Austin Health researcher Dr Radwa Badawy has been awarded two additional prizes for her ground-breaking research into what causes people with epilepsy to have seizures.
Dr Badawy is this year’s recipient of both the Chancellor’s Prize for Excellence in the PhD Thesis and one of only five students to win the Dean’s Award for Excellence in a PhD Thesis from The University of Melbourne.
Both awards recognize Dr Badawy’s extensive work investigating the physiology of epilepsy using transcranial magnetic stimulation, a non-invasive and painless technique of looking into the brain.
Dr Badawy’s innovative studies enabled her to identify what happens in the brain leading up to a seizure and what happens after a seizure occurs. Dr Badawy examined factors known to exacerbate seizures that were poorly understood before, such as time of day and sleep deprivation.
Her studies also explored what happens when patients start taking medication and why some people respond well to medication while others do not.
Dr Badawy said the hope of her work is to understand more about epilepsy and to be able to apply this understanding clinically as a method to monitor early diagnosis as well as response to medication.
“I’m extremely honored, and I feel very responsible,” said Dr Badawy. “Once you have achieved something like this you have to live up to it, so I hope I can always produce the same standards and help the people who I work for.
Epilepsy is a very common disease. It’s very distressful for patients and their families. If we can help these patients with our research, then that would be the biggest achievement for me.”
Earlier this year, Dr Badawy was a finalist in the 2010 Premier’s Award for Health and Medical Research commending her research in epilepsy.
Doctors at Austin Health performed ground-breaking surgery to remove a large tumour dangerously wrapped around a patient’s spine. David Ceravolo, 47 year-old father of three, had as little as 3 weeks left before becoming a paraplegic. Dr Gerald Quan, orthopaedic surgeon, knew time was of the essence, given the severity of Mr Ceravolo’s chondrosarcoma, a rare form of cartilage cancer.
The cancer, resistant to chemotherapy and radiation, had returned after a previous operation, this time growing more rapidly and aggressively in and around Mr Ceravolo’s spine. Dr Quan and his team performed two life-saving operations over the course of four days, giving Mr Ceravolo time to recover in between.
Roughly the size of an orange and located in the middle of his chest, the tumour had wrapped itself around Mr Ceravolo’s spine and was pushing on the spinal cord. Dr Quan cut through two ribs to extract the tumour from Mr Ceravolo’s spine, at the same time removing two vertebrae on which the spine was attached to prevent the cancer from returning. Mr Ceravolo’s spine is now supported by two metal rods screwed into his spine, and a titanium cage replacing the two missing vertebrae.
Dr Quan said Mr Ceravolo has every chance of being cured of cancer. “I owe him my life” said Mr Ceravolo.
This innovative spinal surgery performed at Austin Health is the first of its kind in Melbourne.
Doctors at Austin Health have developed a new genetic test for assessing patient response to current treatment for Hepatitis C.
Using the results of a breakthrough discovery of a polymorphic gene in Switzerland and the United States, Austin Health gastroenterologist Dr Paul Froomes approached microbiologist Dr Volker Gurtler nine months ago with the task of devising a test for the gene, called rs12979860.
The significance of Dr Froomes and Dr Gurtler’s work is the increase in reliability of treatment for Hepatitis C patients with the polymorphic gene. "It means patients do not need to be tested so frequently, that pathology care for patients is much more simplified, and that the cost of testing is reduced," said Dr Gurtler.
"We can use the test to better select patients to be treated versus those who should wait for newer, more effective treatment to be developed," explains Dr Froomes. "For those without a genetic polymorphism, it isn’t worth having current treatment. There are new combination treatments for Hepatitis C just around the corner and we have new research studies coming out later this year, so those patients are better off going into those studies."
Dr Froomes and Dr Gurtler found that "if a patient had the polymorphism, then their response rate was much better, about 70- 80%, compared to someone who did not have the polymorphism who had a much lower response rate of 20%," explained Dr Froomes. Dr Gurtler was given the challenging task of modifying the DNA sequence specific for the mutated gene. Dr Gurtler and his pathology team at Austin Health spent 6 months developing and validating the genetic test for the gene, although as he pointed out "it’s been 20 years coming".
Currently, this genetic testing for the polymorphic gene is only conducted at Austin Health.
Some of Austin Health’s hard working volunteers were recognised in the City of Banyule Community Volunteer Awards 2010. Congratulations to Bernadette Jackson for winning the Banyule Community Volunteer of the Year award.
Mrs Jackson, a retired school teacher, began as a volunteer canteen worker at Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital in 2001. She moved onto helping out in the Emergency Department and later the cancer wards at the Austin Hospital. The volunteers in the Emergency Department aim to improve the patient and family's experience and put them at ease by providing practical and emotional support.
