Vol 133 No 1526: 4 December 2020

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Issue Summary

Article

SUMMARY

Left ventricular thrombus after ST segment elevation myocardial infarction: a single-centre observational study

Chathura BB Ratnayake, Benjamin Liu, Jocelyne Benatar, Ralph AH Stewart, Jithendra B Somaratne

This is a study of patients with a clot in the heart following a heart attack. In New Zealand, the main treatment between 2014–2015 was Warfarin, a blood thinning medication. Though the clot in the heart it is a rare complication, approximately one in eight patients can die from this after one year even when on blood thinning therapy.

Editorial

SUMMARY

Adequacy of publicly funded colonoscopy services in New Zealand

Philip Bagshaw, Brian Cox

Subjects with thyroid eye disease (TED) in Auckland, New Zealand’s data was collected, included in these subjects are Māori and Pacific People, not before studied regarding TED. Our data confirmed known global risk factors as well as solidifying the impact of smoking on TED in New Zealand. A strong association was demonstrated with female gender and smoking status and rate of TED. Māori also have increased rates of TED; however, this difference was explained by smoking (our data showed that Māori were twice as likely to be smokers compared to other ethnicities). Eliminating smoking would result in at least a 28.1% reduction in TED incidence in New Zealand.

Article

SUMMARY

Accuracy of SNOMED-CT Chief Presenting Complaint Codes: an audit of 1,000 cases

Peter G Jones, Annette Dance, Nikhar Shah

SNOMED coding has the potential to improve data quality to better inform the acute demand debate and potentially improve disease surveillance for emerging diseases and novel toxidromes. However, it is not known how accurate the NZ reference set for Chief Presenting Complaints is compared to clinician recorded presenting complaints. Our study found that accuracy was up to 85.9% when triage presenting complaints were compared to clinician notes. Accuracy was poor when non-specific SNOMED terms were used, so these should not be used when more specific terms are available.

Article

SUMMARY

An evaluation of the contents of advance care plans and their use in patients admitted to a public hospital

Henricus Berend Speelberg, Brett Shand, Jane Goodwin, Rachel Wiseman, Laura Belluscio, Kate Grundy

An advanced care plan provides a person with the opportunity to document their wishes for end-of-life care. This study in 150 people investigated whether increasing age or severity of illness or disease influenced the wishes in the plan and whether these wishes were followed during hospital admissions. The study showed that increasing age influenced the content of the plan whereas the severity of illness or disease had less influence. The care received by people in the study during hospital admissions adhered to the instructions in the advance care plan.

Article

SUMMARY

New Zealand hospital stroke service provision

Stephanie Thompson, P Alan Barber, John Fink, John Gommans, Alan Davis, Matire Harwood, Jeroen Douwes, Dominique A Cadilhac, Harry McNaughton, Jackie Girvan, Ginny Abernethy, Valery Feigin, Andrew Wilson, Hayley Denison, Marine Corbin, William Levack, Annemarei Ranta

This paper describes the results from an online survey looking at stroke services currently offered in New Zealand hospitals and compares provision in urban and non-urban settings. Key differences between urban and non-urban centres were identified, as well as challenges irrespective of hospital location. Ongoing work is required to optimise consistent access to best practice stroke care.

Article

SUMMARY

Thyroid eye disease in New Zealand: interaction between ethnicity and smoking status

Lize Angelo, Rachael Niederer, Richard Hart

Article

SUMMARY

The carcinogenicity of pesticides used in New Zealand

Andrea Martine 't Mannetje

The use of pesticides has been associated with increased risks of leukaemias and lymphomas. This review aimed to estimate the proportion of pesticides currently used in New Zealand agriculture, that are classified as human carcinogens. While none of the active ingredients are classified as known human carcinogens, 56 are suspected to be carcinogenic to humans, representing up to half of the total volume used. This suggests that we may continue to see an increased risk of cancer for people who frequently use pesticides as part of their work. Efforts to increase awareness and reduce exposure are needed.

Article

SUMMARY

Patient characteristics, treatment outcomes and rehabilitation practices for patients admitted with hip fractures using multiple data set analysis

Samantha Warhurst, Soledad Labbe-hubbard, Ma Yi, Jane Vella-Brincat, Tonya Sammon, Jane Webb, Caroline McCulloch, Gary J Hooper, Nigel L Gilchrist

This paper looks at the outcomes of individuals after they have had a hip fracture. Some people need a period of rehabilitation after surgical treatment for hip fracture. Most people have their operation within 48 hours, and this wait time is reducing. We’ve found that people who are in residential care improved with inpatient rehabilitation. However, patients who live at home appeared to do better when they have targeted orthopaedic rehabilitation and are more likely to return home. Treatment of underlying osteoporosis and other comorbidities has been significantly improved with targeted rehabilitation. Fracture Liaison Service has an important role in improving osteoporosis treatment in this group.

Editorial