Columbia Surgery

Advances in breast cancer treatment have allowed for a greater focus on quality of life and breast conservation, making the roles of breast and plastic surgery increasingly intertwined. Everyone has the right to reconstruction after mastectomy. With a better understanding of breast cancer’s genetic and molecular basis, the fields of oncologic breast surgery and plastic surgery are collaborating to provide patients with care that focuses as much on the quality of life as the efficacy of treatment.

We live in deeds, not years. Dr. Mary Edwards Walker #MondayMotivation

There is a lot of misinformation that surrounds weight loss discourse, marketing, and treatment. Have a question for our experts? Ask us here and our team will answer in the next live Q&A!

A few reads to close out the week. Come for the epidemiological whodunnit by Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee and stay for the short film about wombats.

Sheila Klein went from not being able to walk to pain-free movement. She shares her long journey from misdiagnosis to the diagnosis of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) and how surgical treatment saved her life: https://columbiasurgery.org//walking-through-pain-one-woma I was experiencing claudication, but I didn’t know what that was, said Sheila. There was nothing on my radar that said: ‘you have a problem’ other than the fact that I had pain in my right calf. PAD, significantly underdiagnosed, affects one out of five adults over the age of 55 in the United States.

Part 2 of our all-encompassing interview on heart failure with Dr. Nir Uriel, Director of Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation. Deep dive into LVAD and transplantationfrom the future of smart pumps to the ways Hepatitis C treatment and the opioid epidemic has affected heart transplant. #HeartMonth

For last year's words belong to last year's language, And next year's words await another voice. T.S. Eliot #MondayMotivation

A pre-covid story that's still just as relevant. Start to finish, shadowing chief of breast surgery Dr. Roshni Rao was a master class in the art of effective communication. Here's what care means to Dr. Rao

Happy Holidays from all of us in the Dept of Surgery! Thank you for your trust and support in such trying times. We are here for you, now more than ever. Here’s a holiday-ish post with some cool surgery stuff. Be good to each other, and stay safe y’all.

We can cure hepatitis C with medication. Soon, liver transplants for hepatitis C may no longer be needed, says Dr. Kato. "We would try to do a second transplant, but the results were universally poor with hepatitis C. Recurrence happened in pretty much everybody, and in some, it happened violently. Now it is no longer a threat, we have a cure." But diabetes raises your risk of fatty liver disease, a disease that causes excess fat to be stored in the liver. And over the last 20 years, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the main indication for liver transplant. A huge shift. #Surgery2020

This year it's online! Join us for an afternoon of learning and sharing with Dr. Chabot and our team at The Pancreas Center at Columbia Clinical lectures, survivors sharing their stories, Q&A session with our expert panel, and more. Sat, 11/7 at 1pm | Sign up today: https://columbiasurgery.org//pancreatic-cancer-awareness-d

Important update from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Adults should start colonoscopy screening for colorectal cancer routinely starting at the age of 45, instead of waiting until age 50. This is probably the best news for patients and survivors of colorectal cancer that I can remember over the last 10 or 20 years, said Michael Sapienza of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. We have been fighting for so long for this. It is a huge win for our community, and a huge milestone for the colorectal cancer community and for cancer care.

"Elections belong to the people." Abraham Lincoln #MondayMotivation

Here's a Halloween costume idea for you that's got PPE built-in. Dr. Alvan Barach in 1926He was a pioneer of oxygen therapy and created the first practical oxygen tent by adding ice for cooling and soda-lime for carbon dioxide absorption.

ICYMI: You should now get a colonoscopy at 45a critical change that reflects a climbing trend of higher rates of colon and rectal cancer in younger people. Colorectal surgeon Dr. Steven Lee-Kong explains colonoscopy options (including the non-invasive methods available) and even shares his love of Marvel movies, the Black Panther, and how much Chadwick Boseman means to him. #Surgery2020

Neither love nor terror makes one blind: indifference makes one blind. James Baldwin #MondayMotivation

Here's the latest on everything you need to know before your appointment, from Covid testing to visitor policy. Our Director of Practice Operations, Francine Castillo, breaks it down. If you have any questions, DM us. We're here to help.

There's a lot to know about this rare condition. Experts will discuss diagnosis, surveillance, and current therapies, ranging from tissue engineering to the influence of proton pump inhibitors on the microbiome. Tues, Nov. 10 at 2pm | Sign up today: https://collectedmed.com//course_pr/category/76/12767/1712

Our reads drop for the week

Do not get lax. Wear your mask, wash your hands, and keep distance. While mortality rates have improved with medical advances, cases are surging again. Covid is 10x more deadly than a bad influenza and has long term complications. Be smart, and stay safe. Let's keep looking out for each other.

The biggest changes to breast cancer treatment are taking place before and after surgery. In this one, Chief of Breast Surgery Dr. Roshni Rao talks everything breast care, current and in the futureFrom 3D mammograms and pain management to the many therapies we use. Don't miss this one. #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth

As cases again rise all over the country, take a few minutes to read this essay by Dr. Tomoaki Kato on surviving Covid-19a challenge different from any he has ever known.

This is what the valve between your heart and your aorta looks like.