Topics
Cardiovascular diseases
How changes to the Medicare Benefits Schedule could improve the practice of cardiology and save taxpayer money
Rising health care costs are placing serious strains on the sustainability of the Australian Medicare system in its current structure
Richard W Harper MB BS, FRACP, FCSANZ · Arthur Nasis MB BS(Hons), MD, PhD · Vijaya Sundararajan BA(Hons), MD, MPH
The Cardiac Genetics Clinic: a model for multidisciplinary genomic medicine
The focused application of genetics assists and informs cardiac patients and their families
Dominica Zentner MB BS(Hons), FRACP, PhD · Tina N Thompson BNurs · Paul A James MB ChB, DPhil, FRACP · Alison Trainer MB ChB, MSc, PhD · Lesley C Adès MB BS, FRACP, MD · Ivan Macciocca BSc, MHSc(GenCouns), FHGSA · Jessica A Taylor BSc, MGenCouns · Kirsty Mann BSc, MGenCouns · Michael Bogwitz BSc(Hons), GradDipGenCouns, PhD · Nigel Lewis MB ChB, MRCP, CCDS · Natalie Morgan BNurs, GradDip(GenCouns) · Jitendra Vohra MD, FRACP, FRCP · Ingrid Winship MD, FRACP, FACD
Transplantation of the heart after circulatory death of the donor: time for a change in law?
A change in the law is needed to allow procurement after circulatory death to maximise organ procurement
James Tibballs MD, MHlth · Neera Bhatia LLB(Hons), LLM, PhD
Rheumatic heart disease in Indigenous children in northern Australia: differences in prevalence and the challenges of screening
The prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in remote Indigenous children is significant, much of it undetected
Kathryn V Roberts MB BS, FRACP MPHTM · Graeme P Maguire MB BS, FRACP, PhD · Alex Brown BMed, MPH, PhD · David N Atkinson MB BS, MPH · Bo Remenyi MB BS, FRACP · Gavin Wheaton MB BS, FRACP, FCSANZ · Marcus Ilton MB BS, FRACP · Jonathan Carapetis MB BS, PhD, FAAHMS
Steroid-induced cardiomyopathy
Anabolic steroid use and misuse is an important issue in the bodybuilding community
Hui-Chen Han MB BS, BMedSci · Omar Farouque MB BS(Hons), PhD, FRACP · David L Hare DPM, FRACP, FCSANZ
Warfarin or excipient allergy: a clinical dilemma resolved
Excipient allergy should be considered in patients with a reaction to warfarin
Mitchell J Gooch MB BS · Ngozichukwuka L Okiwelu MRCSEd, FWACS, FRCSEd(CTh) · Timothy Law MB BS, GradDip(ClinUltrasound) · Andrew P McLean-Tooke FRCP, FRCPath, FRCPA · Pragnesh Joshi MS, MCh, FRACS
Impact of grief delivered via media technology
Advances in media technology have had a significant impact on our daily lives, in terms of how we conduct business and leisure. Recent events have also had significant emotional impact and we wish to highlight the potential health impact. The grief experienced following the death of a loved one can be one of the greatest stressors for those surviving — spouse and/or relatives. It is not only the emotional strain but also physiological changes in the immediate period after bereavement1,2 that affect health. Bereavement may also affect non-relatives, which was only captured by these two patients referred independently for ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) monitoring as part of their clinical management. Both watched the televised broadcast of funeral proceedings for Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes. Although neither was a relative of Phillip Hughes and neither had met him, they both reported an emotional response to the broadcast. Panel A in the Box shows the ABP recording for a woman who was taking an angiotensin II receptor antagonist. The recording shows that she had an increase in systolic blood pressure (25 mmHg) while she was sitting watching the funeral that was comparable with her responses to physical activity. The ABP recording for the second woman is shown in Panel B in the Box; her antihypertensive therapy included β-blockade. There was a 25 mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure while she sat watching the broadcast of the funeral. The increase was comparable with that for people with mild hypertension receiving mental stressor tests3 and may have been greater in the absence of β-blockade. Such increases in blood pressure reflect overall changes in the cardiovascular system at the time of emotional stress and are associated with heightened cardiovascular risk.4,5 We therefore need to be aware of the significant impact that media technology may have on our health and consider preventive treatment strategies. 1 Ambulatory blood pressure recordings for two patients who watched a televised funeral* *Neither patient was related to the deceased.
