Surgeries

Former Vanderbilt University Hospital patients who had long recoveries at the Nashville medical facility reconnect with the care teams who helped them regain their health. (photo by Susan Urmy)
March 12, 2025

Great Saves event reunites medical teams with grateful former patients and families

Former patients who recovered from serious illness and life-preserving surgeries in the SICU returned for a “Great Saves” event to share health updates and their gratitude with the people they credit with saving their lives.

By Jill Clendening
(photo by Erin O. Smith)
March 4, 2025

Rare pancreas diagnosis, rare treatment: Surgeons perform robotic Whipple procedure for pediatric patient

The milestone surgery resulted from collaboration and exemplifies a generational shift taking place in pediatric surgery.

By Jessica Pasley
February 17, 2025

Weight-loss surgery associated with reduced dementia

An observational study found that bariatric surgery was associated with 63% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

By Paul Govern
Heart patient Lisa Kimbrell, right, with her sister, Rebecca Bickerton.
November 14, 2024

Teams help patient survive multiple traumatic injuries

In August 2022 Lisa Kimbrell was involved in a near-fatal wreck. A year later two dogs attacked her and sent her back to the hospital.

By Matt Batcheldor
(iStock image)
November 8, 2024

In-clinic reconstruction of skin cancer defects costs less than OR procedures

Researchers analyzed 1,206 patient cases and found that OR reconstruction cases had a higher median baseline cost of $2,308 compared to $987 for clinic procedures.

By Kanchana Devanathan
Chelsea Brown, MD, volunteered her time to perform surgeries for qualifying uninsured and underinsured patients at Vanderbilt Orthopaedics Outreach Day. (photo by Donn Jones)
October 21, 2024

Joint effort: Annual VUMC event provides free orthopaedic surgeries

This year, more than 60 participating surgeons, fellow and resident surgeons, attending anesthesiologists and certified registered nurse anesthetists, surgery center staff and Spanish interpreters volunteered on an August Saturday to help those who couldn’t otherwise afford it.

By Danny Bonvissuto
August 21, 2024

High or low oxygen levels are safe during heart surgery: study

Two hundred study participants were assessed for oxidative stress, acute kidney injury, delirium, myocardial injury and atrial fibrillation.
By Matt Batcheldor
August 9, 2024

Jeffrey Upperman selected to the American College of Surgeons Academy of the Master Surgeon Educators

The aim of the academy is to advance the science and practice of avant-garde surgical education and training.
By Christina Echegaray
July 9, 2024

Grant supports development of skill assessment tool for robot-assisted surgery

Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Irving Zamora, MD, MPH, assistant professor of Pediatric Surgery, and Aimal Khan, MD, assistant professor of Surgery, have received a grant to support the development and validation of an objective robotic skills assessment tool for surgical trainees.
By Jill Clendening
June 21, 2024

Eunice Huang named to the Board of Governors for the American Pediatric Surgical Association

As a governor, Huang will work to support the professional life cycle of its members and be a voice for children with surgical problems, with an intentional focus on areas in which the voice of a pediatric surgeon is especially effective. 
By Christina Echegaray
June 3, 2024

Dedication to advancing breast reconstruction surgery for patients links Perdikis, Maxwell

Perdikis now holds the recently established G. Patrick Maxwell, M.D. Chair of the Department of Plastic Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
By Lucie Alig
May 29, 2024

Robotic pancreatectomy speeds recovery time for retired educator 

He knew he needed complicated surgery, so researching his options, he learned about the Vanderbilt surgical team led by Kamran Idrees, MD, MSCI, MMHC, Ingram Associate Professor of Cancer Research.
By Tom Wilemon
May 16, 2024

Clinician accountability program from VUMC associated with large savings

A program run by Vanderbilt University Medical Center that provides peer feedback to high-risk clinicians was associated with a significant decrease in malpractice claims costs at a large orthopaedic surgery practice, according to a recent study.
By Paul Govern
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