Also this week MedZine brings you the latest medical news on various medical specialisms. In this editorial two striking studies are highlighted. The first describes a tool to measure quality and outcomes in colorectal surgery. The second describes how viral infections in the mother can affect the neuronal development in the baby. Continue reading

In this editorial two striking studies are highlighted. The first describes the development of a new microneedle adhesive for use in surgery. The second study identifies a gene, Meis1, which is important in the production of new heart cells. Continue reading