A diabetes registrar assisted workflow intervention in general practice for systematic initiation of cardiorenal medications for patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuria in Aotearoa New Zealand.

AIMS: To evaluate whether a weekly diabetes registrar clinic and case discussions conducted over 12 weeks in primary care improves guideline management of type 2 diabetes (T2D). METHODS: A registrar-led diabetes clinic was incorporated into two primary care practices in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland for 3 months. Patients with T2D and albuminuria appearing on practice dashboards as not prescribed angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker (ACEi/ARB), or sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor/glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (SGLT2i/GLP1RA) were booked into these clinics. Opportunistic education sessions were provided by the diabetes registrar and prescribers were surveyed to understand the challenges in management of T2D. RESULTS: Of 125 patients booked, 80 attended the registrar clinic. Of these, 68% were clinically suitable for SGLT2i/GLP1RA and 8% for ACEi/ARB. SGLT2i/GLP1RA were initiated in 92% and ACEi/ARB in 89% of eligible patients. Two patients had contraindications for SGLT2i/GLP1RA, and one patient declined both. Additional cardiorenal medications were initiated in 16% of patients. Survey responses of 12 prescribers indicated acute illness takes priority over diabetes management, and lack of time and knowledge are main barriers to optimising diabetes care. CONCLUSIONS: A visiting diabetes registrar intervention was successful in initiating guideline medications for T2D in primary care. It remains to be evaluated whether this leads to practice-wide improvements in prescribing gaps in the short or longer term.

High rates of the SDHB p.Arg46Gln pathogenic variant predisposes New Zealand Maori to phaeochromocytoma/paraganglioma.

BACKGROUND: Phaeochromocytomas (PCC) and paragangliomas (PGL; together PPGL) are rare tumours of the adrenal medulla or extra-adrenal paraganglia. They may secrete catecholamines with significant cardiovascular effects. Management of PPGL is predominantly surgical, despite the anaesthetic risks related to potential haemodynamic instability. Meticulous pre-treatment and intra-operative management are required to improve cardiovascular outcomes. AIMS: There are limited local data regarding the incidence of PPGL and the clinical characteristics of individuals diagnosed with these tumours in New Zealand. We undertook a retrospective study investigating the local practice and patient characteristics with an additional focus on intra-operative haemodynamic stability and post-operative outcomes. METHODS: Electronic patient records were searched for individuals with a diagnosis of PPGL. Clinical records and electronic databases were interrogated for pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative data points. Particular attention was paid to rates and types of germline mutations, intra-operative haemodynamic stability and post-operative renal and cardiovascular outcomes. RESULTS: We identified 49 individuals with PPGL, of whom 34 were from the local area. This gave a local incidence of PPGL of around five cases per million people per year. Maori were significantly over-represented in our cohort, with this being in part due to high rates of the SDHB R46Q mutation. Over 95% of our cohort met pre-specified pre-operative blood pressure parameters. Intra-operative monitoring revealed a tendency to hypotension, but this did not translate into adverse post-operative outcomes, which were infrequent. CONCLUSIONS: Maori were over-represented due to high rates of germline SDHB R46Q mutations. There were few post-operative adverse outcomes in this contemporary cohort.