Research Portfolio

Diagnostic Workup for Suspected Subarachnoid Haemorrhage.

Subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is a type of stroke, which affects about 10 in 100,000 Queenslanders. A patient with SAH usually complains of a sudden onset severe headache. About one in three of these patients die and another one in three survive with a disability. Early diagnosis and treatment is essential. Diagnosis involves a Computed Tomography (CT) scan and a spinal puncture to look for blood in the spinal fluid surrounding the brain. However, these tests are not 100 per cent accurate. However, doctors and patients are concerned about complications from these tests. These include radiation from CT scans and discomfort…

Principal Investigator: A/Prof Kevin Chu
Amount Awarded: $268,600.00
Institution:

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Tissue Doppler Evaluation of Diastolic Dysfunction in Emergency Department Acute Coronary Syndromes: The TEDDy-ED pilot study.

Chest pain is a common reason for presentation to the emergency department and admission to hospital. Even when this chest pain is due to acute coronary syndrome (heart attack), it is not always clear how dangerous this might be. Australian guidelines propose a number of features that help judge severity and guide treatment. However, there is increasing evidence that impaired heart relaxation is an early sign of heart attack. This can be diagnosed using ultrasound and might be a very sensitive test to identify patients in danger. This project aims to perform detailed ultrasound assessment of heart relaxation and filling,…

Principal Investigator: Dr Joseph Ting
Amount Awarded: $68,058
Institution:

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A randomised controlled trial of interventional versus conservative treatment of primary spontaneous pneumothorax

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is defined as a collapsed lung with air in the pleural cavity that occurs in the absence of clinically apparent underlying lung disease. PSP is a significant global health problem affecting adolescents and young adults. Throughout the 20th century the treatment of PSP was predominantly bed rest, with invasive treatment reserved for severely symptomatic episodes. A study in 1966 suggested that managing large and small PSP in the community was safe. Despite this, rates of intervention have steadily increased over the decades. The reasons for this are unclear and this approach has recently been questioned in…

Principal Investigator: Dr Frances Kinnear
Amount Awarded: $50,086
Institution:

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Adding “insult to Injury” – The Effect of fresh and aged blood to oxygenation metabolisms and organ function in a clinically relevant trauma/sepsis model.

The World Health Organization reports that trauma will be the major contributor to the 49.7 million annual deaths globally from non–communicable disease in 2020. Trauma and sepsis are the two leading causes of death worldwide. This project aims to examine the effects of trauma and severe infection on oxygen supply to various tissues and organs. We will study what infection does to metabolism and the degree of inflammation in these tissues. The effects of resuscitation on these tissue parameters while using stored and fresh blood will also be studied.

Principal Investigator: Dr Andrew Staib
Amount Awarded: $204,402
Institution:

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The Australasian Paediatric Head Injury Rules: a prospective validation of 3 international clinical decision rules for acute head injury in children presenting to emergency departments.

Many children sustain head injuries and present to emergency departments for evaluation. Even a seemingly minor incident may lead to serious injury requiring neurosurgery. While head computer tomography (CT) identifies all important injuries, there is an increasing recognition that radiation from CTs can increase the risk of fatal brain cancers, especially in younger children. Failure to identify a significant intracranial injury quickly may result in catastrophic consequences including long-term neurological disability and or death. A number of evidence-based head injury (HI) clinical decision rules (CDRs) have been developed to help physicians identify patients at risk of having a significant head…

Principal Investigator: A/Prof Jason Acworth
Amount Awarded: $298,028
Institution:

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