Internal medicine journal
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Internal medicine journal · Apr 2021
ReviewSurgical treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer in octogenarians: a single-centre retrospective study.
Lung resection in patients aged ≥80 years is considered high risk and contributes to the low rates of resection in this population. This review of 79 octogenarians who underwent curative surgery for non-small-cell lung cancer demonstrated no intraoperative mortality, 30-day mortality of 1.3% and 12-month mortality of 10%. In this selected cohort of octogenarians, surgery resulted in acceptable short- to medium-term outcomes.
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Internal medicine journal · Apr 2021
Factors that predict glycaemic response to sodium-glucose linked transporter (SGLT) inhibitors.
To determine the clinical and biochemical variables associated with change in HbA1c in patients with type 2 diabetes who start sodium-glucose linked transporter (SGLT) inhibitor therapy. ⋯ SGLT inhibitor therapy in a hospital clinic setting was associated with clinical improvements comparable to those observed in clinical trials but with higher incidence of genitourinary side-effects. Baseline HbA1c and eGFR, but not urine fractional glucose excretion, predicted glycaemic response.
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Internal medicine journal · Apr 2021
Cost-analysis of opportunistic influenza vaccination in general medical inpatients.
Influenza vaccination is an important preventative health measure in the elderly and those with medical comorbidities. It has been shown to reduce hospitalisations, cardiovascular and respiratory complications. A significant proportion of patients admitted to general medicine are eligible for opportunistic inpatient influenza vaccination. This study explores the cost-effectiveness of such a strategy in reducing subsequent healthcare utilisation costs.
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Internal medicine journal · Apr 2021
Implementing 'Goals of Care' discussion and palliative care referral for patients with advanced lung cancer: an outpatient-based pilot project.
Early involvement of palliative care and advance care planning improves quality-of-life outcomes and survival for patients with advanced lung cancer; however, there are barriers to implementation. ⋯ Communication-priming interventions can improve GOC completion for patients with advanced lung cancer. Further investigation is needed to pursue sustainable options for managing this complex patient group and improve guideline-adherence and patient care.
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Internal medicine journal · Apr 2021
'Code-95' rapid response calls for patients under airborne precautions in the COVID-19-era: a cross-sectional survey of healthcare worker perceptions.
To allow better allocation of staff and resources, rapid response teams attending to acutely deteriorating or aggressive patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection were pre-warned with the announcement of 'Code-95' with calls. ⋯ Most surveyed HCW supported Code-95 announcements pre-warning them of potential COVID-19 exposure when attending a RRC. However, the majority of HCW reported anxiety when attending these calls. Medical and efferent team HCW perceived greater anxiety compared to nursing and afferent team HCW. The Code-95 system to pre-warn rapid response teams may be a useful addition to protecting HCW from infectious diseases, although broader implementation will require greater resourcing, training and support.