The New Zealand medical journal
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Sepsis is a serious and increasing worldwide intensive care problem. In response to intensivists' concerns over the benefits, risks and financial implications of the use of drotrecogin alfa (recombinant human activated protein C), the first adjunctive therapy for sepsis licensed in New Zealand, the New Zealand Region of the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS) requested an advisory statement from a working party of New Zealand intensivists. ⋯ Despite high cost and moderate benefit, it may be reasonable to treat highly selected New Zealand patients with drotrecogin alfa.
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Resuscitation skills such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) are taught as an optional component of the New Zealand school curriculum. This study was conducted to determine the frequency of, and factors influencing, CPR teaching in New Zealand primary and secondary schools. ⋯ This survey indicates that the majority of primary schools are not teaching CPR skills, or other life-saving first aid, and that the majority of secondary schools are treating these subjects as optional, taught only to a small proportion of students. If New Zealand is to achieve widespread community CPR knowledge, it is suggested that greater funding needs to be available to schools for resuscitation/first-aid training and the subject must become a compulsory, rather than optional, component of the school curriculum.
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To determine how inhaled budesonide, beclomethasone and fluticasone are prescribed by general practitioners in New Zealand. ⋯ Conclusions about the relative potencies of inhaled corticosteroids cannot be made with the data presented. However, data presented show that inhaled corticosteroids have not been prescribed in line with their reported relative potencies. This study provides benchmark data for the prescribing of inhaled steroids in New Zealand general practice.
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Chiropractic manipulation is mostly used for spinal problems but, in an increasing number of cases, also for non-spinal conditions. This systematic review is aimed at critically evaluating the evidence for or against the effectiveness of this approach. ⋯ Only very few randomised clinical trials of chiropractic manipulation as a treatment of non-spinal conditions exist. The claim that this approach is effective for such conditions is not based on data from rigorous clinical trials.