Mrs Jackson said that she felt humbled by her award.
“I come into ED at eight o’clock on Saturday mornings,” she said. “I pop my head around a cubical curtain to offer a chat. I meet every kind of person on the planet. I just love it.”
Austin Health Life Governor, Mrs Jean MacDonald, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award in recognition of 50 years service to the Friends of Austin Health.
At 87 years old, Mrs MacDonald has worked tirelessly for the Greensborough community via the auxiliary; the Country Women’s Association; the Red Cross; and Vision Australia. She estimates that she has raised tens of thousands of dollars for charity. Even the deterioration of her vision and her upcoming move into a residential care facility has not slowed Mrs MacDonald.
“I plan to keep doing this until I die,” she said. “I love it, it keeps my mind active.”
Mrs Jackson and Mrs MacDonald’s many years of dedication were recognised in an awards ceremony on the evening of 12 May.
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Austin Health’s Liver Transplant Unit will be able to employ a second surgical team, thanks to $1.4 million in funding from the State Government.
The increase will allow them to perform more transplants, including more split liver transplants, in which two transplants are performed using a single donor organ.
Each split liver procedure has the potential to save two people’s lives.
Liver Transplant Unit director, Professor Bob Jones said that they also put significant pressure onto the clinical team.
“It’s become increasingly difficult to have teams available,” Professor Jones said.
“You’ve got to have a team to retrieve the donor organs, a team to split it in half, and you’ve got to do two transplants. So it’s effectively four operations…three operating rooms, three sets of nurses, two sets of anaesthetists, and a transplant operation can go from eight to 12 hours.”
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Health Minister Daniel Andrews came to the Austin Hospital in person last Tuesday to announce the funding and meet patients on the liver transplant waiting list.
The Victorian Liver Transplant Unit at Austin Heath has been the sole provider of liver transplant services for Victoria, Tasmania and Southern NSW since 1988. Last financial year, the unit performed 54 liver transplants.
Patient John Pollock welcomed the news that the funding would allow for more transplant operations, becoming close to tears several times while telling the minister of the emotional toll taken by being on the waiting list.
However, he had only praise for the Liver Transplant Unit.
“When I come in here I get a whole treatment team, and they’re not just a good team: they’re the best,” Mr Pollock said.
Mr Andrews said that demand on the Victorian Liver Transplant Unit was growing due to an increased availability of donor livers, driven by investment in the national DonateLife campaign aimed at increasing organ donation rates.
“Organ transplants from Victorian donors saved 204 lives in 2009. Making sure your partner, family and friends know your wishes to donate is one of the most important steps you can take,” Mr Andrews said.
Austin Health surgeons made history over the weekend by completing Australia’s first intestinal transplant and saving a man’s life.
Professor Bob Jones and his team, assisted by English transplant surgeon Mr Darius Mirza, performed the complex multi-organ transplant in a 12 hour operation, finishing at 2am Saturday morning.
The surgeons replaced 33-year old Brendan Cole’s small intestine, liver, pancreas and duodenum.
Professor Jones was relieved and elated after what had many years of planning and preparation, and completing what he described as “the most risky of all transplant operations.”
"We have been able to successfully fulfil our dream. It's a wonderful, historic occasion," Professor Jones told a media conference on Saturday morning.
"This was a life-threatening situation for Brendan and the transplant will enable him to have a normal life," Professor Jones said.
The patient, Brendan Cole, has suffered worsening intestinal failure since infancy and has endured more than 30 hospital operations.
He was being kept alive only by Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN), a process of artificial feeding directly into the bloodstream that resulted in frequent infections and liver damage. Professor Jones said that without the transplant, Mr Cole’s prognosis was poor.
Mr Cole is now in the Austin Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit in a serious but stable condition.
Professor Bob Jones said, “We’re delighted with the result, however Brendan has some significant challenges to face over the next few months. The risk of his body rejecting the new organs is high and infection is very common, so we’re not out of the woods yet.”
Austin Health plans to establish an ongoing intestinal transplant program.
Two Austin Health researchers have been commended by the Victorian Premier for their work at the 2010 Premier’s Award for Health and Medical Research.
Dr Radwa Badawy and Dr Benjamin Howden have both achieved breakthroughs in their fields of specialisation. Dr Badawy proved a theory about changes in the brain of epilepsy patients. Dr Howden’s research showed how the superbug Golden Staph has become resistant to even powerful antibiotics.
“Their results are outstanding examples of the quality of research underway across Austin Health,” said Dr Brendan Murphy, Chief Executive Officer at Austin Health. “Questions that arise in our clinics and on our wards can become research projects. These can be translated into improved treatments.”
