Surgery

Ground-breaking surgery has saved a terminal patient with a genetically modified pig heart

A first-of-its-kind operation that proves a modified animal heart can function just like a human heart without the body rejecting it.
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Spina bifida: Surgery in the womb saves 32 babies from paralysis

The babies have spina bifida, a condition which prevents the spine and spinal cord developing properly.
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'Mini organs' grown for children with intestinal failure

The mini organs, grown from the patient's own tissue, could one day lead to personalised transplants.
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New technique 'saves up to 70 per cent' of donated livers for transplant

It could boost liver transplant numbers in the future and reduce NHS waiting lists.
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"Some people like skiing, or mountain climbing, or playing poker. I like operating on people’s brains"

Neurosurgeon Dr Rahul Jandial recounts the story of the first time he operated on a brain in this extract from Life Lessons from a Brain Surgeon.
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Leg transplanted onto rat using trick inspired by cancer cells

This method would mean transplant patients wouldn't have to take immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of their lives.
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'Nerve interface' technology allows amputees to use thought to move bionic limb

New technology allows users to have greater control and precision when using prosthetic hands.
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Revolutionary new valve could save children from repeated open-heart surgery

The new expanding device, which has been tested in sheep, could allow children to keep the same prosthetic valve until adulthood, researchers say.
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Doctors put a patient into ‘suspended animation’ for first time

Ground-breaking technique involves rapidly cooling the brain down to 10-15°C.
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Micro implants could restore walking in spinal injury patients

The implants could potentially include a direct connection to the brain.
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Post-surgical Manuka honey 'sandwiches' help fight superbug infections

Scientists have used tiny layers of Manuka honey in surgical mesh to fight post-operative infections which cause hospital re-admissions.
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Everything you need to know about Neuralink

What are the ethics behind monitoring someone’s every thought, deed and emotion?
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Newborns' gut microbiome changes depending on method of delivery

Scientists found that while vaginally born babies got most of their gut bacteria – microbiome – from their mother, babies born via caesarean did not.
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Flexible magnetic robot could stop brain damage by sliding through blood vessels

The flexible robot was designed by researchers at MIT to slide through the brain’s blood vessels without getting stuck.
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Science’s hidden stories

The shortlist of 28 images for the annual Wellcome Photography Prize competition has been announced. Here are a few of our favourites from this year.
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Collagen used as a bio-ink to 3D print heart

The dream of 3D-printing whole, living human hearts for life-saving transplants just got a little closer.
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Nervous about surgery? Soft music could be the new sedative

Gentle music could replace intravenous sedatives to relax anxious patients.
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In cold blood: how therapeutic hypothermia can save lives

We all know that hypothermia can kill – but increasingly, it’s also being used to save lives.
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'Molecular surgery' gives pain-free operations

The new technique uses electric currents to reshape tissue with no incisions.
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X-rays reach new dimensions

X-ray images will soon be more detailed than ever before.
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Planned and immediate movements are processed differently by the brain

Dr Benjamin Dann of the German Primate Center explains how it might help humans.
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Five quick facts about Victorian quacks

BBC Two’s gruesome comedy about Victorian doctors is sure to leave you feeling squeamish, but real-life 19th century surgery will have you squirming.
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Is the first cut the deepest? What it’s like to dissect your first dead body

Sue Black, Professor of Anatomy and Forensic Anthropology at the University of Dundee, tells us what it was like to begin her journey into unlocking the secrets of the dead, making her first incision into a cadaver.
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Joseph Lister and the grim reality of Victorian surgery

Anyone who went under the knife in the Victorian era knew there was more chance of meeting a grisly end than survival, but in her new book, Lindsey Fitzharris discovers the man who changed all this.
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