Medicus April 2016

N E W S Medical research week at SJG Subiaco

ST JOHN OF God Subiaco Hospital is holding a medical research week from 9 May. Director of Medical Research at the hospital, Associate Professor Nik Zeps said medical research week provides the opportunity for health practitioners to increase their knowledge and skills about leading medical research. “It is the second year we have held the free event, which includes high calibre international and national speakers as well as CPD education seminars, clinical trial workshops, research symposiums and a student information evening. “The event also showcases the health and medical research being THE AUSTRALIAN TRIAL of a radical new approach to asthma treatment could revolutionise the way we approach the disease. Bronchial thermoplasty – a minimally invasive surgical procedure to prevent constriction of the airways – has been likened to the introduction of laser surgery to improve eyesight. “We’re at the tip of a new paradigm for how we treat asthma,” said Associate Professor David Langton, Director of Thoracic Medicine at Peninsula Health, Melbourne and one of the study’s lead researchers. “The results of these trials could have a global impact, and completely revolutionise our approach,” he said. An estimated 2.3 million Australians have asthma. About five to ten percent of these struggle to control their asthma

undertaken at our hospital and other St John of God Health Care facilities.” A/Prof Zeps said hospital-based research is critical to ensuring clinical care is underpinned by the best evidence available to improve patient outcomes and develop new levels of clinical excellence. “Last year the hospital supported 62 research projects, including 14 projects with external collaborators, five with junior doctors and 17 oncology clinical trials. Much of the research is undertaken collaboratively with clinical, university and donor partners.”

For more information, visit sjog.org.au/researchweek ■

Encouraging innovation: SJG Subiaco Hospital supported 62 research projects in 2015.

Revolutionary asthma surgery trialled in Australia

using traditional treatments such as inhalers, and suffer from regular attacks leading to visits to ER, and lost days of work and school. Bronchial thermoplasty has been found to dramatically reduce the number of attacks by using the application of heat directly on the lungs to prevent them constricting. The surgery involves an overnight stay in hospital, with the procedure being performed under general anaesthetic. A bronchoscope is inserted through the nose or mouth to allow a doctor to ease a catheter into the patient’s airway. Once it’s in place, the catheter tip is heated to 65 degrees for 10 seconds. The heat gets rid of excess smooth muscle from airways, which widens air passages and reduces the chances of an asthma attack.

In the Australian trial, 17 patients were treated from June 2014 to June 2015 in a number of different states. The results found the procedure to be safe, asthma control significantly improved, and the need for reliever medication reduced. The study also demonstrated for the first time that the procedure worked well in people with severe as well as moderate asthma, and that in fact patients with severe asthma responded best to the surgery. Lung health experts are now calling for the widespread implementation of the procedure in Australia to be considered. The research was being presented to lung health experts from across Australia who were in Perth earlier this month for the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand. ■

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