Dr Badawy moved from Egypt to Melbourne to carry out her PhD research and Clinical Epilepsy Fellowship in the Department of Neurology at Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital. She used a relatively new technique called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to measure the brain activity in patients with epilepsy. She developed a new testing method to study her patients, who were newly-diagnosed and not yet taking medication.
Epilepsy is thought to be caused by a disruption to the normal electrochemical balance of the brain resulting in increased activity. This increased activity is called brain ‘excitability’. The excitability theory was unproven in humans because before now as there was no way to measure it without opening the skull.
Using TMS equipment, Dr Badawy proved that there is an increase in patients’ brain excitability. Patients who start taking medication and stop having seizures then recorded normal brain activity.
“My results are exciting because TMS is safe and painless,” said Dr Badawy. “Epilepsy seizures can totally disrupt the lives of patients as well as their family. If I can help to explain what causes epilepsy and we can stop even one person from having seizures, I will feel as though I have achieved something.”
In his work as an infectious diseases physician at Austin Hospital, Dr Howden researches the dangerous superbug MRSA, also known as Golden Staph, which is resistant to many antibiotics. Golden Staph is present in most large Australian hospitals, infecting patients through their wounds following surgery as well as their intravenous lines and catheters.
“As a doctor I saw patients with Golden Staph infections on the wards that were becoming even more resistant to antibiotics. We didn’t understand why this was happening, so I took these questions into the research labs to find the answers,” said Dr Howden.
Using a combination of techniques, including genetic sequencing, Dr Howden showed that patients being treated for serious Golden Staph infections can become more resistant to antibiotics when the bacteria develops minor genetic changes. He also found that Golden Staph is developing ways to evade the human immune system. Ultimately, Dr Howden’s work is expected to improve treatment of Golden Staph infections.
“The great thing about this award is that it recognises the collaboration between the clinicians at Austin Hospital and the basic researchers at Monash University and The University of Melbourne,” said Dr Howden.
At a ceremony at Government House on Monday 7 June, Dr Badawy and Dr Howden each received a commemorative certificate and prize money of $8,000 from Premier John Brumby and Governor David de Kretser, AC.
The Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre project received its largest injection of money to date in the State Budget.
“The $68.9 million pledged means we can build the centre in one stage. This will minimise disruption to the hospital and save money,” said Dr Brendan Murphy, Chief Executive Officer.
This funding tops up the $50 million already received from the Victorian and Federal governments, plus the $12 million raised by the Appeal.
“Construction is due to start this month and the actual building will be finished in 2012,” said Dr Murphy. “Initially it will house the ambulatory services. The plan is to progressively fit-out the inpatient areas and research facilities as fundraising continues.”
The historic Zeltner Hall is being renovated and will house the wellness programs and information services from 2012.
An elated Olivia Newton-John flew into Melbourne for a month to celebrate the announcement and to continue her tireless fundraising.
Staff and attending media crowded in to the Education Precinct to see her at an official presentation last Wednesday. She was joined by the Premier, the Hon. John Brumby MP and the Minister for Health, the Hon. Daniel Andrews MP who were clearly thrilled to receive a kiss on the cheek and be labelled ‘heroes’.
With emotion, Ms Newton-John spoke of her ordeal with breast cancer in 1992, when she underwent surgery and eight months of chemotherapy. Describing herself as a cancer ‘thriver’ rather than ‘survivor’, Ms Newton-John deplored the lack of holistic treatment available to her eighteen years ago.
“I dreamed of treatment that takes care of the whole person,” she said.
This dream will become a reality as meditation, counselling, yoga and art and music therapy will complement the world-class medical treatment already provided by Cancer Services.
The new centre will enable the consolidation of Day Oncology services, now based at two different hospital sites, as well as the expansion of radiotherapy services. Because of the funding, space can now be included for future inpatient wards and researchers from the international Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research to develop innovative cancer therapies.
The Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre Appeal is aiming to raise an additional $13 million from public fundraising.
See media footage of Olivia Newton-John serenading Premier John Brumby and performing her hit from Grease, 'You're the one that I want', in Bourke Street Mall.
Children staying at the Austin Hospital can now spend time in a colourful new garden in with raised garden beds and a bright forest mural, that was opened by Minister for Children Maxine Morand.
“The garden provides a lovely place for children and their families away from the hustle and bustle of ward activity,” said Ms Jenny Spiller, acting nurse unit manger of the Paediatrics Ward.
“There were a lot of people who helped this courtyard come to life, but the idea for an outdoor area started with Juanita Phillips, our ‘Charge Nurse’ in the old Austin Hospital.”
During the hospital redevelopment, Mrs Phillips had asked for a courtyard for her young patients and was pleased to see her idea come to fruition. She was surprised when the Minister unveiled a sign painted “Juanita’s Garden” in her honour.
The Minister also visited the recently redeveloped Austin Child Care Centre, which has cared for the children of staff since 1976. The $1.5 million redevelopment means the centre can now care for 70 children and babies.
