Publications by authors named "Nicola Slee"

Article Synopsis
  • - The study explored the effectiveness of nasal high-flow oxygen versus standard oxygen therapy during tubeless upper airway surgeries in children, to see if it could reduce the need for rescue oxygen interventions.
  • - Conducted in five Australian hospitals, the trial involved 581 procedures with children aged 0-16 years, and aimed to determine whether high-flow oxygen could maintain uninterrupted surgical anesthesia.
  • - Results from the trial, which included ten secondary outcomes like hypoxia events and was registered under a clinical trials registry, indicated a comprehensive assessment of safety and effectiveness.
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Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common problem in children and can result in developmental and cognitive complications if untreated. The gold-standard tool for diagnosis is polysomnography (PSG); however, it is an expensive and time-consuming test to undertake. Overnight oximetry has been suggested as a faster and cheaper initial test in comparison to PSG as it can be performed at home using limited, reusable equipment.

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The clinical prioritisation criteria (CPC) are a clinical decision support tool that ensures patients referred for public specialist outpatient services to Queensland Health are assessed according to their clinical urgency. Medical referrals are manually triaged and prioritised into three categories by the associated health service before appointments are booked. We have developed a method using artificial intelligence to automate the process of categorizing medical referrals based on clinical prioritization criteria (CPC) guidelines.

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Pyogenic granulomas are benign vascular lesions occurring on skin and mucous membranes, most commonly in the oral cavity.A case report of a woman in her 80s who presented with one episode of haemoptysis, secondary to an atypical epiglottic lesion is discussed. The patient denied associated symptoms, such as dyspnoea, dysphasia or recent weight loss.

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Objective: To determine the incidence, outcomes, and evaluate diagnostic modalities for postoperative vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) following cardiothoracic surgery in children.

Methods: A prospective mixed-methods study using principles of implementation science was completed. All patients undergoing surgery involving the aortic arch, ductus, or ligamentum arteriosum and vascular rings from September 2019 to December 2020 were enrolled.

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Introduction: Hypoxaemia during anaesthesia for tubeless upper airway surgery in children with abnormal airways is common due to the complexity of balancing adequate depth of anaesthesia with maintenance of spontaneous breathing and providing an uninterrupted field of view of the upper airway for the surgeon. High-flow nasal oxygenation (HIGH-FLOW) can prolong safe apnoea time and be used in children with abnormal airways but to date has not been compared with the alternative technique of low-flow nasal oxygenation (LOW-FLOW). The aim is to investigate if use of HIGH-FLOW can reduce the number of hypoxaemic events requiring rescue oxygenation compared with LOW-FLOW.

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Aim: Tonsillectomy procedures are a core element of paediatrics; however, perioperative management differs. This study aimed to describe tonsillectomy management, including the burden of pain, nausea and delayed recovery.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was undertaken through an audit of tonsillectomy perioperative practice and recovery and survey interviews with family members 7-14 days post-surgery.

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