Dr. Ramona Bates

Dr. Ramona Bates is a plastic surgeon in Little Rock, Arkansas, who writes regularly at Suture for a Living.

Posts by Dr. Ramona Bates

Hospitals

Breast implant problems can be stopped with conscientious doctors

This year began with a breast implant scandal. This one has brought back memories of the one early in my private practice. The current one involves the PIP-branded breast implants produced by the French company Poly Implant Prothese and rebranded by the Dutch company Rofil as Rofil M-implants breast implants. The first one involved silicone implants made by American companies including Dow Corning who no longer makes breast implants. The picture of 3 implants includes: top -- an old McGhan double lumen (silicone gel implant surrounded by a saline implant); bottom left – Dow Corning textured silicone implant; and bottom right – Dow Corning smooth silicone implant. Dow Corning has not made breast implants since approximately 1992.

Hospitals

Surgeons’ caps don’t have to be boring

These are caps I made between just before Christmas and the first part of January.  The first ones went to @doctorwes after he made his request for photos of Christmas themed clothing seen at work.  Here’s a photo (credit) of him and a co-worker wearing the Christmas themed caps I made and sent to him. […]

Hospitals

Stephen Hawking’s ALS survival story spans nearly 50 years

Stephen Hawking turned 70 on Sunday.  He was diagnosed with ALS almost 50 years ago when he was only 21.  It’s very unusual for someone with ALS to survive more than 5 years after being diagnosed.  It is because of this dire prognosis that SSI gives a person who meets the listing (11.10) for ALS […]

Hospitals

Reduction mammoplasty eases much more than physical discomfort

This article (full reference below) on the additional benefits an individual gains from having a reduction mammoplasty (RM) has been published online ahead of print.  The authors performed a systemic review of the literature focusing on functional outcomes after RM with regard to physical and psychological symptom improvement. The authors performed a systematic review of […]

Hospitals

Be safe when disposing of needles and other sharps

All medical offices must dispose of medical waste in a safe manner.  I closed my office at the end of September, but my last medical waste pickup is the first Friday of December.  My dear husband is going to open the office and wait for them. How have you told patients over the years to […]

Hospitals

Organ donation for the elderly: Study says it can be safe

I happened to see this press release from American Society of Nephrology via Eurekalert regarding an article in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN) advocating the safety of kidney donation in individuals over 70 years old.  The press release does note that kidneys from these elderly donors do […]

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Five movies about breast cancer (with a dash of sentimentality)

I caught this movie last week flipping though channels looking for something to watch while I knitted. “Five” stars Patricia Clarkson, Rosario Dawson, Lyndsy Fonseca, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Holloway, Tony Shalhoub, Jeffrey Tambor, and Jeanne Tripplehorn.  It is an anthology of five short films exploring the impact of breast cancer on people’s lives. The first […]

Hospitals

HBV, HCV targeted in new organ transplant guidelines

There have been several cases of HIV or hepatitis transmitted via solid organ transplantation.  The CDC is recommending new guidelines which would replace the 1994 Public Health Service (PHS) Guidelines for Preventing Transmission of HIV through Transplantation of Human Tissue and Organs.  The draft guidelines is 159 pages long.  The most significant changes involve: expanding […]

Hospitals

FDA breast implant guidance: It doesn’t go far enough

It’s amazing what you will find sorting through more than 20 years of stuff.  This picture of 3 implants includes:  top — an old McGhan double lumen (silicone gel implant surrounded by a saline implant); bottom left – Dow Corning textured silicone implant; and bottom right – Dow Corning smooth silicone implant.  Dow Corning has […]

Hospitals

Arkansas medical fraud was offering phony cancer treatment

I hope @oracknows, Respectful Insolence, will write more about this. He is much better than I at sussing out fraudulent medical treatments. I have lived and practiced in Little Rock, AR for over twenty years and I did not know this was in my backyard until my local paper (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette) reported on the outcome […]

Hospitals

Difficult colleagues in medical jobs? Here’s how to deal.

Recently I attended a CME course entitled “Dealing with Difficult Colleagues.”  It was part of my medical malpractice company’s risk management series to teach physicians/nurses how to lessen our risk of being sued. This lecture was given by Linda Worley, MD who is a psychiatry professor at UAMS.  She is a good speaker, easy to […]

Hospitals

Full face transplant: The latest in medical breakthroughs

It continues to amaze me that colleagues are able to do such marvelous work to improve the lives of some.  For Dallas Wiens, 25, the benefits and hope of an improved life outweigh the risks of surgery and rejection (transplant). He is a construction worker from Ft. Worth, TX who suffered severe burns to his […]