The Alfred Health post-COVID-19 service, Melbourne, 2020-2022: an observational cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the uptake of the Alfred Health Post-COVID service among people hospitalised with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) or referred by general practitioners; to describe their characteristics and symptoms at eight weeks and the clinical services they required. STUDY DESIGN: Observational cohort study. SETTING: Outpatient post-COVID-19 follow-up service in a tertiary Melbourne hospital. PARTICIPANTS: All people admitted to Alfred Health (inpatients, hospital-in-the-home) with COVID-19, 19 March 2020 - 28 December 2022; people with persistent symptoms referred by general practitioners in the Alfred Health catchment area during 2022. INTERVENTION: Questionnaire-based symptom assessment eight weeks after onset of COVID-19. Dyspnoea, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder were assessed with standardised tools, as were health status and health-related quality of life; return to work or study, weight loss, and altered cognition and memory were also assessed. Screening was followed by physical assessment and management at the service (specialist general medicine review, physiotherapist, allied health assistant, neuropsychologist) and referral to other specialist medical services as required. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Proportion of eligible people who used the service for follow-up at eight weeks; proportions of service users who reported symptoms and return to pre-COVID-19 employment or study; clinical services required by service users. RESULTS: Of 6712 people invited for screening, 726 completed questionnaires (11%). At least one persistent symptom was reported by 385 of 642 respondents (60% of respondents, 5.7% of invitees), most frequently memory (371 of 656, 57%) or concentration problems (431 of 656, 66%), dyspnoea (197 of 703, 28%), and extreme fatigue (189 of 673, 28%). Sixty-seven of 453 respondents had not returned to pre-COVID-19 work or study (15%). People were referred to a variety of medical and non-medical services for management, including specialist medical clinics, allied health, and rehabilitation. Among 71 people who also completed questionnaires at twelve months, the proportions who reported fatigue, anxiety, and memory and concentration changes were similar at both assessments. CONCLUSIONS: After acute COVID-19 that required hospital admission or was followed by persistent symptoms in community care, a small proportion of people (5.7%) reported symptoms that required medical and allied health specialist assessment and management. Our findings may assist planning services for people with long COVID.

Long-Term Outcomes of Revisional Malabsorptive Bariatric Surgery: Do the Benefits Outweigh the Risk?

PURPOSE: To evaluate the long-term outcomes of revisional malabsorptive bariatric surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Malabsorptive bariatric procedures are increasingly performed in the revisional setting. We collated and analysed prospectively recorded data for all patients who underwent a revisional Biliopancreatic diversion + / - duodenal switch (BPD + / - DS) over a 17-year period. RESULTS: We identified 102 patients who underwent a revisional BPD + / - DS. Median follow-up was 7 years (range 1-17). There were 21 (20.6%) patients permanently lost to follow-up at a median of 5 years postoperatively. Mean total weight loss since the revisional procedure of 22.7% (SD 13.4), 20.1% (SD 10.5) and 17.6% (SD 5.5) was recorded at 5, 10 and 15 years respectively. At the time of revisional surgery, 23 (22.5%) patients had diabetes and 16 (15.7%) had hypercholesterolaemia with remission of these occurring in 20 (87%) and 7 (44%) patients respectively. Nutritional deficiencies occurred in 82 (80.4%) patients, with 10 (9.8%) patients having severe deficiencies requiring periods of parenteral nutrition. Seven (6.9%) patients required limb lengthening or reversal procedures. There were 16 (15.7%) patients who experienced a complication within 30 days, including 3 (2.9%) anastomotic leaks. Surgery was required in 42 (41.2%) patients for late complications. CONCLUSION: Revisional malabsorptive bariatric surgery induces significant long-term weight loss and comorbidity resolution. High rates of temporary and permanent attrition from follow-up are of major concern, given the high prevalence of nutritional deficiencies. These data question the long-term safety of malabsorptive bariatric procedures due to the inability to ensure compliance with nutritional supplementation and long-term follow-up requirements. KEY POINTS: • Revisional bariatric surgery workload is increasing • Revisional malabsorptive surgery is efficacious for weight loss and comorbidity resolution • Revisional malabsorptive surgery is associated with high rates of nutritional deficiencies • Attrition from follow-up in this specific cohort of patients is of particular concern due to the risk of undiagnosed and untreated nutritional deficiencies.

Prescription trends and costs of diabetes medications in Australia between 2003 and 2019: an analysis and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Since the turn of the century, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in Australia has increased, primarily due to rising rates of Type 2 diabetes. Simultaneously, the landscape of diabetes medications has evolved significantly. The change in prescribing trends and public spending on diabetes medications within Australia during this period are not well defined. AIMS: To establish the frequency and cost of dispensed diabetes medications in the Australian public healthcare system between 2003 and 2019. METHODS: We performed a longitudinal nationwide observational study using data obtained from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Medicare Benefits Schedule websites, which contain information on frequency and spending of diabetes medications dispensed in Australia. RESULTS: The total number of PBS-subsidised prescriptions dispensed for diabetes increased from 5 218 690 in 2003 to 12 188 568 in 2019, and spending increased from $117 241 031 to $598 904 983. Of the non-insulin agents, metformin was consistently the most frequently dispensed agent, with a rapid growth in metformin combination tablets. Dispensation of sulphonylureas and thiazolidinediones have declined, with a simultaneous increase in dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show a large growth in the use of diabetes medications between 2003 and 2019. The rapid growth in dispensing of drugs with proven cardiovascular and renal benefits reflect the evolving approach of diabetes treatment, from a historical approach targeting glycaemic control alone, to a modern individualised approach targeting specific co-morbidities.