Internationally-acclaimed expert interventional cardiologist, Dr Etsuo Tsuchikane, flew in to Austin Hospital to treat five of the Cardiology Department’s most complex patients.
Each patient suffered from a completely blocked heart artery known as a chronic total occlusion. A completely blocked coronary artery can cause chest pain and is sometimes a reason to perform bypass surgery. The blockages are often rock hard. They are very difficult to get across with the cardiologist’s usual guidewires, balloons and stents. Many patients are referred for coronary bypass surgery or treated with powerful medications to thin the blood and to relieve the chest pain.
Dr Tsuchikane and his team at the Toyohashi Heart Centre in Japan have devised highly skilful techniques to treat chronic total occlusions. Using custom designed wires guided by X-rays, Dr Tsuchikane gradually works the wires through the blockage then inserts a metal stent to hold the vessels open.
“The most important skill in this kind of procedure is patience,” said Dr Tsuchikane.
While his basic methods are the same as those used worldwide, Dr Tsuchikane uses quite stiff wires and other support catheters to get across blockages. He has honed his tactile sense of the way the procedure feels. In the wrong hands, the risk of perforation of the blood vessel wall is high.
Dr Tsuchikane joined senior Austin Health interventional cardiologists Dr Robert Chan and Associate Professor Omar Farouque to treat 73-year old patient Mr Peter Orpin.
After four years on medication to thin his blood, patient Mr Orpin felt that his angina attacks were worsening. He underwent two interventions last year at other Victorian hospitals that failed to clear the blockage from his coronary artery.
“I could feel the pain travel right around my chest. I had to lie down for half an hour before I could continue what I was doing,” he said. “Once I had to stop the car and lie down on my back in the park.”
Patients with chronic total occlusions make up approximately 10-15 per cent of patients seen in Austin Hospital’s cardiac catheterisation laboratory. Because of the complexity, the procedures are often less successful and come with higher complication rates. Patients experience greater exposure to radiation and longer procedure times.
Dr Tsuchikane and Dr Chan succeeded in clearing the blockage from Mr Orpin’s artery with a balloon but his artery was hardened beyond being able to accept a stent.
In three of the other cases, the team succeeded in placing stents to open up the blockage.
“One was an impossible case,” said the Japanese master. “We tried but could not cross the blockage.”
Director of Cardiology, Assoc Prof Farouque said that the most complex patients had been assembled for Dr Tsuchikane’s visit.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for our patients to receive the best treatment in the world,” he said. “It was valuable for our own cardiologists to learn some of the finer points of his technique. Cardiologists from interstate also flew in to observe Dr Tsuchikane’s work.”
Sleepless nights are a thing of the past for Annette Rowlands. The 50-year old had endured 12 years of poor sleep that left her feeling exhausted and unable to cope.
Mrs Rowlands had suffered from obstructive sleep apnoea, said Dr Maree Barnes, Austin Health sleep specialist.
“While sleeping, Annette’s tongue and palate were sucked against the back of her throat so that she could not breathe,” said Dr Barnes. “During her sleep study we measured that this happened for at least 10 seconds, 40 times each hour. Each time, Annette briefly awoke. She was unable to enter into deep, restful sleep.”
In July, Mrs Rowlands was surgically implanted with a device that sends a zap of electricity to her tongue so that it moves forward and opens her airway.
The device is a little smaller than an iPod Nano and sits just under her collar bone. It is connected to two sensor leads that run under her skin and monitor her breathing. A stimulator lead is placed under the skin under her chin and is attached to the device.
Mrs Rowlands uses a controller to start and stop the device, programming it to turn on 30 minutes after she falls asleep. During each breath, the system sends an electronic signal to her tongue nerve via the stimulation lead. This causes her tongue to move and open the airway, allowing her to breathe. Once asleep, Mrs Rowlands is not aware the device is operating and remains asleep.
“When I heard about the trial I was desperate,” said Mrs Rowlands. “I had forced myself to keep going for so long but I just couldn’t cope anymore. I was so tired that if I sat down for a moment, I’d fall asleep.”
Dr Barnes says that untreated sleep apnoea can be harmful. “Besides the inability to function well and enjoy life, sleep apnoea may cause high blood pressure.”
“Since I’ve been able to sleep I feel absolutely wonderful,” Mrs Rowlands said. “I have a lot more energy and I feel healthier. People say that I look better and I have lost the bags under my eyes.”
“Although this is a brand new technology, nerve stimulation has been used extensively in many parts of the body for a long time,” said Dr Barnes.
Mrs Rowlands is one of 18 Australians who are expected to benefit from the device during the trial. So far eight patients have been implanted at the Austin Hospital. The device, known as the Apnex Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation (HGNS™) System is manufactured by US-based company Apnex Medical Inc.
