Pleural procedures: an audit of practice and complications in a regional Australian teaching hospital.

Background: Pleural procedures are essential for the investigation and management of pleural disease and can be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. There is a lack of pleural procedure complication data in the Australian and New Zealand region.

Aims: To review pleural procedure practices at Wollongong Hospital with an emphasis on the assessment of complications, use of thoracic ultrasound (TUS), pathology results and comparison of findings with international data.

Management of acute COPD exacerbations in Australia: do we follow the guidelines?

Objective: We aimed to assess adherence to the Australian national guideline (COPD-X) against audited practice, and to document the outcomes of patients hospitalised with an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at discharge and 28 days after.

Methods: A prospective clinical audit of COPD hospital admission from five tertiary care hospitals in five states of Australia was conducted. Post-discharge follow-up was conducted via telephone to assess for readmission and health status.

Diagnosis and treatment of lung disease associated with alpha one-antitrypsin deficiency: A position statement from the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand.

AATD is a common inherited disorder associated with an increased risk of developing pulmonary emphysema and liver disease. Many people with AATD-associated pulmonary emphysema remain undiagnosed and therefore without access to care and counselling specific to the disease. AAT augmentation therapy is available and consists of i.