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Conversion disorder is a health condition in which a person experiences problems with moving parts of their body or other nervous system symptoms that can’t be explained by a medical assessment. These symptoms are thought to be due to stress. This project wants to determine if different conversion disorder symptoms are associated with particular patterns of feeling and thinking, and managing stress and relationships. We also want to test whether a breathing technique aimed at reducing stress when practiced for 20 minutes a day for a month leads to greater calmness and a reduction in conversion disorder symptoms A useful treatment for those with Conversion Disorder is regular weekly Psychotherapy for the purpose of understanding a patient’s problems. It does not normally, however, involve specific breathing techniques. This study wants to find out if using the breathing techniques before and potentially during up to 2 years of “talking” psychotherapy makes the psychotherapy more effective in reducing conversion disorder symptoms. We also want to compare the way symptoms and stress change with standard Neurology treatment versus psychotherapy alone or with combined Neurology and psychotherapy treatments.

This study is designed to assess whether Pregabalin is an effective pain medication for patients recovering from shoulder surgery. Pregabalin is a type of medication proven to be effective at treating certain types of pain and it is currently being used by many shoulder surgeons for their patients, however, there is yet to be any published scientific proof that Pregabalin is effective in these patients. This study aims to determine whether this medication is effective for these patients and reduces their overall pain during the period from 5 days before their operation to two weeks after their operation.

Cannabis use disorder is the most common illegal substance use disorder in the general population and demand for assistance from health professionals is increasing internationally (EMCDDA, 2014). Despite this, only a minority of individuals with the disorder seek treatment. Study on the barriers to cannabis treatment has highlighted the importance of providing additional outpatient treatments that are specific to cannabis (Treloar et al., 2007) and delivered to the individual in a way which unwanted contact with other illicit drug users can be avoided (Gates, Copeland, Swift and Martin, 2012). To date no Australian data exists on the efficacy of such a telephone-based intervention with a specific focus on an illicit drug. This study has been funded by the Australian Government Department of Health to examine whether a brief telephone-based counselling service can act as a feasible treatment option for people with problems with their cannabis use. The results from the randomised trial may validate decisions to support the funding of telephone based services or introduce similar services for other illicit drugs.

Oxytocin is a hormone which stimulates the smooth muscle of the uterus, producing rhythmic contractions, towards the end of pregnancy, during labour and after delivery. Synthetic oxytocin is a drug which is given to women in a drip (intravenous infusion) to help start (induce) and continue labour. Synthetic oxytocin is used because it helps establish contractions in a pattern similar to that of normal labour. If a woman has a spontaneous vaginal birth, it is generally the midwife who decides when to stop the synthetic oxytocin infusion after the birth of the baby. However, if she has an assisted vaginal birth (such as a vacuum or forceps birth) or caesarean birth, it may be the obstetrician who decides when to stop the synthetic oxytocin infusion after the birth of the baby. We are investigating the best time for the midwife to stop the synthetic oxytocin infusion after a spontaneous vaginal birth. We want to investigate this topic as there is no current evidence to guide this clinical practice. The primary aim of this study is to determine the proportion of women who have a postpartum haemorrhage, when intravenous oxytocin is ceased at 15, 30 or 60 minutes following completion of the third stage of labour. We hypothesise women who have intrapartum, intravenous oxytocin ceased at 15, 30 or 60 minutes following completion of the third stage of labour will experience the same rates of postpartum haemorrhage. We estimate that a total of 312 participants will need to be recruited to adequately power this study

It is estimated that approximately 80% of major burns involve one or both hands. Occupational therapists have a major role in providing hand and upper limb orthoses and instigating exercise and functional activities when structures are adequately healed. Although there are agreed occupational therapy treatment approaches for patients with upper limb burns, there has been no research into the optimal dose of therapy. This project aims to compare two different doses of inpatient occupational therapy for inpatients with upper limb/hand burns in terms of the impact on hand function, self care and length of stay. We will do this by creating two separate groups of participants (group allocation is based on admission dates); 1 control group (admitted between 1/9/15 and 31/12/15) who have received usual occupational therapy care, which is approximately one x 30 minute session daily. 2 Intervention group (admitted between 1/2/16 and 31/5/16) will receive usual occupational therapy care, plus an additional 30 minutes of daily therapy. Outcomes achieved will then be compared between groups.

