Peel Health Campus

BACKGROUND : Cold snare polypectomy (CSP) is the standard of care for the resection of small (< 10 mm) colonic polyps. Limited data exist for its efficacy for medium-sized (10-19 mm) nonpedunculated polyps, especially conventional adenomas. This study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of CSP/cold endoscopic mucosal resection (C-EMR) for medium-sized nonpedunculated colonic polyps. METHODS : A prospective multicenter observational study was conducted of all morphologically suitable nonpedunculated colonic polyps of 10-19 mm removed by CSP/C-EMR between May 2018 and June 2021. Once resection was complete, multiple biopsies were taken of the margins circumferentially and centrally. The primary outcome was the incomplete resection rate (IRR), based on residual polyp in these biopsy specimens. Secondary outcomes were recurrence rate at first surveillance colonoscopy and rates of adverse events (AEs). RESULTS : CSP/C-EMR was performed for 350 polyps (median size 15 mm; 266 [76.0 %] Paris 0-IIa classification) in 295 patients. Submucosal injection was used for 87.1 % (n = 305) of polyps. Histology showed 68.6 % adenomas, 26.0 % sessile serrated lesions (SSLs) without dysplasia, 4.0 % SSL with dysplasia, and 1.4 % hyperplastic polyps. The IRRs based on margin or central biopsies being positive were 1.7 % (n = 6) and 0.3 % (n = 1), respectively. The polyp recurrence rate was 1.7 % (n = 4) at first surveillance colonoscopy - completed for 65.4 % (n = 229) of polyps at a median interval of 9.7 months. AEs occurred in 3.4 % (n = 10) of patients: four with post-polypectomy pain; three self-limiting post-polypectomy bleeds; two post-polypectomy-syndrome-like presentations; and one intraprocedural bleed treated with clips. There were no perforations. CONCLUSION : CSP/C-EMR for morphologically suitable nonpedunculated colonic polyps of 10-19 mm is effective and safe, including for conventional adenomas. Rates of incomplete resection and recurrence were low, with few AEs. Studies directly comparing this method with hot snare resection are required.

OBJECTIVES: Irukandji syndrome is a distressing condition characterised by pain, hypertension and tachycardia. Some develop cardiac failure and there have been two reported deaths. Magnesium sulphate has become the standard of care despite minimal evidence. The aim of this study was to investigate if magnesium would reduce analgesic requirement and length of stay for patients with Irukandji syndrome. METHODS: This was a double-blind, randomised controlled clinical trial. Patients with Irukandji syndrome who required parenteral opioid analgesia were randomised to receive either 10 mmol of magnesium as a bolus, and then a 5 mmol/h magnesium infusion for 6 h or saline. Fentanyl patient-controlled analgesia was commenced to allow patients to self-regulate their pain relief. The primary outcome measure of the study was comparison of total analgesic requirements between the two groups. The secondary outcome measure was to compare length of stay. RESULTS: The study ran from November 2003 to May 2007. Thirty-nine patients were enrolled in the study; 26 were male with a median age of 28. Twenty-two received magnesium. There was no significant difference in the morphine equivalent dose used, peak CK, peak troponin, peak pulse, peak blood pressure, peak mean arterial pressure (MAP), percentage MAP rise and length of stay for those receiving magnesium compared with placebo. CONCLUSION: Our study did not demonstrate a benefit in the use of magnesium in the treatment of Irukandji syndrome. As such the current use of magnesium needs to be reconsidered until there is good evidence to support its use.

