Evaluation of a national database of completed investigations into radiology service complaints in New Zealand: What can the radiologist, and radiology service providers, learn?

Introduction: The Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) is responsible for dealing with most complaints from service users resulting from their interactions with a healthcare service provider in New Zealand. We analysed all published reports involving a radiologist or radiology service in order to gain insights that might promote safer working across the radiology community.

Methods: We searched the entire HDC online report database choosing a limit of 'radiologist' as occupation.

Complications of retained cardiac defibrillator coil left in situ.

A 42-year-old man presented to a regional hospital emergency department with a 4-day history of haemoptysis, shortness of breath, pleuritic chest pain, productive cough and subjective fevers. This episode was the third similar presentation in a 2-month period. The patient was known to have dilated cardiomyopathy secondary to amphetamine use and had previously required insertion of automated implantable cardiac defibrillator (AICD).

Wilson disease: copper deficiency and iatrogenic neurological complications with zinc therapy.

A 17-year-old female was diagnosed with Wilson disease and commenced on oral zinc therapy. She re-presented 6 months later with a fall and had classical signs of subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord confirmed on nerve conduction studies, as a result of zinc-induced copper deficiency. After 6 months of copper therapy, she made a complete recovery with no residual neurological deficits.

Thrombus risk versus bleeding risk: a clinical conundrum.

A 62-year-old man presented to the Emergency Department with dyspnoea and central pleuritic chest pain radiating posteriorly to between the scapulae. His medical history included hypertension, osteoporosis and chronic kidney disease secondary to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis with relapsing nephrotic syndrome. Significant examination findings included a loud palpable P2 and a displaced apex beat.

Towards manufacturing high uniformity polysilicon circuits through TFT contact barrier engineering.

The predicted 50 billion devices connected to the Internet of Things by 2020 has renewed interest in polysilicon technology for high performance new sensing and control circuits, in addition to traditional display usage. Yet, the polycrystalline nature of the material presents significant challenges when used in transistors with strongly scaled channel lengths due to non-uniformity in device performance. For these new applications to materialize as viable products, uniform electrical characteristics on large areas will be essential.

Low back pain: Can we mitigate the inadvertent psycho-behavioural harms of spinal imaging?

Background: Low back pain is responsible for significant personal and societal burden, particularly when it becomes persistent. Despite international consensus regarding the judicious use of diagnostic spinal imaging, patients continue to be over-referred.

Objective: The aim of this article is to highlight the critical need for primary care clinicians to engage in thoughtful use of imaging procedures, and to consider alternative or adjunct methods for providing reassurance, in order to avoid or mitigate the potential negative impact of 'anomalous' findings.

Lesson of the week: perils of pessaries.

Vaginal pessaries are widely considered to be a safe alternative to surgery in older women. We report a case of near fatal septicaemia in a 75-year-old woman associated with a shelf pessary, the presence of which was identified during an exploratory laparotomy. This case highlights the importance of the gynaecological history and examination when assessing older women with septicaemia of unknown source.