There was a time when most people who underwent appendectomy surgery could expect to stay in the hospital for a week and not fully recover for up to a month, often experiencing pain along the way.
Today, thanks to research that led to the development of laparoscopic or “keyhole” surgery, recovery is typically much faster with patients returning to normal life inside a few weeks. In fact, same-day discharge after laparoscopic appendectomy is safe and somewhat commonplace in uncomplicated cases, with low rates of readmission.
That’s one example of how medical research is helping improve and even save the lives of people everywhere. It’s the kind of research that usually would not take place without federal grants to eventually move new diagnostics, devices, drugs and cures out of the laboratory and into the public domain.
Read the full story here: https://madison.com/news/state-regional/business/article_b64363de-013a-11f0-8d2b-43d61a459123.html