Cough Syncope and Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents: Two Australian Cases.

Cough syncope is an uncommon but well-recognised medical condition diagnosed primarily on the history provided by the sufferer. In situations where the sufferer is in control of a motor vehicle, syncope can lead to accidents involving death and injury. In the medico-legal setting, cough syncope can be a contested cause of such accidents.

Designing a regional clinical service for people with early-onset type 2 diabetes in England.

Aims: To design a regional clinical service for people with early-onset type 2 diabetes (EOT2D) in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (England).

Methods: A literature search was undertaken to identify important considerations. A working group of key stakeholders was formed to design a triage system and service pathway.

Sedation from analgesics: patient preference survey.

Background: The propensity for certain analgesics to cause sedation is well documented, yet physician-patient dialogue does not routinely include pre-emptive exploration of preferences regarding this side effect.

Objectives: To investigate the extent to which palliative patients would accept sedation as a side effect of analgesia and to identify factors affecting decision-making.

Methods: Patients (n=76) known to a specialist palliative care services were given hypothetical scenarios regarding pain and asked about the acceptability of varying levels of sedation occurring as an analgesic side effect.