Articles related to Surgery, General

An Oregon gastroenterology group was hit with a $25M wrongful death verdict after a 43-year-old patient with obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, and hypertension died during a routine outpatient colonoscopy, with liability centered on the decision to perform the procedure in a lower-acuity setting despite a risk profile that plaintiffs argued warranted a hospital environment.

Phase 3 TRIUMPH-1 trial results for retatrutide, a triple hormone agonist targeting GIP, GLP-1, and glucagon receptors, showed up to 28.3% mean weight loss at 80 weeks and 30.3% in patients with BMI ≥35 at 104 weeks — the largest weight reduction reported in a medication trial to date, per Lilly’s press release.

Two Lilly-sponsored placebo-controlled trials found that adults who transitioned from high-dose injectable GLP-1 therapy to either oral tirzepatide (Foundayo) or a reduced 5 mg tirzepatide maintenance dose preserved most of their prior weight loss over one year, compared to substantial regain in placebo arms.

A 21-element enhanced recovery protocol implemented across 18 US hospitals reduced inpatient opioid use by 56% in children undergoing GI surgery, with patients receiving 13 or more protocol elements averaging one fewer hospital day and half the complication risk.

A Cook County jury awarded $66 million after a 39-year-old patient died from unrecognized internal bleeding following a combined abdominoplasty and liposuction, spotlighting the compounding risks of combined cosmetic procedures.

Bariatric surgery volumes peaked in 2022 and have fallen since, with sleeve gastrectomy losing ground and Roux-en-Y conversions climbing as GLP-1 prescriptions expand.