Research Portfolio

Accuracy of Trauma Ultrasound in the PreHospital Environment (TUPHEn Study)

This study will evaluate the accuracy of prehospital ultrasound in patients when performed by the rapid emergency response team, consisting of paramedics and prehospital doctors in the Greater Brisbane, Logan and Ipswich areas (50km radius of the CBD), and will also compare the accuracy of paramedic performed scans to those performed by doctors. Ultrasound in Emergency Department (ED) is rapidly becoming an extension of the clinical exam. Focussed Assessment with Sonogram in Trauma (FAST) has been shown to be a rapid and non invasive means of detecting the presence of intraperitoneal and intrapericardial fluid without the need to remove the…

Principal Investigator: Dr Stephen Rashford
Amount Awarded: $32,075
Institution: Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital

Propofol or Ketofol for Emergency Medicine Procedural Sedation- A Randomized Controlled Trial: The POKEM Study.

This project aims to determine if the drug combination called ketafol offers an improved safety profile while maintaining the same procedural success rates and patient satisfaction. This study will still treat any pain before the procedure starts or the sedative drugs are administered for the procedure itself. Patients who agree to take part will receive one or other of the alternatives in predetermined amounts. All patients receive full monitoring and standard sedation care. The second aspect to this study relates to the way in which the data will be viewed and analyzed. This study will be using a special database…

Principal Investigator: Dr Anthony Bell
Amount Awarded: $115,075
Institution: Queensland Elizabeth II Jubilee Hopsital

Program of research incorporating six studies to improve the assessment and diagnosis of chest pain.

Chest pain is one of the most common Emergency Department (ED) presentations, but establishing a diagnosis of heart-related conditions is challenging and resource-intensive. Difficulties occur for a number of reasons. First, there are no tests available to rapidly identify all individuals who have heart conditions. Second, the symptoms of heart disease are varied and are common across a number of different illnesses. Thus, physicians who are treating patients with potential heart disease have to use a number of signs, symptoms, and tests to determine the likelihood that someone has heart disease. This process can take between 12 and 24 hours.…

Principal Investigator: Prof Louise Cullen
Amount Awarded: $622,939
Institution: Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital

Microcirculation in shocked patients

Microcirculation refers to very small blood vessels that control oxygen and nutrient delivery and removal of waste products from our tissues and organs. Previous research has shown that a decrease in either the number of vessels, or blood flow through these vessels, can be seen in patients who are very sick as a result of infections, blood loss or heart failure. Changes in microcirculation are associated with how sick a patient is and whether or not they recover from illness. However, only small numbers have been included in other studies. The principle hypothesis of this research is that abnormalities of…

Principal Investigator: Dr Bill Lukin
Amount Awarded: $119,055
Institution: Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital

Tamsulosin for the treatment of Distal Ureteric Calculi: A Double Blinded, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized, Multi-Centre trial

Ureteric colic (or Kidney stones) is a significant public health concern within Australia, affecting as many as 5-15% of adults. As a result, a significant number of Australians experience significant pain, hospital and outpatient visits, and the potential for more significant complications such as infection, kidney damage and the need for surgical treatments. Although several methods of medical treatments to improve care of such patients have been studied overseas, some of which appear promising, the practice of “medical expulsive therapy” for ureteric colic is not widely practiced in Australia. One such medication is Tamsulosin, which seems to have an effect…

Principal Investigator: Dr Jeremy Furyk
Amount Awarded: $278,782.93
Institution: Townsville University Hospital