Life after abciximab; what's next for intracoronary thrombus?

A case is described in which the short-acting glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor antagonist tirofiban was used in combination with heparin, aspirin and prasugrel to successfully treat extensive intracoronary thrombus in a delayed presentation STEMI, illustrating the utility of this approach.

Older adults' preferred and perceived roles in decision-making about palliative chemotherapy, decision priorities and information preferences.

Aim: Patients with cancer have varied preferences for involvement in decision-making. We sought older adults' preferred and perceived roles in decision-making about palliative chemotherapy; priorities; and information received and desired.

Methods: Patients ≥65y who had made a decision about palliative chemotherapy with an oncologist completed a written questionnaire.

Profile of gynaecology surgeries from Western Province, Solomon Islands.

Introduction: Evidence is lacking on the profile of gynaecological conditions affecting women in the Solomon Islands, including the availability and quality of surgical management.

Methods: Prospective analysis of hospital records was undertaken on all patients who underwent gynaecological surgery at Gizo Hospital, Western Province during a 6-day program led by volunteer Australian surgeons. Patient data on pre-operative history, investigation results, performed surgical procedures and postoperative recovery were collected.

Impact of self-help weight loss resources with or without online support on the dietary intake of overweight and obese men: the SHED-IT randomised controlled trial.

Background: Obese men are more likely to have poor dietary patterns compared to women, increasing diet-related chronic disease risk. The impact of a male-only weight loss intervention on dietary intakes is under-evaluated. The aim was to determine whether overweight/obese men randomised to self-help paper-based resources with or without online support, achieved greater improvements in diet compared with Wait-list controls at 3 and 6 months following a gender tailored weight-loss intervention.

Multicenter randomized trial of centralized nurse-led telephone-based care coordination to improve outcomes after surgical resection for colorectal cancer: the CONNECT intervention.

Purpose: To investigate the effectiveness of a centralized, nurse-delivered telephone-based service to improve care coordination and patient-reported outcomes after surgery for colorectal cancer.

Patients And Methods: Patients with a newly diagnosed colorectal cancer were randomly assigned to the CONNECT intervention or usual care. Intervention-group patients received standardized calls from the centrally based nurse 3 and 10 days and 1, 3, and 6 months after discharge from hospital.

Educational Needs in Supportive and End of Life Care.

With variable availability of RSC programmes available throughout Australia and New Zealand, there is a need for provision of training in this area to be available to all medical and paramedical staff On-line resources may be a potential source of training material for staff and information for patients and families. The possibility of exchange programmes between renal medicine and palliative care should be explored as a way of enhancing education in both fields. The ANZSN and the ANZ Society of Palliative Care both have special interest groups in RSC.

Withdrawal and limitation of life-sustaining treatments in a paediatric intensive care unit and review of the literature.

Objectives: To examine withdrawal and limitation of life-sustaining treatment (WLST) in an Australian paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and to compare this experience with published data from other countries.

Design: Retrospective chart review and literature review.

Source Of Data: Review of 12 months of patient records from a tertiary Australian children's teaching hospital.

Embryonic stem-cell research and the moral status of embryos.

Stem-cell research has the potential to significantly advance our knowledge of cell differentiation with the promise of exciting and innovative therapeutic applications for otherwise incurable genetic and degenerative disorders. The issue has been the subject of debate in federal and state parliament as research of embryonic stem cells and their application have come under intense scrutiny. Scientists and medical practitioners are highly skilled in the technical aspects of biomedicine but are decidedly less comfortable with ethics.

Effects of task-specific training on walking and sit-to-stand after total hip replacement.

Twenty subjects with total hip replacement (THR) who were still experiencing movement problems at an average of 12.7 months post-operation undertook a six week outpatient program based on task-specific training of functional activities. All subjects demonstrated improved performance of walking and sit-to-stand after the training period.

Posterior capsule opacification and lens epithelial cell layer formation: Hydroview hydrogel versus AcrySof acrylic intraocular lenses.

Purpose: To quantitatively compare the incidence of visually significant posterior capsule opacification (PCO) and lens epithelial cell (LEC) layer formation on the anterior surface of Hydroview hydrogel and AcrySof acrylic foldable intraocular lenses (IOLs) after implantation.

Setting: Single-surgeon ophthalmology practice, Orange Base Hospital, and Dudley Private Hospital, Orange, New South Wales, Australia.

Methods: This retrospective study comprised 166 eyes of 150 patients (after exclusions) who had cataract extraction and insertion of a foldable IOL in the capsular bag by a single surgeon using a standardized phacoemulsification technique from December 1997 to September 1998.

Cultural issues.

Central Australian Aborigines have a wide variety of medical illnesses which differ in incidence and severity from elsewhere in Australia. Coinciding with this are a range of cultural considerations that directly affect the management of these conditions. This article is an attempt to relate some of these cultural considerations to explain the outcome of these illnesses in the Aboriginal population.

A rural retrieval service.

In rural areas critically ill patients are transferred frequently from smaller to larger hospitals. The time spent in transit may influence their outcome. Intensive care facilities in the Central Western Health Region of N.