Internal medicine journal
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Internal medicine journal · Jun 2021
Outcomes of Diabetic Ketoacidosis in a Tertiary Center with Restricted ICU Bed Capacity.
Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is an acute metabolic condition, sometimes requiring admission to an intensive care unit (ICU). ⋯ In a setting of limited ICU capacity, DKA treatment does not necessarily require admission to the ICU. When the rising rates of diabetes mellitus and the associated elevated rates of DKA are taken into account, our results highlight the importance of including step-down units when devising local protocols for care of these patients.
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Internal medicine journal · Jun 2021
Lung, breast, and bowel cancer treatment for Aboriginal people in New South Wales: a population-based cohort study.
Aboriginal Australians have higher cancer mortality than non-Aboriginal Australians. Lower rates of cancer treatment among Aboriginal people can contribute to this. ⋯ Aboriginal people were significantly less likely to receive surgery for lung cancer than non-Aboriginal people and had fewer attendances with a surgeon, suggesting a need to strengthen referral pathways.
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Internal medicine journal · Jun 2021
Mechanical thrombectomy for emergent large vessel occlusion: an Australian primary stroke centre workflow analysis.
Time to successful reperfusion is a critical prognostic factor for acute ischaemic stroke. Mechanical thrombectomy has become the gold standard treatment for emergent large vessel occlusion stroke. The timely delivery of this highly specialised procedure to patients outside of metropolitan centres presents a dilemma of inequity, with limited workflow data hindering benchmarking and service optimisation. ⋯ Protracted pre-hospital and primary stroke centre workflow times can delay effective treatment for patients with acute ischaemic stroke in regional areas. A systems-level approach to streamlining processes in these key areas is required to bridge this inequity in best practice care.
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Internal medicine journal · Jun 2021
Fact versus fiction: bridging contrasting medicinal cannabis information needs.
Regulatory changes now permit the availability and prescribing of medicinal cannabis in Australia. Public awareness and patient interest are high. Using a co-design approach involving cancer patients, carers and oncology and palliative care clinicians, two information resources were developed to provide readily available sources of important information for cancer patients and clinicians who are considering the use of medicinal cannabis. Focus groups and evaluation interviews revealed some areas of dissonance between consumers and clinicians concerning aspects of medicinal cannabis.
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Internal medicine journal · Jun 2021
Osteopontin, GLUT1 and Ki67 expression in malignant peritoneal mesothelioma: Prognostic implications.
Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is the most common primary peritoneal neoplasm. The only universally recognised pathological prognostic factor is histopathological subtype. Prognostic markers based on patient features and clinical stages have been disappointing. ⋯ OPN, Ki-67, treatment and PCI were independent indicators for OS, and a higher level of OPN expression correlated significantly with poorer OS.