Topics
Surgery
Partial foot amputations may not always be worth the risk of complications
Dillon et al’s argument is misleading, as they combine two very different entities under “partial foot amputation”
Paul E Norman · Deborah E Schoen · Lee Nedkoff
Partial foot amputations may not always be worth the risk of complications
Dillon et al should be read as comparing transmetatarsal amputation and below-knee amputation outcomes
Peter A Lazzarini · Matthew Malone · Paul R Wraight
Partial foot amputations may not always be worth the risk of complications
Dillon et al stand by their interpretation that complication and reamputation rates are similar across levels of PFA
Michael P Dillon · Stefania Fatone · Meg E Morris
Survival, mortality and morbidity outcomes after oesophagogastric cancer surgery in New South Wales, 2001–2008
Relationship between hospital volume and outcomes supports the consolidation of oesophagogastric cancer surgery
Ross C Smith MB BS, MD, FRACS · Nicola Creighton MAppStats · Reginald V Lord MB BS, MD, FRACS · Neil D Merrett MB BS, FRACS · Gregory W Keogh MB BS, FRACS · Winston S Liauw MB BS, MMedSci, FRACP · David C Currow BMed, MPH, FRACP
Lack of appropriate imaging before breast augmentation can have serious patient consequences
For women getting breast implants in Australia or overseas, preoperative screening should be routine
Kathy L Flitcroft BBSc, MA, PhD · Andrew J Spillane MD, FRACS · Rebecca L Read MB BS, DPhil, FRACS
Surgery for adult obstructive sleep apnoea
The debate about bariatric surgery as a cost-effective and holistic surgical option for OSA continues
Kenneth CM Wong
Surgery for adult obstructive sleep apnoea
The debate about bariatric surgery as a cost-effective and holistic surgical option for OSA continues
Stuart G MacKay · Edward M Weaver
Surgical simulation training: mobile and anywhere
A mobile unit allows surgical trainees to use state-of-the-art simulation equipment in urban and rural locations
Guilherme N Pena MD · Meryl Altree BNg · Wendy Babidge PhD · Guy J Maddern MB BS, PhD, FRACS
Guidelines fall short on bariatric surgery
Appropriate guidance is lacking in long-term nutritional monitoring and support
John B Dixon MB BS, PhD, FRACGP
First aid for burns: too little, too late and often wrong
Nearly a third of children presenting with burns receive inadequate, inappropriate or no first aid
Ela J Hyland · John G Harvey · Andrew J A Holland
Topical timolol for a chronic ulcer — a case with its own control
An off-label treatment and an outstanding outcome
Melissa N Manahan BPharm, MB BS(Hons) · Peter Peters BSc(Hons), MB BS · Salvatore Scuderi BSc, BMedSci, MB BS(Hons) · Devita Surjana BSc, MB BS · Graeme L Beardmore OAM, MB BS, DDM, FACD
Harriet’s hats
Sometimes a special patient brings colour to clinicLoaded down with four volumes of medical records, I struggled into the clinic room to see the next patient. Beaming from under a bowler hat covered with silver glitter, a plump, dishevelled woman greets me enthusiastically: “Hello, I’m Harriet! Are you my new neurosurgeon?” There is clear fluid dripping from the tip of her nose, and throughout the ...
Rosalind L Jeffree MSc, FRACS, MHE
Nature and outcomes of the increased incidence of colorectal malignancy after liver transplantation in Australasia
Objectives: To examine whether incidence of colorectal malignancy is increased in Australasian liver transplant recipients compared with the general population of Australia, and to assess the characteristics and outcomes of colorectal malignancy in this patient group.Design, setting and patients: Data on patients who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation (OLTx) and had a diagnosis of de-novo colorectal malignancy after transplantation during the period ...
Deborah J Verran MB ChB, FRACS · Marie H Mulhearn BAppSc (Nursing), GradDipHPEd · Pamela J Dilworth RN · Glenda A Balderson BSc · Stephen Munn MB ChB, FRACs · John W Chen MB BS, FRACS, PhD · Michael A Fink MB BS, FRACS · Michael D Crawford MB BS, FRACS, MMed · Geoffrey W McCaughan MB BS, PhD, FRACP
The Western Australian Audit of Surgical Mortality: outcomes from the first 10 years
Changes in surgical practice that can be attributed to this audit program during its first 10 years contributed to a 30% reduction in deaths of patients in hospital while under the care of a surgeon.