Anastasia S Mihailidou BSc, PhD · Thomas Buckley BSc(Hons), MN, PhD · Alexandra JC Bune MB BS, FRACP, DSc(Hon) · Geoffrey Tofler MB BS, MB, FRACP
Splenic infarction after reversal of warfarin using Prothrombinex-VF in a patient with a mechanical aortic valve
This case highlights the difficulty of managing patients with a previous valve replacement who sustain acute major bleeding
Varun Sharma MB BS, BMedSci, PGradSurgAnat · Talbir Singh MB BS · Suranga Weerasooriya MB BS, MSc, FRACP · Dharmesh Anand MB BS, MD, DNB(Cardiology), FRACP
Eight challenges faced by general practitioners caring for patients after an acute coronary syndrome
Counselling and pharmacotherapy are more effective than unassisted cessation of smoking
Colin P Mendelsohn MB BS(Hons) · Paul V Camp MN, GradDipHealthPromotion, CertSmokingCessation
Eight challenges faced by general practitioners caring for patients after an acute coronary syndrome
Many smokers quit on their own, and unassisted quitting should be considered before other methods
Peter L Thompson MD, FRACP, FACC · Alistair W Vickery MB BS, FRACGP
Australian clinical trial activity and burden of disease: an analysis of registered trials in National Health Priority Areas
Some high-burden areas of disease fall short in research efforts
Jacquelyne Lam MPharm, BSc · Sarah J Lord MB BS, MS, FRACGP · Kylie E Hunter BA(Human Movement)(Hons), BA(Indonesian) · R John Simes MB BS(Hons), MD, FRACP · Thuyen Vu BSc · Lisa M Askie PhD, MPH, BN
Facilitators and barriers to implementation of a pragmatic clinical trial in Aboriginal health services
Patients and providers reflect on a clinical trial in an Indigenous health context
Hueming Liu BA, MB BS, MIPH · Tracey-Lea Laba BSc, BPharm(Hons), PhD · Luciana Massi BBusComm, MIPH · Stephen Jan BEc, MEc, PhD · Tim Usherwood MD, MB BS, FRACGP · Anushka Patel MB BS, PhD, FRACP · Noel E Hayman MB BS, MPH, FRACGP · Alan Cass MB BS, FRACP PhD · Anne-Marie Eades BSc(Nursing), MN · Chris Lawrence PhD, MAppEpidemiol · David P Peiris MIPH, PhD, FRACGP
Coordinated care versus standard care in hospital admissions of people with chronic illness: a randomised controlled trial
A nurse-led coordinated care intervention was equivalent to standard care for patients with chronic illness
Natalie A Plant MHSc, BSc(Hons) · Patrick J Kelly BMath(Hons), PhD · Stephen R Leeder MD, FRACP, PhD · Mario D’Souza PhD, MSc · Kylie-Ann Mallitt BSc(Hons), MSc · Tim Usherwood MD, FRACGP, FRCP · Stephen Jan PhD, MEc, BEc · Steven C Boyages MB BS, PhD, FRACP · Beverley M Essue MPH, PhD · Justin McNab PhD, MPhil, BSc · James A Gillespie PhD, BA(Hons)
The crux of the matter: Did the ABC's Catalyst program change statin use in Australia?