Potential positive effects of bariatric surgery on healthcare resource utilisation.

BACKGROUND: To determine whether a bariatric surgical procedure is associated with a reduction in healthcare utilisation among patients with obesity and high pre-procedural healthcare needs. METHODS: Design: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Tertiary Victorian public hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-nine adults who underwent publicly funded primary bariatric surgery between 2008 and 2018 at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne and had high resource use over the year prior to surgery, defined as at least two of ≥3 hospital admissions, ≥7 inpatient bed days for obesity-related co-morbidities or inpatient hospital costs ≥$10 000. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Change in inpatient and outpatient resource use. RESULTS: After 1 year following bariatric surgery, total hospital bed days decreased from 663 to 80 and the median (Q1, Q3) per patient decreased from 7 (4.5, 15) to 5 (2.25, 9.75) (p = 0.001) and the total number of hospital admissions fell from 118 to 67 (p < 0.001). The median cost of inpatient care decreased from $11 405 ($4408, $22251) to $3974 ($0, $4325) per annum (p < 0.001). The total and median number of outpatient attendances did not significantly change 12 months after bariatric surgery, but the demand for outpatient services unrelated to bariatric surgery declined by a median of four visits per patient (p = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: The evidence from this small pilot study suggests that Bariatric surgery has the potential to decrease resource use and inpatient hospital costs over a 1-year time frame for obese patients with high resource use. These data will be used to design a prospective randomised controlled trial to provide more definitive information on this important issue.

Multifocality in Sporadic Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: An International Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: Current surgical standard of care in sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma (sMTC) consists of a minimum of total thyroidectomy with central neck dissection. Some have suggested thyroid lobectomy with isthmusectomy and central neck dissection for patients with sMTC, given their lower frequency of bilateral disease, although this topic has not been thoroughly studied. This study assessed the prevalence of multifocality in sMTC via a large international multi-institutional retrospective review to quantify this prevalence, including the impact of geography, to assess more accurately the risks associated with alternative surgical approaches. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of sMTC patients from 11 institutions over 29 years (1983-2011) was undertaken. Data regarding focality, extent of disease, RET germline analysis plus family and clinical history for multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2), and demographic data were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Patients from four continents and seven countries were included in the sample. Data for 313 patients with documented sMTC were collected. Of these, 81.2% were confirmed with negative RET germline testing, while the remaining 18.8% demonstrated a negative family history and no manifestations of MEN2 syndromes other than MTC. Bilateral disease was identified in 17/306 (5.6%) patients, while multifocal disease was noted in 50/312 (16.0%) sMTC patients. When only accounting for germline negative patients, these rates were not significantly different (5.6% and 17%, respectively). Among them, when disease was unifocal in the ipsilateral lobe and isthmus, bilateral disease was present in 6/212 (2.8%) cases. When disease was multifocal in the ipsilateral lobe or isthmus, then bilateral disease was present in 8/37 (21.6%) cases (p < 0.001). No geographic differences in focality were identified. CONCLUSIONS: The 5.6% prevalence of bilateral foci in sMTC suggests that total thyroidectomy should remain the standard of care for initial surgery, as less complete thyroid surgery may fail to address fully the primary site of disease. Whether ipsilateral tumor focality should be an independent factor determining the need for completion thyroidectomy when sMTC is diagnosed after hemithyroidectomy remains to be determined.

Diabetic nephropathy: diagnosis and treatment.

Nephropathy remains a major cause of morbidity and a key determinant of mortality in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus. Research is ongoing to identify biomarkers that in addition to albuminuria and glomerular filtration rate assist in the prediction and monitoring of renal disease in diabetes mellitus. Current strategies to treat this condition focus on intensification of glycaemic control and excellent control of blood pressure using regimens based on blockade of the renin-angiotensin system. Other approaches to control blood pressure and afford renoprotection are under active clinical investigation, including renal denervation and endothelin receptor antagonism. With increasing understanding of the underlying pathophysiological processes implicated in diabetic nephropathy, new specific renoprotective treatment strategies are anticipated to become available over the next few years.

Fine needle aspiration and medullary thyroid carcinoma: the risk of inadequate preoperative evaluation and initial surgery when relying upon FNAB cytology alone.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) to preoperatively diagnose medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) among multiple international centers and evaluate how the cytological diagnosis alone could impact patient management. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of sporadic MTC (sMTC) patients from 12 institutions over the last 29 years. FNAB cytology results were compared to final pathologic diagnoses to calculate FNAB sensitivity. To evaluate the impact of cytology sensitivity for MTC according to current practice and to avoid confounding results by local treatment protocols, changes in treatment patterns over time, and the influence of ancillary findings (e.g., serum calcitonin), therapeutic interventions based on FNAB cytology alone were projected into 1 of 4 treatment categories: total thyroidectomy (TT) and central neck dissection (CND), TT without CND, diagnostic hemithyroidectomy, or observation. RESULTS: A total of 313 patients from 4 continents and 7 countries were included, 245 of whom underwent FNAB. FNAB cytology revealed MTC in 43.7% and possible MTC in an additional 2.4%. A total of 113 (46.1%) patients with surgical pathology revealing sMTC had FNAB findings that supported TT with CND, while 37 (15.1%) supported TT alone. In the remaining cases, diagnostic hemithyroidectomy and observation were projected in 32.7% and 6.1%, respectively. CONCLUSION: FNAB is an important diagnostic tool in the evaluation of thyroid nodules, but the low sensitivity of cytological evaluation alone in sMTC limits its ability to command an optimal preoperative evaluation and initial surgery in over half of affected patients.