Internal medicine journal
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Laboratory biomarkers to estimate the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are crucial during the pandemic since resource allocation must be carefully planned. ⋯ Our single-centre pilot study determined that total IgE levels may be a negative prognostic factor for clinical progression in patients hospitalised due to COVID-19 infection. Future studies are required to determine the impact of individuals' underlying immune predispositions on outcomes of COVID-19 infections.
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Internal medicine journal · Sep 2022
The association between frailty and clinical outcomes in hospitalised patients requiring Code Blue activation.
Code Blues allow a rapid, hospital wide response to acutely deteriorating patients. The concept of frailty is being increasingly recognised as an important element in determining outcomes of critically ill patients. We hypothesised that increasing frailty would be associated with worse outcomes following a Code Blue. ⋯ Frailty is independently associated with the composite outcome of hospital mortality or severe disability following a Code Blue. Frailty is an important tool in prognostication for these patients and might aid in discussions regarding treatment limitations.
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Internal medicine journal · Sep 2022
Solid pancreas transplant outcomes with increased donor and recipient ages compared to reference ages: A systematic review.
Increased recipient and donor age are associated with worse solid organ pancreas transplant outcomes. However, donor and recipient age criteria vary between jurisdictions. We systematically reviewed studies reporting the association between transplanting older recipients and donors beyond current Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) limits with solid pancreas transplant outcomes. ⋯ Increased donor or recipient age alone should not absolutely contraindicate solid pancreas transplantation, especially if other risk predictors are minimised.
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Internal medicine journal · Sep 2022
Prevalence, causes and associated mortality of hypercalcaemia in modern hospital care.
Studies examining hypercalcaemia in inpatients were largely published over 20 years ago, and it is likely the epidemiology of hypercalcaemia has changed related to increased lifespan and changes in the prevalence of the underlying causes such as malignancy. ⋯ Hypercalcaemia occurred in ~1% of admissions with main causes being malignancy and primary hyperparathyroidism, similar to historical studies. Hypercalcaemia in hospitalised patients is associated with high mortality and higher levels may be a marker for more severe underlying disease.
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Internal medicine journal · Sep 2022
Research Activities in General Medicine: A Scoping Survey by the Internal Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand (IMSANZ).
In developing an effective framework for a collaborative research network (RN) that supports members involved in research, the Internal Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand (IMSANZ) required a better understanding of the current level of research activity and engagement by general physicians, and factors influencing such engagement. ⋯ This study has profiled the constraints faced by general physicians in conducting high-quality collaborative research and provides insights into what is needed to support greater research engagement, through development of a discipline-specific clinical RN.