Patients who undergo total hip replacement surgery traditionally have long surgical incisions, routine urinary catheters and wound drain tubes. Anesthesia involves 12 hours of oral restriction before and after surgery, a combination of local anesthetic blocks, spinal anaesthesia and sedation or general anesthesia. After surgery, patients have varying degrees of immobilization to avoid the risk of early hip dislocation and opioid pain relief which results in slow recovery and hospital discharge at day 4-6. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) principles for joint replacement surgery involve patient education, less invasive surgery, reduced fasting, regular oral analgesia and early ambulation. These principles are packaged together in a ‘bundle’ individualised for a particular hospital unit to account for local practices and preferences. Most ERAS programs have shown a remarkable improvement in patient recovery after joint replacement as measured by decreased hospital length of stay, improved mobilisation and patient satisfaction, with no increase in complications. This study aims to implement and evaluate a tailored ERAS program at Epworth HealthCare, a large private hospital with patients undergoing one-sided THR surgery by a single surgeon. Patients enrolled in the study will be evaluated from the time they are seen in the hospital preoperatively to discharge and followed up by a telephone call at 6 weeks. WHODAS 2.0 and QoR-15 questionnaires will assess patients’ return to health. The recovery of this group of patients will be compared to the recovery of a group of patients who underwent THR before the ERAS program was implemented.

The primary purpose of this study is to assess the safety and tolerability of combining imatinib (Glivec) with lenalidomide (Revlimid) and to determine whether the combination may improve the likelihood of maintaining a treatment-free remission in the future. Who is it for? You may be eligible to participate in this study if you are aged 18 or over, have been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia for which imatinib has been prescribed. Patients must have previously had a trial cessation of imatinib and needed to go back on treatment. Patients who may be eligible for this study must have been able to re-achieve and maintain at least 12 months of undetectable or very low levels of leukaemia cells after restarting their treatment with imatinib. Study details? All participants enrolled in this study will receive six months combination therapy of a daily oral dose of 10mg lenalidomide in addition to their existing imatinib medication. After six months, patients will then stop taking imatinib and continue to take the lenalidomide alone for another six months. Patients will then stop taking lenalidomide and enter a monitoring period on no medication which lasts up to two and a half years. If at any point a relapse occurs then imatinib will be re-started, or an alternative therapy if required. Patients will then be followed up for a further three years, giving a total study duration of up to six and a half years. Throughout this period, blood samples will be taken at weekly to six monthly intervals. Patient outcomes will be assessed by evaluating blood samples, bone marrow samples and physical examinations to monitor safety of the drug combination and to monitor disease progression. It is hoped that the findings of this study will provide information regarding the safety and efficacy of lenalidomide in combination with imatinib for improving the chance of chronic myeloid leukaemia patients achieving a treatment-free remission.

This is a first in human study for the DMTS. This study is evaluating a different formulation of dexmedetomidine by determining the bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of dexmedetomidine following a single 3-day application of the DMTS compared with a 24 hour IV infusion of Precedex and assessing the safety and tolerability. This is an open-label, randomized, two-period, cross-over study.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) leads to cirrhosis and/or hepatocellular carcinoma in 20-40% of those infected after 30 years. It is unclear whether the remaining 60-80% of those with HCV derive an objective physical health benefit from the treatment and cure of HCV infection. HCV infection appears to be associated with increased cardiovascular risk, however this is controversial, and it is unclear whether the mechanism is through HCV-induced metabolic syndrome and diabetes, or through chronic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. The aim of this study if to determine feasibility of using RH-PAT to measure change in endothelial function over time during HCV treatment, to refine assumptions and to seek a signal of effect. These data will then be used to determine if a larger multicentre trial is justifiable and to inform its design.

This study is a translational research project that will generate qualitative data to inform changes to clinical practice in a Cardiovascular acute care setting. Aims: 1 To explore the practical aspects of applying a depression screening protocol 2. To conduct behavioural analysis using the COM-B theorectical model to explore capability, opportunity and motivation of staff to change practice.