To investigate the association between skeletal muscle mass and adiposity measures with disease-free progression (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced lung cancer receiving immunotherapy, we retrospectively analysed 97 patients (age: 67.5 ± 10.2 years) with lung cancer who were treated with immunotherapy between March 2014 and June 2019. From computed tomography scans, we assessed the radiological measures of skeletal muscle mass, and intramuscular, subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue at the third lumbar vertebra. Patients were divided into two groups based on specific or median values at baseline and changes throughout treatment. A total number of 96 patients (99.0%) had disease progression (median of 11.3 months) and died (median of 15.4 months) during follow-up. Increases of 10% in intramuscular adipose tissue were significantly associated with DFS (HR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.38 to 0.95) and OS (HR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.37 to 0.95), while increases of 10% in subcutaneous adipose tissue were associated with DFS (HR: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.36 to 0.95). These results indicate that, although muscle mass and visceral adipose tissue were not associated with DFS or OS, changes in intramuscular and subcutaneous adipose tissue can predict immunotherapy clinical outcomes in patients with advanced lung cancer.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is common and recognized as a risk factor for developing non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) while the prognostic evaluation is still controversial. As immunotherapy is widely used in clinical practice, its efficacy and survival should be investigated in patients with DM. Methods: We retrospectively recruited 266 locally advanced and metastatic NSCLC patients who received pembrolizumab alone or in combination with chemotherapy. Patients’ clinicopathological data, including age, history of DM, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), genetic tumor profiling, and survival data were collected. Associations between clinical characteristics and survival were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: In this cohort, 15.04% (40/266) of the patients had a history of DM. Fifty-nine (22.2%) patients had a HbA1c level ≥6.5%. A total of 169 (63.5%) patients received 1st-line therapy, and 97 (36.5%) received 2nd- or subsequent-line therapy. Patients with high (≥6.5%) HbA1c and lower (<35 g/L) albumin levels at baseline had worse survivals, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutants significantly associated with worse outcomes at normal HbA1c (<6.5%) levels (all P<0.05). Among the 1st-line therapy patients, a higher HbA1c level (≥6.5%) at baseline indicated a worse overall survival (OS) (2-year survival rate: 31.25% vs. 27.03%, P=0.045), tumor protein p53 (TP53) alternations and high programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression (≥50%) were significantly associated with better outcomes (P<0.05). For 2nd- or subsequent-line patients, EGFR mutants and non-squamous carcinomas (non-SCs) indicated worse survivals, and the normal peripheral blood markers of the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin levels were favorable prognostic factors for survivals. In non-SCs, Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) mutations, high PD-L1 expression, and normal alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels favored better progression-free survival (PFS), while EGFR mutants indicated poor PFS (P<0.05). Conclusions: Among patients treated with 1st-line immunotherapy, a higher HbA1c level (≥6.5%) indicated dismal OS, while history of DM, baseline blood glucose levels, and glucose changes during the treatment process were not significantly associated with any of the outcomes.

Abstract Background and study aims Colonic angioectasia are the most common vascular lesions in the gastrointestinal tract and are among the most common causes for chronic or recurrent lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Endoscopic treatment involves a variety of techniques, all of which focus on destruction of the mucosal abnormality. However, recurrent bleeding after endoscopic treatment is common, with more than one treatment frequently necessary. We report a technique for definitive treatment of colonic angioectasia by targeting the feeding submucosal vessel. Patients and methods Analogous to endoscopic mucosal resection, a submucosal injection is made beneath the target lesion which is then removed by electrocautery snare resection of the mucosal lesion. The exposed feeding vessel is then destroyed by application of coagulation current. The resection defect is closed by clips. Results Six patients with a total of 14 colonic angioectasia were treated over the study period. All lesions were destroyed without adverse events. Conclusion Elevation, hot snare resection and coagulation (ESC) of the visible vessel for treating colonic angioectasia appears safe and effective. Larger prospective comparative studies are required to assess its specific role.