Diana G Azzam BSc(Hons), PhD · C Adeline Neo BSc · Franca E Itotoh BSc · R James Aitken MB BS, MS, FRACS
Surgery for adult obstructive sleep apnoea
Airway surgery represents an important part of contemporary treatment paradigms in adult obstructive sleep apnoeaSurgery in adult obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is an option used when continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, the gold standard treatment, fails. CPAP failure usually occurs because of poor adherence or significant complications from CPAP or related devices such as a mandibular advancement splint. The best available evidence indicates that ...
Stuart G MacKay BSc, MB BS(Hons), FRACS · Edward M Weaver MD, MPH
Mobile garbage bins and hand injuries in older people
A simple design modification to standard wheelie bins could prevent serious and painful hand injuries in older people.
Rui Niu MB BS · Adam B Woodbridge MB BS · Belinda J Smith BAppSc · Stephen J Ruff MB BS, FRACS · Richard D Lawson MB BS, FRACS
First hand transplant procedure in Australia: outcome at 2 years
Australia’s first successful hand transplant broke with convention to give back independence and quality of life to an older recipient with several health problems who had lost all four of his extremities.
Karen M Dwyer MB BS, PhD, FRACP · Angela R Webb MB BS, MS, FRACS · Hayley S Furniss MCritCareNursing, PostGradCertPlastic · Katie E Anjou BAppSc, PostGradCertHand · Josephine M Gibbs-Dwyer BAppSc, MOccupTherHandFellowship · David B McCombe MB BS, MD, FRACS · Damien G Grinsell MB BS, FRACS · Gillian F Dickinson BAppSc · Richard A Williams MB BS, PhD, FRCPA · Prudence A Russell MB BS, FRCPA · David A Scott MB BS, PhD, FANZCA · Christopher Baker MB BS, FACD · Simon J Vogrin BAppSci · Robyn G Langham MBBS, PhD, FRACP · Helen I Opdam MBBS, FCICM, FRACP · Wayne A Morrison MD, BS, FRACS
Arthroscopy to treat osteoarthritis of the knee?
When considering this controversial procedure, how do we weigh the results of patient satisfaction surveys with those of clinical trials?
Wayne Adams
Arthroscopy to treat osteoarthritis of the knee?
In reply: We thank Adams for providing private health insurance data that confirm the continued use of arthroscopic surgery for patients with osteoarthritis. We agree that the patient’s view of the benefits of the procedure is fundamental to assessing treatment success. We do not doubt that many patients are happy with the results of arthroscopic knee surgery, but this does not necessarily imply that the surgery ...
Rachelle Buchbinder · Ian A Harris
Initial outcomes of using allografts from donation after cardiac death donors for liver transplantation in New South Wales
Liver transplantation is an established treatment modality in Australia, but there continues to be a significant disparity between availability and demand. A way to reduce this gap is to maximise the use of extended-criteria deceased donor livers, with donation after cardiac death being one such option.
Jorieke M van der Stelt · Deborah J Verran MB ChB, FRACS · Ronald A deRoo MD · Hazel Christine · Michael Crawford MB BS, FRACS
Correction: Public reporting of surgeons’ performance
CorrectionsIncorrect name of organisation, and further clarification: In “Public reporting of surgeons’ performance” in the 6 May 2013 issue of the Journal (Med J Aust 2013; 198: 399-400), the organisation named as the Australian Vascular Society should have been given as the Australian and New Zealand Society for Vascular Surgery (ANZSVS). The administrator of the Australasian Vascular Audit, a project of the ANZSVS, has requested that it be ...
Guy J Maddern MB BS, PhD, FRACS
General practice: unity in diversity
Recognising and celebrating the diversity, creativity and commitment of Australia’s general practice workforce.
Stephen Leeder
Burns from motorcycle exhausts among children in New South Wales: a continuing problem
An audit of cases treated at a major children’s hospital reveals that significant burns from motorcycle exhausts still occur much too frequently
Ela J Hyland · Rachel A D’Cruz · John G Harvey
In pursuit of surgical success
Safety in surgery can be problematic to define, difficult to implement and harder to measure — and it doesn’t depend on the surgeon’s competence alone. So how should we approach this enduring surgical dilemma?
Ruth Armstrong