For more information about this trial, please call the Austin Hospital Switchboard on 03 9496 5000.
An advanced care plan improves end-of-life care for patients, a research study by Respecting Patient Choices has confirmed.
In a study of more than 300 inpatients over the age of 80, chief lead investigator Dr Karen Detering and her team found that end-of-life wishes were more likely to be known and followed in the group that were given an advanced care plan (86 per cent) compared to a control group (30 per cent).
In addition to that, family members of patients who received an advanced care plan experienced significantly less stress, anxiety and depression than those of control group patients, and general patient and family satisfaction with the care given was also much higher in the group who received advanced care plans.
Dr Detering said that the research supports the work that Austin Health has been doing with advanced care planning, including the introduction last year of resuscitation plans for every patient over 75, to describe what life prolonging treatments they want.
For more about the Respecting Patient Choices, please visit their website.
Professor Sam Berkovic and team were awarded a major $16.5 million grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council on Thursday 25 February, to further their research into the genetic causes of epilepsy.
Professor Berkovic is director of both the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program and The University of Melbourne’s Epilepsy Research Centre at Austin Health. He has already made an invaluable contribution to the understanding of the genetics of epilepsy, discovering many genetic alterations responsible for particular types of epilepsy, including the first gene for epilepsy in 1995.
His discoveries have changed the way specialists think about the causes of epilepsy and stimulated many other genetic researchers to focus on inherited seizure disorders. Professor Berkovic hopes that his new work will contribute to the development of new diagnostic methods and treatments for epilepsy.
In this study, Prof Berkovic will lead a collaborative research team with ten investigators across Australia, in Melbourne, Adelaide and Queensland.
They will investigate how genes associated with epilepsy are inherited and the how genetic variations result in development of seizures. Advanced brain imaging will be used to understand the effects of genetic variation on brain structure and function.
“Over the course of the grant’s five year period, we hope to understand more about the types of genes involved and how they affect the brain. This research has important implications for the diagnosis of epilepsy, and hopefully eventually for treatments,” Professor Berkovic said. Jeffrey Zajac, Professor of Medicine at The University of Melbourne Department of Medicine at Austin Health said that Professor Berkovic and his collaborators are considered the leading group in the world in this field.
“This grant will allow them to continue competing at an international level. The close collaboration between the basic science research at The University of Melbourne and the clinical studies at the Austin Hospital creates a unique environment that allows this sort of research to thrive," Professor Zajac said. Listen to Professor Berkovic's podcast to find out more about his research into the genetics of epilepsy.
Austin Health’s director of the Liver Transplant Unit, Professor Bob Jones, and Board member Professor David Scott, have both been awarded AMs in the Australia Day honours for their contribution to medicine.
Professor Jones performed Victoria’s first liver transplant in 1988, paediatric liver transplant in 1988 and split liver transplant – using a portion of a mother’s liver to save the life of her one-year old son - in 2007.
He is also a strong advocate for organ donation – something he said comes from his direct experience of seeing lives lost.
“One of the most frustrating things is to have a patient dying here in need of a donor. Perhaps 15 per cent of the people on our waiting list are going to die before getting a transplant,” Professor Jones said.
He said that when he started as a surgeon in the 1980s, liver transplantation was pioneering and much more dangerous for the patient.
“A significant number of our patients died no matter what we did. But as they were dying anyway, we knew we had no other option than to proceed, so that’s what drove us ahead,” Professor Jones said.
“Now that we’ve become more established, we know who to transplant and who not to transplant, and we have a much better range of drugs to treat patients more effectively,” he said.
“Our first paediatric transplant, in late 1988, was very high risk, but that young woman has now grown up and has three children of her own,” he said.
He and his team are about to face those same challenges again – as well as the same potential to save lives – by attempting Australia’s first intestinal transplant, something Professor Jones said will happen as soon as the right donor organ becomes available.
Professor Jones has directed the Liver Transplant Unit since its inception, which today provides liver transplant services to all of Victoria, Tasmania and parts of southern New South Wales. The team has now performed more than 650 transplants and enjoys some of the best outcomes in the world.
Austin Health’s chief executive officer, Dr Brendan Murphy, said that Professor Jones is also remarkable for the respect and affection he gains from everyone who meets him – including colleagues, students, but particularly his patients.
“Professor Jones is deeply admired by all who are privileged to meet and work with him. His patients adore him and he is always attentive and sincere,” Dr Murphy said.
Austin Health Board member Professor David Scott was also awarded an AM in the Australia Day honours, for his services to transplantation and other leadership positions in health.
In his time as Head of Transplant Surgery at Monash University and the Monash Medical Centre, Professor Scott was instrumental in research looking at prolonging organ storage. He is now chair of the Austin Health Board Clinical Quality and Safety Committee.