INTRODUCTION: Obstetric sonography is a highly skilled diagnostic medical examination. Pregnant women like to socialise their ultrasound experience with family, introducing distractions for the sonographer. Our objective was to survey ultrasound practitioners to identify concerns regarding interruptions and their opinions about socialisation during the examination. METHODS: An online questionnaire was disseminated to study the views of Australian and New Zealand obstetric sonographers/sonologists. It was informed by a pilot study of possible distractors with quality and safety concerns and operator opinions regarding family bonding. RESULTS: The opinions of 393 obstetric sonographers/sonologists informed our results. Distractors with the most negative aspects included disruptive children (93.3%) and mobile phone conversations (84.3%). Most respondents (62%) believed that a distractor only had to be present for 5 min or less to have an impact. Small children were identified by 87.5% of respondents as safety risks to themselves, to the patient and to sonographers. Sonographers were concerned that distractors caused a loss of concentration, interruption to a systematic scanning approach and increased false negatives in screening, missing important diagnoses. Sonographers strongly agreed that obstetric sonography facilitated maternal-fetal bonding, but only 15% thought that siblings bond with the fetus during the scan. CONCLUSION: Obstetric sonographers in our study are concerned that distractors pose a negative impact on the quality and safety of ultrasound. They also recognise the importance of family bonding. Strategies to bridge the medical and social components of obstetric sonography should be developed to reduce quality and safety threats.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have associated total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) with better treatment adherence, decreased toxicity, improved complete clinical response and anal sphincter preservation rates in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). However, real-world experience with TNT in the management of LARC remains limited. AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety outcomes of TNT for LARC in Western Australia. METHODS: Patients with LARC (cT2-4 and/or cN1-2) who underwent induction chemotherapy followed by neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy or neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by consolidation chemotherapy, followed by surgery were recruited from two hospitals in Western Australia. Efficacy outcomes assessed included clinical response (complete, partial, no response), and pathologic complete response (pCR) rate, R0 resection rate, and R1 resection rate were evaluated. Those patients who achieved clinical complete response following TNT were given the option of active surveillance. The safety and tolerability of TNT were assessed. RESULTS: 32 patients with LARC were treated with TNT. In total, 17 patients (53%) received chemoradiotherapy followed by consolidation chemotherapy and 15 patients (47%) received induction chemotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy. Nine (28%) of the patients with LARC treated with TNT had a complete clinical response, twenty-one (66%) patients had a partial clinical response, and two (6%) patients had no response to TNT. Of the 32 patients, 27 (84%) underwent surgery. There was a 100% R0 resection rate. The pCR rate was 15%. pCR, clinical response, and the R0 resection rate were similar between the two TNT regimens. TNT was well tolerated, with the majority of patients (88%) completing the chemotherapy course with grade 1 and 2 adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, TNT emerges as a promising approach for the management of LARC. However, further research is warranted to refine the optimal TNT protocols, determine its long-term outcomes, and identify patient populations who would benefit the most from this innovative therapeutic strategy.

Tracheal transection from blunt trauma is an uncommon occurrence and presents a difficult challenge even to physicians with experience in managing difficult airway problems. This is a case report of a child who sustained a complete cervical tracheal transection from blunt trauma and presented to an outer metropolitan hospital where definitive care for his injuries was unavailable. A 10 year old boy presented to the emergency department (ED) of an outer metropolitan hospital with a severe neck injury. He had driven a farm bike into a wire fence, which had resulted in a neck high wire lacerating his neck: a process known as being “clothes lined”. He had walked 500 m back to his house and his father had driven him by car to the nearest ED, which was 20 minutes away. As this incident occurred out of hours, the ED to which he was brought to had an on-site emergency physician who was immediately available, with an on-call service for anaesthesia, and the average response time being 30 minutes. On initial assessment, there was an obvious large wound in the anterior neck with some haemorrhage …

Aims CSP is the standard of care for resecting small (<10mm) colonic polyps. However, limited data exists for its efficacy for medium-sized (10-19mm) sessile polyps. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of CSP/C-EMR for medium-sized sessile colonic polyps.

Abstract Phyllodes tumour (PT) is a rare type of fibroepithelial breast tumour that can present in a wide spectrum of biological behaviours, accounting for &amp;lt;1% of breast malignancies. Herein, we present a case of a rare gigantic ulcerating PT in a middle-aged woman from regional Western Australia, who presented with a rapidly growing right breast mass. Core biopsy showed spindle cell lesion with differentials being PT of at least borderline variety or metaplastic carcinoma. The ulcerations over the fungating tumour showed heavy growth of Staphylococcus aureus. The treating team subsequently proceeded to right total mastectomy with level 1 and 2 axillary clearance. This report emphasizes the rare presentation of PT, dilemma in investigations and the difficulties in managing non-compliant patient where treatment protocol needs to be modified.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma has a poor prognosis with limited therapeutic options Although numerous trials have shown that combination immunotherapy with nivolumab and ipilimumab is one of the first line treatments for patients with unresectable MPM, there is limited data on delayed responses over a long follow up period. We report a case of a delayed response 7 months after the cessation of immunotherapy in a patient who initially had progressive malignant pleural mesothelioma with metastases.

The axilla nerve block is versatile and covers injuries from the elbow to the hand, such as wrist fracture reductions, and may be an option to improve patient care, reduce both length of stay and resource allocation.