Surgery News

September 30, 2009 – Study shows complication rates not best predictor of hospital quality

About 1 in 6 patients has a serious complication, but complication rates are not best marker of hospital quality

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A compelling University of Michigan Health System study debunks assumptions about the role of complications in distinguishing good and bad hospitals.

The report in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine confirms that serious complications are common after major surgery – about 1 in 6 patients – but the study shows what drives hospital mortality is failure to rescue.

Read the full article.

September 24, 2009 – The Dick Sarns Innovation Fund

The University of Michigan is pleased to announce the Dick Sarns Innovation Fund at our new Medical Innovation Center. A pioneer in biomedical engineering, Dick Sarns’ groundbreaking technologies have improved surgical outcomes for countless patients.

In collaboration with leading cardiac surgeons at the University of Michigan, Sarns developed the heart/lung machine for use during open-heart surgery, which has become the most noted and widely used product of its kind.

Read the full article.

September 22, 2009 – Amy Alderman, M.D. Discusses Breast Reconstruction in the Latest Issue of Self

Breast cancer report: “I wanted to heal my way”
By Lisa Bernhard
From the October 2009 Issue

September 21, 2009 – FDA Awards Dr. James Geiger $2 Million Grant to Develop Pediatric Medical Devices

The UM-Medical Innovation Center (MIC) won a $2 million award from the FDA to launch a Pediatric Device Consortium to support the development of medical devices for pediatric patients.

Of the 16 applicants, this consortium was one of only three funded across the United States, receiving the largest funding amount. This is a tremendous honor for the University and brings significant credibility to the MIC in just its second year of operation. This award will enable the consortium to impact pediatric health for years to come.

Read the full article.

September 8, 2009 – 8-Year-Old Just Wants to be a Kid After Heart Transplant

Most Michigan kids will head back to school today amid a certain amount of grousing about the end of summer freedom.

Eight-year-old Tommy Schomaker is simply thankful to be back in school.

September 2, 2009 – Healthy Lifestyle Beats Cancer

“The evidence is very strong, if not overwhelming, that lifestyle changes such as maintaining healthy body weight and exercise can not only help prevent cancer, it can have a greater impact on breast cancer outcomes than chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery,” says Dr. Michael Sabel, a surgical oncologist and associate professor of surgery at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Read the full article.

September 2, 2009 – Raising Money and Hope for Esophageal Cancer Research

Jamie Osher passed away September 3, 2008 from esophageal cancer. To honor her husband, Paula Wiggins has established The Jamie Osher Memorial Fund in Esophageal Cancer to support critical and groundbreaking research at the University of Michigan.

“Jamie was only 55 when he died,” adds Paula. “Raising money in Jamie’s name to find a cure gives me hope that some good can come out of something so terrible. We hope Dr. Orringer and his team find a cure soon.”

Jamie’s brother John, a successful entrepreneur, and his wife Bonnie (1979 BS Education from UM) will embark on a “Cruise for a Cure” just after Labor Day to honor his brother and raise money for The Jamie Osher Memorial Fund. The couple’s voyage will cover 2500 nautical miles from Bay Harbor, MI, to Jupiter, FL. “We want to raise awareness about esophageal cancer, raise money for research, and honor Jamie’s life,” says John. John and Bonnie are themselves pledging $4.00 for each mile of their trip. Interested supporters can pledge a donation per mile or make a lump sum contribution – all money raised will support esophageal cancer research at the University of Michigan.

Paula Wiggins and eight other nationally renowned Cincinnati artists (Kay Hurley, Terri Kern, Cindy Olmes, Carol MacConnell, Diane Seeman, Chris Seeman, Donna Talerico, and Nancy Willman) will sell selected work in early September at an event to honor Jamie and raise money for the Jamie Osher Memorial Fund in Esophageal Research. Jamie, himself, was an accomplished photographer and was actively involved in supporting the local art community in Cincinnati.

To find out how you can support the Jamie Osher Memorial Fund in Esophageal Cancer, please contact Ann Boyd-Stewart.

September 1, 2009 – The Jamie Osher Memorial Fund for Research in Esophageal Cancer

Jamie Osher – who passed away September 3, 2008 from esophageal cancer – was, by all accounts, an extraordinary man. But the battle he faced with esophageal cancer is becoming increasingly common. In fact, the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma has increased by an alarming 350 percent over the last few decades. Experts don’t yet know why this particular type of cancer is on the rise, and the rapid spread of the disease makes it difficult to treat unless it’s caught early. To honor her husband, Paula Wiggins has established The Jamie Osher Memorial Fund in Esophageal Cancer to support critical and groundbreaking research at the University of Michigan.

Read the full article…

August 31, 2009 – U of M Researchers Lead Effort to Identify Causes of Esophageal Cancer

The incidence of esophageal cancer is increasing at an alarming rate. Worse still, more than 90 percent of patients diagnosed this year will die from it. Researchers in Thoracic Surgery at the University of Michigan’s Department of Surgery are working to understand what causes this deadly type of cancer and are pioneering new strategies to detect it early and treat it more effectively.

One of the world’s leading experts on the disease, Dr. David Beer, and his team are currently investigating the specific molecular changes that occur in esophageal cancer patients and have already discovered a number of potentially critical genetic alterations that are involved in the development and progression of this devastating disease.

>>> Read the full article

August 18, 2009 – University of Michigan B Cell Biology and Transplantation Conference, September 17 & 18, 2009

The most significant problem facing organ transplant recipients is their own immune system’s response to develop antibodies to destroy the transplanted organ, which it perceives as a foreign invader. To mediate this response, transplant recipients are treated with immunosuppressive drugs, often for the rest of their lives.

It is understood that a key component to the immune system’s response are B Cells, responsible for identifying foreign substances (antigens) and developing antibodies to destroy them. But the overall body of knowledge on immune system transplantation is relatively small and very few transplantation immunologists have trained in the fundamental biology of B Cells.

The University of Michigan has developed what is arguably the leading research program in the world for addressing the B Cell biology of transplantation, and will host the B Cell Biology and Transplantation Conference on September 17th and 18th, 2009, chaired by Marilia Cascalho, MD, PhD.

The conference will consist of an educational program for students, trainees and faculty, a mini-symposium in which new basic insights are communicated, and a workshop in which current concepts will be directed at the most vexing questions in transplantation immunology. It will bring together those University of Michigan scientists working on this issue with the leading B Cell biologists from 10 other major institutions. At focus will be the key lines of investigation to be pursued in the identification and control of immune system response to transplantation.

Invited Speakers:

* Hans-Martin Jack, Nikolaus-Fiebiger Center, Erlangen Germany
* Anne Durandy, Necker Hospital, Paris, France
* Matthias Wabl, UCSF, San Francisco
* Marilyn Diaz, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
* Patrick Wilson, University of Chicago, Illinois
* Thomas Tedder, Duke University, North Carolina
* Garnett Kelsoe, Duke University, North Carolina
* Martin Flajnik, University of Maryland
* David Raulet, University of Berkeley, California
* Lori West, University of Alberta, Canada

For information on attending the B Cell Biology and Transplantation conference, please visit the B Cell conference website (http://surgery.med.umich.edu/bcb)