Earwax should not be removed as it is actually protective and has lubricating and antibacterial properties, new national guidelines say.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery Foundation on Friday released the first comprehensive clinical recommendations meant to help health-care professionals identify patients with impacted wax and treat them properly

Studies keeping track of the progress of two patients who had face transplants show the surgeries had positive results, with one of them managing a smile and a blink.

The Lancet journal reported operations involving a bear attack victim in China, and a French patient with a severely disfiguring tumor. The Chinese patient was given not just the lip, nose, skin and muscle from a donor, but even some facial bone

The National Health Service of the United Kingdom canceled over 100,000 surgeries in 2007 due to lack of beds and medical staff. The figures were disclosed by the Conservatives, which obtained the data from the NHS under Freedom of Information laws.

The topnotchers among NHS hospitals which frequently canceled operations were Kingston Hospital, York Hospitals and Sussex University Hospitals. However, the Clatterbridge Center for Oncology never canceled a surgery at all

Chewing gum after colon surgery can help shorten your hospital stay, a new British study suggests.

The latest work published in Archives of Surgery says that chewing three sticks of sugarless gum a day helps improve recovery of intestinal function after all or part of the colon has been surgically removed may speed up the return of normal bowel function

A newborn infant infected with an unknown form of bacteria is in intensive care in an Alberta hospital.

The Chinook Health Region is still awaiting test results to establish the cause and type of the infections. A baby boy died, reportedly, of the same infection Friday morning after surgery