Things usually go well in the surgery room. Right? Yes, for the most part. But medical mistakes are all too common, causing thousands of deaths in America every year, as well as even more injuries.

One issue is the problem of medical instruments, debris or other objects being left inside the bodies of patients after surgery has been completed.

Almost 5,000 patients have been injured in the last 5 years from having 'medical litter' left in their bodies. 70 people have died.

FRIDAY, May 16 (HealthDay News) -- Taking activated vitamin D may cut the risk of death for people with moderate to severe chronic kidney disease by about one quarter, a new study suggests.

During a two-year study of more than 1,400 patients, those being treated with calcitriol, an oral form of activated vitamin D, had their overall risk of death lowered by 26 percent when compared with those not on the drug. Those taking calcitriol were also less likely to develop end-stage renal disease, which requires dialysis to replace lost kidney function.

FRIDAY, May 16 (HealthDay News) -- Minimally-invasive laparoscopic surgery and open surgery for colon cancer produce similar outcomes, according to researchers who reviewed findings from 12 international studies involving over 3,300 patients.

By Serena Gordon
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, May 16 (HealthDay News) -- Transplanted islet cells help people with type 1 diabetes live insulin-free for at least a year or two, and appear to provide longer-term improved metabolic control even after people have to begin using insulin again, researchers report.

By Amanda Gardner
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, May 16 (HealthDay News) -- Colon cancer patients with a specific subset of the disease don't need to receive chemotherapy. In fact, not only does chemotherapy not benefit this group of patients, it may actually harm them, a new study found.

By Randy Dotinga
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, May 15 (HealthDay News) -- Two new surveys suggest that many heart patients with implanted devices aren't aware of recent recalls and don't understand the dangers they might face.

THURSDAY, May 15 (HealthDay News) -- Stroke patients have a high risk of falling after they leave the hospital, a New Zealand study shows.

By Randy Dotinga
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, May 14 (HealthDay News) -- The largest study of its kind supports the use of a popular three-drug regimen for HIV patients and suggests a cocktail of two classes of drugs is a good alternative.

By Steven Reinberg
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, May 13 (HealthDay News) -- The quality of care at hospitals that treat poor and underserved patients, often called safety-net hospitals, is lagging well behind hospitals that do not serve these patients, a new study finds.

TUESDAY, May 13 (HealthDay News) -- Giving doctors cash rewards to reduce hospital spending helps control costs without compromising quality or patients' access to care, according to a five-year study that included more than 220,000 patients.