In Global News: Different Opioid Quantities for Different Surgeries, Testing India’s Locally-Made Heart Valve, and VATS Versus Thoracotomy

Patient Care and General Interest

A guideline for the number of opioid pills that should be prescribed after different surgeries, from cochlear implantation to coronary artery bypass grafting, is self-published by an expert group of health professionals as part of the effort to reduce overprescribing these drugs in the US.

A webcam in the operating room allows cardiothoracic surgeons in Pennsylvania, US, to update a patient’s family on a successful procedure earlier than usual.

After a baby’s heart transplant, her parents—a pediatrician and a school district trustee—are writing a children’s book for the kids and families who face this type of procedure.

The first double-lung transplant in the UAE is performed at the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi using a minimally invasive approach.

Drugs and Devices

The Incraft Stent Graft System for endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, from Cardinal Health/Cordis, has received a vote of approval from a US Food and Drug Administration advisory panel.

Research, Trials, and Funding

A trial has begun to evaluate the first biological heart valve made in India. If shown to be a good therapeutic option, it is hoped that this locally-manufactured bioprosthesis will help bring down the cost of valve implantation for patients.

A VATS approach to early-stage lung cancer resection leads to survival outcomes similar to thoracotomy, say researchers from Yale University in Connecticut, US.