Chief executive officer, Dr Brendan Murphy, said that the award is a fitting achievement.
“Professor Scott is a tireless advocate of high quality patient care and strong clinical leadership in health. We are proud to have him on our governance team,” Dr Murphy said.
A record 90 interns started their first rotation in the Austin Health/Northern Health training program on Monday 18 January - the largest number to ever begin in a single intake and the largest program in Victoria.
Manager of HMO Services Sarah McConchie said the program has not only the largest intern intake in Victoria, but also the widest range of rotations.
“We have some really exciting positions this year. We are constantly looking at new and innovative roles to offer interns, to provide them with as broad and meaningful an experience as possible,” says Ms McConchie.
During their intern year, the new recruits will complete five 10-week rotations, three of which must be in Surgery, General Medicine and Emergency Medicine. This year, interns have the opportunity to complete rotations in two new fields – Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine. The Forensic Medicine placement, which will be undertaken at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, is the first of its kind in Victoria.
Dr Sundar Veerapan from Alphington officially starts his career as the first intern in Victoria to do a rotation in Forensic Medicine.
“I’m really interested in the medico-legal aspects of Forensic Medicine, such as how doctors contribute to testimonies,” Dr Veerapan said. There were over 500 applications for the 90 positions available in 2010.
Director of Medical Education Dr Heather Grusauskas said she is delighted that so many new graduates have chosen Austin Health as their employer of choice.
“he medical education unit provides state-of-the-art training and learning opportunities to teach appropriate skills to ensure high quality patient care,” Dr Grusauskas said.
The interns have the opportunity to complete placements at the Austin Hospital, Northern Hospital, Bendigo Base Hospital, Echuca Regional Hospital, Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine and with a General Practitioner in Leongatha.
Olivia’s Great Walk - the documentary account of Olivia Newton-John's epic 228 km trek along the Great Wall of China to raise funds to build her Cancer and Wellness Centre at the Austin Hospital - will be repeated on Channel Ten at 12 noon this Boxing Day (December 26, 2009).
Tune in to watch inspirational cancer survivors join Olivia Newton-John and a host of stars as they trek across the Great Wall of China to raise awareness, hope and funds for cancer care and research.
The documentary includes emotional interviews with Olivia Newton-John, Dannii Minogue, Sir Cliff Richard and others, while highlighting the challenging trek across incredible remote scenic parts of China. The group walked to raise the funds to build the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre Appeal - a centre that will set new standards in patient-centred care and provide a way forward in cancer research and treatment.
The appeal patron, Olivia Newton-John said, "It's not just about treating cancer, it's about healing the whole person."
For more on the appeal and TV show visit the Great Walk to Beijing.
The TV documentary was made possible thanks to the following sponsors: MBT, Intelligent Risks, Nordic Poles and Pines Stud.
"During the financial year of 2008-09, Austin Health treated the largest number of patients in its 127-year history," said Dr Brendan Murphy, Chief Executive Officer.
"Our dedicated staff responded to increasing demands while ensuring patient care, service delivery, efficiency and quality remained priorities."
Our achievements during 2008-09 included:
Obesity significantly increases the difficulty of caring for patients in Austin Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED).
This is the finding of a study by Associate Professor David Taylor from Austin Health, home to Victoria’s busiest ED, and researcher Jeremy Kam of Melbourne University.
Of the 60,000 people treated in Austin Hospital’s ED each year, 60 per cent range from overweight to morbidly obese.
“The doctors, nurses and radiographers treating 750 patients in Austin Hospital’s Emergency Department were asked how a patient’s obesity affected their difficulty in managing their patient,” said Associate Professor Taylor. “They reported that the difficulty of treating overweight patients increases with their obesity.”
A high body mass index (BMI) was found to be very strongly linked with more difficulty in finding anatomical landmarks, physical examination, patient positioning and procedures generally, especially inserting an intravenous cannula or taking blood samples.
“For the first time, our research quantifies the correlation between obesity and management difficulty,” said Associate Professor Taylor.
While doctors experienced more difficulties than nurses and radiographers, generally management difficulty did not increase until the BMI was in the obese or morbidly obese range.
“While there are challenges associated with treating very overweight people, there are costs associated with providing this care,” said Associate Professor Taylor. “Bigger patients may need bigger beds and chairs, and staff may need lifting equipment to move them. Even items like blood pressure cuffs need to be upsized.”
Associate Professor Taylor will present results of the study in poster format during the annual scientific meeting of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, which will be held at the Melbourne Convention Centre November 15-19.
