Publications by authors named "Vikas Wadhwa"
Radiation-induced angiosarcoma-An unusual cause of recurrent pleural effusion.
Respirol Case Rep
September 2024
Although rare, radiotherapy can induce secondary malignancies, such as radiation-induced angiosarcoma (RIAS), which is associated with a poor prognosis. Early detection is crucial for improving outcomes. The modified Cahan criteria are instrumental in diagnosing RIAS, which is ultimately confirmed through histological examination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Adverse clinical outcomes and patient dissatisfaction with care often have elements of poor communication. Factors such as illness and pharmacotherapy can affect cognition, and overestimation of patients' health literacy may contribute to suboptimal communication with patients regarding their hospitalisation and post-discharge instructions. Improved patient understanding and recall of their diagnoses and treatment is critical for adherence to treatment, follow-up and optimal clinical outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The 'two-hit' hypothesis theorizes that early life allergic sensitization and respiratory infection interact to increase asthma risk.
Methods: We sought to determine in a high allergy risk birth cohort whether interactions between early life allergic sensitization and respiratory infection were associated with increased risk for asthma at ages 6-7 years and 18 years. Allergic sensitization was assessed at 6, 12, and 24 months by skin prick testing to 3 food and 3 aeroallergens.
Article Synopsis
- A study investigated the immune response of 93 patients with hematologic malignancy (HM) who received tixagevimab-cilgavimab (T-C) as a COVID-19 prevention measure amid the Omicron BA.5 variant.
- Patients showed a significant increase in antibody levels that lasted for six months, similar to uninfected individuals vaccinated three times, although those on B-cell-depleting therapy had lower neutralizing antibodies.
- Even after mild breakthrough infections, patients did not show a change in neutralizing antibody levels, but there was an increase in CD4 T cells, suggesting the importance of both humoral and cellular immunity in these patients.
Risk perception and emotional wellbeing in healthcare workers involved in rapid response calls during the COVID-19 pandemic: A substudy of a cross-sectional survey.
Aust Crit Care
January 2022
Background: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has effected major changes to healthcare delivery within acute care settings. Rapid response calls (RRCs) in healthcare organisations have been effective at identifying and urgently managing acute clinical deterioration. Code-95 RRC were introduced to prewarn healthcare workers (HCWs) attending to patients suspected or confirmed with COVID-19 infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To allow better allocation of staff and resources, rapid response teams attending to acutely deteriorating or aggressive patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection were pre-warned with the announcement of 'Code-95' with calls.
Aim: To assess healthcare worker (HCW) perspectives on pre-warning rapid response calls (RRC) with 'Code-95' in announcements when attending to deteriorating or aggressive patients with suspected/confirmed COVID-19 infection.
Methods: Design: prospective cross-sectional single-centre survey of HCW over a 3-week period.
Background: The interaction between early life viral respiratory illness and atopy in the genesis of asthma has been widely discussed in the literature as the "two-hit hypothesis."
Objective: To synthesize evidence regarding the association of childhood viral respiratory illness and atopy in the development of persistent wheezing and asthma.
Methods: A systematic review was performed, according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
Background: Lone night medical registrars, particularly those working at busy urban hospitals have high workloads and low job satisfaction. Handover of pending referrals from day staff can contribute to further delays in providing care with increased risks for patient safety.
Aim: To evaluate the impact of a staggered roster for daytime medical registrar on the workload of night registrar.
Accurate chest X-ray (CXR) interpretation is an essential skill in clinical practice. Previous studies have shown poor accuracy and confidence rates (CR) of CXR interpretation by junior doctors and medical students. We presented 10 chest radiographs via an online questionnaire to Australian medical students and junior doctors, who were asked to identify the radiographic abnormality from a list of 15 options and to rate their confidence for each answer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Epidemic thunderstorm asthma (ETSA) is a severe respiratory condition triggered by thunderstorms, with a notable event in Melbourne in 2016 leading to over 3500 hospital treatments and 10 fatalities.
- A survey among healthcare workers during this event revealed that 25.6% experienced asthma-like symptoms, many of whom did not seek medical assistance, with a significant proportion having no prior asthma diagnosis.
- Factors like a history of allergic rhinitis and self-identified Asian ethnicity significantly associated with these ETSA-like symptoms indicate a potentially overlooked group at risk for future episodes.