Are our patients becoming more complex? Trends in comorbidity and functional dependence in General Medicine 2011-2019.

Background: Anecdotally, patients don't seem to be more unwell than they were 10 years ago, yet they still seem more 'complex'.

Aims: The aim of this study was to use an objective measure to assess the trend in complexity of general medicine patients over a 9-year period.

Methods: Complexity was pragmatically defined as a composite of comorbidity plus dependence/frailty.

Preemptive anticoagulation of pulmonary embolism.

Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a life-threatening disease where preemptive anticoagulation is recommended by guidelines for patients with intermediate to high pretest risk of PE.

Aims: The primary objective of our study was to describe the use of preemptive anticoagulation from the emergency department (ED) or inpatient wards stratified by risk assessment score.

Methods: We performed a retrospective observational cohort study of consecutive patients undergoing computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) for investigation of PE.

Anticholinergic burden and poor oral health are associated with frailty in geriatric patients undergoing inpatient rehabilitation: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Poor oral health is known to be associated with frailty in geriatric populations. Recent exposure to anticholinergic medications is responsible for features of poor oral health. Anticholinergic medications pose a cumulative risk for frailty.

A Cross-Sectional Study of the Relationship between Serum Creatine Kinase and Liver Biochemistry in Patients with Rhabdomyolysis.

Abnormal liver function tests are commonly observed with rhabdomyolysis, but the nature of this association is not fully defined. This study aims to determine the functional relationship between serum creatine kinase, as a marker of rhabdomyolysis severity, and liver biochemistry. We used linear regression to model the relationship between liver biochemistry and peak serum creatine kinase.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Hyponatremia Associated with Acute Central Nervous System Infections.

Hyponatremia can occur with central nervous system (CNS) infections, but the frequency and severity may depend on the organism and nature of CNS involvement. In this cross-sectional study at a large Australian hospital network from 2015 to 2018, we aimed to determine the prevalence and severity of hyponatremia associated with CNS infection clinical syndromes, and the association with specific organisms. We examined the results of cerebrospinal fluid analysis from lumbar punctures performed in 184 adult patients with a serum sodium below 135 mmol/L who had abnormal cerebrospinal fluid analysis and a clinical syndrome consistent with an acute CNS infection (meningitis or encephalitis).

Frailty, oral health and nutrition in geriatrics inpatients: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Poor nutritional status is a risk factor for the development of frailty. Likewise, oral health is independently associated with nutrition. The potential association between oral health and frailty in hospitalised elderly adults has, however, not previously been investigated.

Predictors of acute hospital mortality and length of stay in patients with new-onset atrial fibrillation: a first-hand experience from a medical emergency team response provider.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) occurs frequently following cardiothoracic surgery and treatment decisions are informed by evidence-based clinical guidelines. Outside this setting there are few data to guide clinical management.

Aim: To describe the characteristics, management and outcomes of hospitalised adult patients with new-onset AF.

Retrospective evaluation of statin prescription in the elderly.

Background: Statins are one of the most commonly prescribed medications in Australia. Although the cardioprotective effects of statins are well documented, questions remain regarding their risk-benefit profile in elderly adults, especially those with limited life expectancies.

Aim: To describe the prevalence and pattern of statin use in elderly patients admitted to a General Medicine Unit.

Invasive Streptococcus anginosus group infection-does the species predict the outcome?

Objective: To determine whether there is an association between the species of Streptococcus anginosus group (SAG) bacteria and the clinical outcome.

Methods: Isolates from invasive infections caused by SAG bacteria at our institution between January 2004 and February 2009 were identified phenotypically to the taxonomic level of species. Clinical data from the medical records of the patients from whom these isolates were recovered were obtained retrospectively and analyzed.

Late-stage human African trypanosomiasis in a Sudanese refugee.

A 19-year-old Sudanese woman, who had lived for about a decade in Ugandan refugee camps, was referred for investigation of a 12-month history of a generalised rash. Two months later, her condition had deteriorated to include cachexia and drowsiness. Despite initial negative findings on investigation, human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) was suspected, and parasites were found in a double-centrifuged sample of cerebrospinal fluid.