Research Week officially started on Monday 19 October, with new event Professors Professing attracting approximately 150 people to the John Lindell Lecture Theatre. The event, which featured recent Distinguished Scientist Award winners, Professors Rinaldo Bellomo and Ego Seeman, was as entertaining as it promised to be, with jokes, youtube videos and references to popular culture included alongside wisdom and advice for young people entering the medical research field. The two professors lived up to their reputations as skilled orators, and clearly enjoyed the opportunity to impart their wisdom. After the presentation, both spoke of having a very similar motivation of wanting to share their passion for research with younger people. “I think that research is very important,” said Professor Seeman. “Nothing is more important than nurturing someone’s career. Nothing that we do lasts – not our discoveries – but the difference you can make to someone’s career is lasting,” he said. Professor Bellomo agreed, saying that one of the most satisfying things about his work was the opportunity to mentor young and enthusiastic people. “They become like family and you really feel like you have to look after them,” he said. Research Week co-ordinator Geraldine Richards said that the rest of the week’s festivities should be equally entertaining. “The first round of posters are already on display in the Education Centre for those who are interested in viewing them – although the best time to come will be during the poster defence sessions on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon when the researchers will be there to discuss their research,” Ms Richards said. “This year we’ve had a record number of participants in the poster competition, and have lunchtime events on every day for the first time, so there should be something on to appeal to everyone – researchers and non-researchers alike,” she said. Tuesday’s lunchtime session discussed the importance of strengthening Austin Health’s research partnerships and reputation for research, and events later in the week include presentations from young researchers, visit from plenary speaker Professor Fred Mendelsohn and the inaugural R J Pierce Symposium on respiratory and sleep medicine. Lunchtime sessions are in the John Lindell Lecture Theatre at 12pm every day until Friday. Visit the Research Week website to see the full program.
Health Minister Daniel Andrews visited Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital to officially open Austin Health’s new sub-acute care ward for elderly patients on Monday 12 October.
The new ward – Ward 10 – gives Austin Health patients access to an additional 24 beds, and introduces an innovative new model of care for older people with complex care needs. Patients have access to a ward team that combines acute medical care with the expert knowledge of sub-acute care specialists.
Ward 10 was refurbished with $2.23 million of state funding and is expected to care for approximately 700 patients each year.
“In the next 50 years it is predicted that one in four Australians will be aged over 65, and the number of people over 85 will increase from 1.6 per cent of the population to around 5-7 per cent,” Mr Andrews said.
“Austin Health has responded to the challenge by setting up this ward and introducing an innovative model of care for older people with complex care needs,” he said.
A $225 million construction project to build two facilities that will house the largest neurosciences group in the Southern Hemisphere has commenced at the Austin Hospital.
The Premier of Victoria John Brumby joined Minister for Innovation Gavin Jennings and four of the world’s leading experts in the neuroscience and mental health fields to turn the first sod for the $45 million Austin Neuroscience Facility on Wednesday 5 August.
The Austin Neuroscience Facility will house more than 200 research and support staff from the Florey Neurosciences Institutes, The University of Melbourne, Mental Health Research Institute and Austin Health.
Its researchers include leading authorities in the fields of stroke, epilepsy, brain imaging and Alzheimer’s disease, Professors Geoff Donnan, Sam Berkovic, Graeme Jackson and Colin Masters.
Over their combined 110 years of clinical and research experience, the four professors have discovered genes, developed new treatments for disease, published more than 1,000 papers and book chapters and received dozens of international awards.
They have also seen more than 150,000 patients and director of the Florey Neuroscience Institutes, Professor Geoff Donnan, said they would continue to pursue research with a strong clinical focus.
“The opportunity for the groups to collaborate closely will lead to exciting new discoveries and treatments for the three million Australians affected by these diseases every year,” Professor Donnan said.
“The new facility will also attract leading scientists from around the world and build on the reputation of both Heidelberg and Parkville as leading centres for biomedical research,” he said. The facility is the first stage of the $225 million Melbourne Neuroscience Project, which will see two new research facilities built over two years. Construction of the second facility will commence later this year in Parkville.
Austin Health is not just at the epicentre of Victoria’s swine flu epidemic; it is also at the forefront of research to understand it.
Austin Health researcher Associate Professor Joseph Torresi received a grant of over $400,000 from the National Health and Medical Research Council last Wednesday to study the epidemiology and virology of the Victorian epidemic.
A/Prof Torresi’s research team aims to define the ways that swine flu is presenting clinically and create an algorithm that allows doctors to predict the cases most likely to require further testing and treatment.
“If we can identify influenza cases rapidly it becomes possible to intervene with measures to restrict the spread of the virus in the community and institute prompt investigations and treatment of those most likely to develop severe infections,” A/Prof Torresi said.
“We’ll also be looking at the nature of the epidemic as it’s spread through Melbourne. When someone falls ill, we’ve seen a high proportion of their close contacts become infected - the virus appears to have a high secondary attack rate and it will be important to establish if this is higher than we see with other types of influenza,” A/Prof Torresi said.