The ABC’s Catalyst program criticising statins affected people’s willingness to take these important drugs
Andrea L Schaffer BSc(Hons), MSc, MBiostat · Nicholas A Buckley BMed, FRACP, MD · Timothy A Dobbins BMath, PhD · Emily Banks MB BS, PhD, FAFPHM · Sallie-Anne Pearson BSc(Hons), PhD
Smartphone app a lifesaver for patients after myocardial infarction
Patients using a home-based cardiac rehabilitation program delivered via a smartphone app are more likely to complete it
Mohanraj K Karunanithi · Marlien Varnfield · Darren L Walters
Sceptics undermine effective dietary and heart health advice
Conclusions based on recent meta-analyses need to be viewed with caution
A Stewart Truswell MD, DSc, FRCP
Cost and outcomes of assessing patients with chest pain in an Australian emergency department
Assessment is lengthy, costly and consumes significant resources
Louise Cullen MB BS, FACEM · Jaimi Greenslade PhD · Katharina Merollini MSocEconomics, PhD · Nicholas Graves PhD · Christopher J K Hammett BHB, MB ChB, MD · Tracey Hawkins BHealthSc(nursing) · Martin P Than FRCS(Ed), FFAEM · Anthony F T Brown FRCP, FACEM, FRCEM · Christopher B Huang MB BS · Seyed E Panahi BMedSc, BSc(Hons) · Emily Dalton BSc, BN · William A Parsonage DM, MRCP, FRACP
Severe carbon monoxide poisoning from waterpipe smoking: a public health concern
Carbon monoxide poisoning is a genuine risk for waterpipe users
Louis W Wang MB BS, MM, FRACP · Emily YJ He MB BS, MPH, FRACP · Debasish Ghosh MB BS · Richard O Day AM, MD, FRACP · Graham RD Jones MB BS, DPhil, FRCPA · Rajesh N Subbiah MB BS, PhD, FRACP · Cameron J Holloway DPhil, FRACP, FCSANZ
A systematic approach to chronic heart failure care: a consensus statement
There is a significant body of evidence demonstrating effectiveness of telemonitoring in improving CHF outcomes
Sally C Inglis PhD, BHSc(Hons), BN · Robyn A Clark PhD, FACN, FAHA
A systematic approach to chronic heart failure care: a consensus statement
In reply: Further research on the benefits and application of telehealth would be welcomed
Karen Page RN, DN, BEd
Jack
A highly commended entry in the Practising and retired doctors category
Patrick Russell MD, FRACP
An unusual case of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator inhibition
Electromagnetic interference is becoming a more frequent hazard
Michael Wong MB BS, GradDip(CardiacEP), FRACP · Christina Lim PhD · Ka-Lun Lee PhD, MPhil, BEng · Benoît Gouhier MEng · Paul B Sparks MB BS, PhD, FRACP
Better prevention and management of heart failure in Aboriginal Australians
n/a
Tiew-Hwa K Teng MPH, PhD · Joseph Hung FRACP, FACC, FCSANZ · Judith M Katzenellenbogen PhD · Dawn C Bessarab PhD, BSW(Hons) · Sandra C Thompson PhD, MPH, FAFPHM
Chronic Q fever prosthetic valve endocarditis — an important cause of prosthetic valve dysfunction in Australia
In endemic areas, Q fever endocarditis can result in premature prosthetic valve dysfunction
Mohammad Paymard MD · Lisa Nicotra BN · Andrew Dettrick MB BS, FRCPA · Brendan Bell MB BS · Alex Chaudhuri MB BS, FRACP · David Cody MB BS, PhD, PhC · Peter Tesar MB BS, FRACS · Christian Hamilton-Craig MB BS, PhD, FRACP
Better prevention and management of heart failure in Aboriginal Australians
Systematic delivery of multidisciplinary, patient-centred care is crucial
Tiew-Hwa K Teng MPH, PhD · Joseph Hung FRACP, FACC, FCSANZ · Judith M Katzenellenbogen PhD · Dawn C Bessarab PhD, BSW(Hons) · Sandra C Thompson PhD, MPH, FAFPHM
