Surgery
Transgender people face up to 47-year wait for surgery
The transgender community wants the waiting times for gender reassignment surgery operations cut, saying new figures show it could take up to 47 years before they get one. Audio
Cut price medical treatment for those in need
Auckland Regional Charity Hospital is helping around 50 people a year who aren't considered sick enough to be treated in the public system, and it has capacity to help more patients from around the… Audio
The history of Anaesthesia
Before the 1840's, if someone needed an operation they needed to be held down by a group of strong men. That all changed in 1847, when doctors discovered an anaesthetic that could render patients… Audio, Gallery
Patients getting elective operations "more disabled"
A senior Dunedin surgeon says patients are now more severely disabled by the time they receive long-awaited elective hip or knee surgery Audio
Patients getting elective ops "more disabled" than before
Longer waits for elective or non-urgent surgery means many patients are now more severely disabled by the time they receive the help they need. Audio
Henry Marsh: Do No Harm
Henry Marsh is a pioneer of operating on brain tumours under local anaesthetic. In Do No Harm, he opens up to Kim Hill about the fierce joy of operating, his hatred of hospitals, and the profoundly… Audio
Obese patients worry anaesthetists
Anaesthetists are warning that over-weight patients are more at risk of problems before, during and after surgery Audio
US surgeons plan first penis transplant
Surgeons are poised to do the first penis transplant ever attempted in the US, to help an injured former military serviceman. Audio
Are patients seeking hip/knee replacement surgery waiting longer?
Figures from District Health Boards, released by the Labour Party, show that 13 out of 20 of them are making it tougher for people to get hip and knee surgery. Between a baseline of 2012 and 2015… Audio
Woman not told of damage to eye
A woman was not told for a month of a medical mishap that left her eye permanently damaged.
Robotic surgery
New Zealander Dr Catherine Mohr designs the surgical robots of the future Audio
Liquid food before surgery is better than fasting
Patients forced to fast for up to 18-hours before an operation may no longer have to endure the headaches, cramping and nausea that comes with not eating. Audio
Split second renders a surgeon's mistake fatal
A split second is all it took for a surgeon's mistake to end the life of 55 year old Christchurch woman Bonnie Schlef. Audio
Using spider silk for knee replacements
Nick Skaer is the CEO of Orthox, a British company trying to cope with the surge in knee replacement surgery by using regenerative silk implants based on the silks spun by silkworms and spiders. Audio
DHB chief on fatal mistakes in surgery
Both a surgeon and the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board are in the gun over a man who bled to death during what was meant to be routine gall bladder surgery Audio
Teenager died after post-operation monitoring stopped
The mother of a West Coast boy who died because he wasn't monitored properly after surgery is demanding more accountability for medical staff who make mistakes. Audio
Biologist and writer Robert Dunn on the history of heart surgery
Brain surgery is thousands of years old, but it wasn't till the late 19th century that someone first undertook a heart operation, at least for medical purposes. Biologist and writer Robert Dunn has… Audio
Demand for Elective Surgery
Karen Brown explores the demand and continuing unmet need for elective surgery Audio
Doctors worry over patients waiting for non-urgent surgery
Surgeons and others are deeply worried about patients who are referred for non-urgent surgery but can wait long periods for an operation. Audio
Hip Revision Surgery
Peter Devane performs revision surgery on Fiona James to replace her existing hip implants with a newer, more robust material Audio