The team will look at some of the less obvious factors that lead to more severe disease in some people. The research will also look at people’s compliance and behaviour with quarantine measures, the nature of the virus and how it contributes to disease severity and any changes to its resistance to oseltamivir (Tamiflu) over the next few months.
“It’s a great deal of work but the flu season will be over by late October, so now is the time to get this important research done,” he said.
The study is one of 41 fast-tracked for approval by the NHMRC because they will rapidly benefit Australia and the rest of the world by shaping strategies for responding to next year’s flu season.
A/Prof Torresi’s research may provide new and important information to update the pandemic influenza plan, better preparing the country for influenza epidemics and pandemics in the future.
His research team includes Austin Health infectious diseases experts Prof Lindsay Grayson and A/Prof Paul Johnson, and researchers from The Alfred, the Northern Hospital, the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza and the Nossal Institute.
Austin Health became 100% smoke-free on 1 July 2009.
While smoking has been banned within the hospitals for many years, 100% smoke-free means that smoking is no longer allowed in the outside areas of Austin Hospital, Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre and Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital.
As a leading healthcare provider, it is important that Austin Health take a leading role in supporting the community towards making healthy choices. There is growing support in the wider community for smoke-free public places and encouraging new research has shown that eliminating smoking from public places and worksites may motivate smokers to quit altogether.
People who wish to smoke can do so outside the boundaries of Austin Health’s three hospitals. Patients and staff who want to quit smoking are eligible for assistance and support from Austin Health’s Smoking Cessation Unit.
For inpatients experiencing difficulty going without cigarettes, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) will be available free of charge, as determined by the patient in partnership with their treating clinical practitioner.
Community support is essential in proving a clean and safe environment for our patients and staff and your cooperation is appreciated.
An Australian-first study will test live online rehabilitation with video gaming to give spinal cord injury patients the hope of regaining the movement of their hands.
The ReJoyce workstation is being used for the first time in Australia in tele-rehabilitation which allows patients to get real time specialist physiotherapy over the internet.
The patient wears a glove that enables electrical impulses to stimulate the muscles in the hand to grasp and release, in the hope of sprouting new connections in the spinal cord and re-establishing hand function.
“It’s possible that stimulating both the brain and the muscles in the hand could create new nerve growth in the spinal cord,“ said Professor Mary Galea, a researcher at Austin Health and The University of Melbourne, who is coordinating the study.
“The majority of spinal cord injury patients in Australia are young men aged between 16 and 35. Giving them home-based access to computer games as part of their rehabilitation is a great motivator for them to practice hand exercises,“ she said.
Austin Health patient Mr Gabriel Moraitis is the first person in Australia to have a ReJoyce workstation in his home.
“I’ve noticed quite a bit of an improvement already. The way I grip and grab things is a lot stronger and firmer. It’s quite amazing to see your hand go from having no movement at all to have it open and close,” Mr Moraitis says.
“A lot of spinal cord injury patients live in regional and rural areas. Even for people who live in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, travelling to rehab centres can be difficult,“ Professor Galea said. “The ReJoyce workstation enables better access to spinal rehabilitation specialists at Austin Health without having to travel long distances. It also enables spinal cord injury patients to get on with their lives and gain more independence.”
The project is funded by the Victorian Neurotrauma Initiative.
The threat of SARS, bird flu and swine flu has influenced hospital infection procedures for the better, according to an Austin Health professor.
On Tuesday 5 May, Austin Hospital installed its hand-wash hub, a self-service handwash centre for all hospital visitors arriving and leaving the hospital.
“We know that hand-washing is the most simple and effective way to prevent the spread of infection around the hospital”, Director of Infectious Diseases, Prof Lindsay Grayson said.
“This includes not only superbugs such as 'Golden Staph, but also viruses such as swine flu,” he said.
Introduction of the alcohol handrub program has resulted in a 50 percent reduction in golden staph at the Austin Hospital and the mission of the new National Hand Hygiene Initiative is to achieve a similar result nationally.
Prof Grayson oversees the national roll-out of hand hygiene initiatives in his role as Director of Hand Hygiene Australia (HHA). But like any good scientist, he wanted to measure how bad the problem was before implementing his program.
HHA is now establishing a standardised database of superbugs, especially Golden Staph, across Australia. Grayson’s own state of Victoria is exceeding its own hand hygiene compliance targets and is leading the way nationally, although other states are quickly 'catching the bug' and introducing hand-rub programs to help control their infection rates.
HHA will implement a 5 star system, similar to hotels.
“The more stars, the better the hospital’s hand hygiene compliance. Our system will make it easier to choose a hospital that takes infection control seriously” he said.
