The Medical journal of Australia
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A 31-year-old woman became unconscious shortly after delivery of a stillborn fetus in the thirty-sixth week of gestation. Tonic-clonic seizures and deepening coma occurred soon after delivery. Despite intensive supportive therapy, the patient died three days after delivery. A superior sagittal sinus thrombosis and extensive bilateral cerebral infarction were found on necropsy.
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During an 18-week period in 1978-1979, a weekly bulletin containing information about patients' stay in hospital and prescribing patterns in each unit was distributed to all doctors and senior nurses of six general medical and six general surgical units in the Royal Adelaide Hospital. For the first nine weeks, the bulletins contained information from half of the units, then crossed over in the second nine-week period. ⋯ The percentage of outpatients and discharged inpatients who were given prescriptions for more than two drugs fell from 15.3% to 13% (P less than 0.001). It is likely that publication of the bulletins influenced discharge and prescribing decisions by increasing general awareness that these matters were under review.
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Two cases of a severe scrotal injury--a new, hitherto unreported pattern of injury peculiar to BMX bicycle riding--are reported. Two such injuries occurring within a short period of time prompted us to suggest that scrotal protection, as well as a crash helmet and limb padding, should be made standard safety equipment for all BMX bicycle riders who engage in the sport of jumping.