WESTON, Fla. – A new surgical approach may help some men needing surgery for prostate cancer.
Dr. Alberto Peiretti, a urologist with Cleveland Clinic Weston said studies have found that a procedure called a “Retzius Sparing Prostatectomy” can reduce the risk of post procedural incontinence.
“It’s a space between the bladder and the pelvic bone. So traditionally, when you do the prostatectomy, you go through that approach and then there are a lot of anatomical structures that you are actually kind of dividing in order to get access to the prostate and that is associated with urinary incontinence. Through the Retzius sparing, you attack the prostate from behind and you leave all these other structures in place so that patients become continent sooner than later,” he said.
Pieretti said the procedure requires specialized surgical skills and expertise because it’s a more complicated and difficult than the standard approach.
LIFE EXPECTANCY IN AMERICA INCREASES
Data from the C.D.C. found that although life expectancy in the U.S. has not reached pre-covid levels it has improved.
According to a report published on March 21, a 1.1-year increase in 2022 brought overall life expectancy at birth to 77.5 years.
The increase comes after the number of deaths caused by COVID-19 dropped.
While overall life expectancy increased deaths among children ages one-to-four has increased 12 percent between 2021 and 2022.
SKIN COLOR AFFECTS PULSE OXIMETER READINGS
New data shows Black people in the hospital are 32 percent more likely than white patients to have pulse oximeter readings overestimate their oxygen levels by at least four percentage points.
The devices send light beams through the skin to estimate blood oxygen levels and pulse rate but studies have shown that darker skin can block those beams.
If a pulse oximeter inaccurately shows a patient’s blood oxygen reading to be higher than that there could be a delay in potentially life-saving treatment.