ANZCTR search results

Sofosbuvir and Velpatasvir (SOF/VEL) are new antiviral drugs recently registered and listed in Australia for the treatment of hepatitis C (HCV). These medications are highly effective, orally administered, well tolerated and work against all the different genotypes of Hepatitis C. In preclinical evaluations in animals they have been shown to be safe during pregnancy. This study will evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics of antenatal SOF/VEL treatment given for 12 weeks during the second and third trimester. If proven to be effective, antenatal treatment of HCV with SOF/VEL will prevent transmission of HCV to the baby, community transmission of HCV and maternal HCV-related liver disease . It will also reduce the maternal anxiety and stigma of potential transmission.

Australian data on pathogens causing acute cholangitis is lacking. Americian, European and Asian data state that E.Coli, Klebsiella species and Enterococcus species are the three most common pathogens causing acute cholangitis. This study aims to identify pathogens causing acute cholangitis from positive blood cultures in an Australian setting as a guide to antibiotics selection and to analyse their impact on in-hospital length of stay (LOS).

Dizziness when moving (vertigo) is a common symptom of dysfunction in the vestibular system of the inner ear. Problems with this inner ear system can result on poor balance and falls. Trained vestibular physiotherapists can identify and manage common causes of vertigo and balance dysfunction. However, people who have been admitted to hospital following an injurious fall may not be able to move quickly enough to provoke vertigo, and therefore may not be identified as needing physiotherapy vestibular assessment and management, The aim of this study is to determine whether the identification and management of vestibular dysfunction in patients admitted to sub-acute rehabilitation after a fall decreases the rate of falls in the first three months back home after discharge.

The primary objective is to test the efficacy and feasibility of Battlefield (ear) acupuncture (BFA) as an adjunct to standard analgesia care performed by usual Emergency Department health care providers. Secondary objectives include acupuncture application time, and changes in: opioid usage, costs, adverse events, and patient satisfaction. It is anticipated that ear acupuncture will be an effective add on to simple analgesia that reduces usage of opioid analgesia and improves patient satisfaction.

This study is a cross-sectional study of the first 130 women who deliver a live fetus at The Northern Hospital. All women who give birth at The Northern Hospital are assigned a risk category for the subsequent likelihood of developing a deep vein thrombosis within the first 6 weeks post birth. The risk categories are low, intermediate and high. Women who are assigned an intermediate risk receive enoxaparin subcutaneously for the first 5 days after giving birth, whereas those women who are assigned a high risk, will need to receive enoxaparin for the first 6 weeks post birth. Women who are categorised as being of low risk, do not receive enoxaparin. Unfortunately though, approximately 30 % of women who actually develop a deep vein thrombosis are categorised as being of low risk. Therefore, as an initial first step, we would like to determine if a machine, which determines the clotability of blood may also be used to assign a risk category for the subsequent development of deep vein thrombosis in women who have recently given birth. A positive result may allow us to to identify the 30% of women who are incorrectly categorised as being of low risk.

High fidelity simulation education (HFSE) is a commonly employed tool within critical care medicine, however, in practice, simulation education is cost and resource intensive This has resulted in the necessary incorporation of observers in HFSE, and increased interest in whether observers can be expected to benefit from this experience, and what factors might increase the benefit of observer participation. Consequently, this study seeks to answer two questions. First, are the experiences in simulation similar for directed observers and active participants? Second, does the HFSE provide a similar experience to clinical work? We will asses this using two qualitative measuring tools, the NASA Task Load Index and a self efficacy questionnaire, in a repeated measures design with these instruments used in induction and also after a period of clinical work.

This study aims to determine whether oral delivery of PPS drug will lower lipid levels in patients with knee OA. We are also interested to investigate if the improvement in dyslipidaemia might lead to improving OA symptoms and slowing disease progression, as measured by function, pain and MRI, in patients with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis.

The aim of the study is to investigate the frequency, type and consequences of injuries for females who present to an emergency department of urgent care centre in Geelong or South West Victoria. Study one will collect information regarding the types of injuries sustained by females and compare this information to males. Information will be extracted from participants' medical records. Study two will collect information regarding the consequences of injuries sustained by females. Information will include healthcare treatments, time off work or school and time away from playing football. Information will be collected via questionnaires sent to participants 6-10 weeks following injury.

Childcare services are an important setting for interventions to improve child physical activity as they provide access to large numbers of children at a critical period in the development of healthy behaviours. Implementing brief structured physical activity sessions (energisers) may represent a simple and effective strategy which is suitable to ‘scale-up’ for population-wide implementation. However while several studies have investigated the impact of energisers on school-aged children’s physical activity, few have rigorously evaluated the impact of such an intervention on the activity levels of preschool-aged children. This study hypothesises that when compared to children attending control services, children attending intervention services, where three daily energiser are implemented, will spend an additional 10 minutes in moderate to vigorous physical activity per day at childcare. An increase of 10 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity in preschool-aged children has been found to have clinically important effects on fat mass and peak bone mass.

We are attempting to conduct a study examining the characteristics of the sphenopalatine block when used in the treatment of postdural puncture headaches-which is a not infrequent and expected complication of both spinal and epidural anaesthesia. The sphenopalatine block is a relatively non-invasive alternative way of treating these headaches and is currently in use and offered as a therapeutic option at the Mater Mothers and Adults Brisbane. The study aims to describe the physiological effects of this block . We plan on conducting our research by collecting additional information from patients that have elected to have this procedure as part of their treatment.