The Health News – 23 February 2016

Overview:
• Ralph Mobbs an Australian neurosurgeon who has completed a world-first marathon surgery removing cancer-riddled vertebrae and successfully replacing them with a 3D-printed body part, he conducted the mammoth 15-hour operation in December. 

• A nationwide study will look into the best ways to chemically sedate violent and abusive patients as attacks on staff increase. Nine hospitals, including four in Queensland, are taking part in the project aimed at establishing which, if any, drugs cause more danger to patients who are often drunk or drug-affected.

•  Five new cases of measles have been reported to the Victorian Health Department following an outbreak in Brunswick earlier this month. The new cases bring the total number to nine of cases of the highly infectious viral disease that can cause serious illness, particularly in young children and adults.

News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the 23rd February 2016. Read by Rebecca Foster. Health News

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-22/tumour-patient-gets-worlds-first-3d-printed-vertebrae/7183132

An Australian neurosurgeon has completed a world-first marathon surgery removing cancer-riddled vertebrae and successfully replacing them with a 3D-printed body part.

Ralph Mobbs conducted the mammoth 15-hour operation in December …

At the time of the operation it was not known if Mr Josevski would survive the procedure.

Mr Josevski had been diagnosed with a rare and particularly nasty type of cancer …. [which]

…can occur anywhere along the spine, but in Mr Josevski’s case the tumour was located at the top two vertebrae, giving him a very poor prognosis.

“Without surgery and without treatment of this type of tumour, the outlook for this patient would be particularly nasty and a particularly horrific way of dying,” Dr Mobbs said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-22/sedation-study-looks-into-violent-abusive-hospital-patients/7190070

A nationwide study will look into the best ways to chemically sedate violent and abusive patients as attacks on staff increase.

Nine hospitals, including four in Queensland, are taking part in the project aimed at establishing which, if any, drugs cause more danger to patients who are often drunk or drug-affected.

Emergency Medicine Foundation researcher Dr Ogilvie Thom said doctors were required to sedate agitated patients several times a day.

Dr Thom said stopping patients from smoking often led to violent outbursts.

The study will run over two years and is being led by Professor David Taylor, emergency medicine and general medicine research director at Melbourne’s Austin Hospital.

Other sites involved include Townsville, Gold Coast University and Mater Public hospitals in Queensland, Frankston and Monash Health in Victoria, Liverpool in New South Wales and Auckland City in New Zealand.

Dr Thom said the study would observe 2,000 patients, with the aim of forming national guidelines.

The latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare figures showed nearly 70,000 drunk and drug-affected patients presented to Australian hospitals in 2014-2015.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-22/five-new-measles-cases-emerge-in-brunswick-area/7189958

Five new cases of measles have been reported to the Victorian Health Department following an outbreak in Brunswick earlier this month.

The new cases bring the total number to nine of cases of the highly infectious viral disease that can cause serious illness, particularly in young children and adults.

Two of the five new cases have been treated in hospital.

Measles symptoms

• Incubation period of 18 days
• Initial symptoms similar to cold
• Cough, fever, sore throat, red eyes
• Rash appears 3-7 days after first symptoms

They include three women and two men, all in their 20s and 30s and three of those live in Brunswick, one is from Preston and one is from Brunswick West.

Victoria’s acting chief health officer Dr Roscoe Taylor said it was possible cases would emerge from other areas of Melbourne.

People can develop pneumonia and other serious complications from the disease which often begins with symptoms of the cold, including fever, sore throat, red eyes and a cough.

The characteristic rash begins three to seven days after the first symptoms.

People at risk

• Anyone unvaccinated
• Adults aged between 35 and 49
• People who are immuno-compromised
• Refugees, asylum seekers

Women in their 20s to 40s can get a free measles/mumps/rubella vaccine and people under 20 can be vaccinated under the current catch-up program.