Spider envenoming
Spider envenoming: In Australia the only two spiders of real importance = Funnel-web and the Red-Back; only these two can cause death or severe systemic illness
Mushroom Toxicity
Severe toxicity from mushrooms is rare in humans; most symptomatic presentations are a self-limiting gastroenteritis requiring supportive care only; lethal hepatotoxicity from Amanita mushrooms must be excluded
Ciguatera Poisoning
Ciguatera Poisoning: A bizarre poisoning syndrome with acute and sometimes severe neurological and gastrointestinal symptoms caused by eating tropical reef fish that have accumulated ciguatoxin from the dinoflagellate Gambierdiscus toxicus; most common cause of fish poisoning worldwide.
Acute Transplant Issues
Reviewed and revised 5/5/12 LUNG TRANSPLANT right ventricular failure hyperacute rejection bilateral infiltrates: hyperacute rejection, LVF, aspiration, fluid overload immunosuppression: steroids, calcineurin antagonists, anti-proliferatives anastamosis breakdown: air leak PAC care iNO weaning extubate early bleeding HEPATIC TRANSPLANT transplant characteristics: alive/deceased…
Post-transplantation infection
Transplant patients are treated with immunosuppressants to prevent rejection, which makes them susceptible to infection; risk of infection depends on epidemiological factors (determines exposure) and overall state of immunosuppression (determines susceptibility)
Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump Overview
Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump (IABP) or intra-aortic counterpulsation device the balloon is inflated during diastole to increase coronary perfusion and then deflated during systole to decrease afterload
Nosocomial Pneumonia
Nosocomial or hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) is defined as pneumonia that is not incubating at the time of admission to hospital and develops in a patient hospitalised for >48 hours.
The Doct-Aviator
Much has been said about how medicine should strive to emulate the enviable safety record of the aviation industry. This has led to a thorough examination of how the two “industries” compare and contrast. One of the more interesting comparisons…
Medical Reversal
Medical reversal is the phenomenon of a new superior trial arising that contradicts current clinical practice. Many claims that specific treatments have a benefit have turned out not to be true.
Role of the Consultant
A simple question – what is the chief function of the consultant? The answer is probably the same, regardless of what you mean by ‘consultant’. In the anglo-antipodean world ‘consultant’ typically means a doctor who has completed their specialty exams…
Pediatric Anaphylaxis
Pediatric Anaphylaxis overview
Long-term cognitive impairment in Critical Illness
Critical illness is associated with a spectrum of neurological failure (largely under-reported), including polyneuropathy, encephalopathy and long-term cognitive impairment after critical illness (LTCI-CI)