Scoping out an unsettled child
Caleb, a three-year-old boy, is brought in by his parents with a four-day history of intermittent fever and soft stool. He has vomited twice over…
Tag: Surgery
‘My sisters had cancer and their grace was my inspiration’: Breast surgeon reflects on how treatment has transformed
Professor Chris Pyke was overseas training as a breast surgeon when he was told that two of his sisters had been diagnosed with cancer. Both in…
Trainee surgeon who sent patient images to his girlfriend avoids reprimand after five-year delay in case
One of the proclaimed truths of Australia’s medical regulation system is that it is not about the administration of punishment but about deterrence. The role…
Medical Must-See: CT scan throws doctors a bone in mysterious appendicitis case
A nine-year-old boy’s abdominal pain and fever became a bone of contention in this acute appendicitis case published in Radiology Case Reports. The child had…
‘Input error’ after doctor’s handwritten script change may have led to patient’s death: coroner
This story has been corrected. See footnote below. A coroner has blamed an “input error” involving handwritten medication charts for the death of a patient…
Surgery on wrong site and retained dressings among ‘record’ number of medical errors
Lack of recognition of clinical deterioration made up one third of all sentinel events and half of paediatric events over 12 months, a Victorian report…
Physician registrar on his four open-heart surgeries: ‘It’s the scenic route through training’
Dr Geoff Lester was refereeing a basketball game when the chest pain and dizziness hit. As a healthy 24-year-old, about to finish an economics degree,…
‘It’s almost like genital mutilation’: Plastic surgeon tells of his work repairing botched labiaplasties
Professor Mark Ashton says the rise in young women having undergone botched labiaplasties is “nothing short of worryingly spectacular”. The number of women coming to…
Doctor says govt telling ‘porky pies’ over IV fluid shortage despite improving supply
An “embarrassing” shortage of IV fluids appears to be resolving, but at least one doctor is blaming bureaucratic bungling rather than international supply issues. State…
Successful sensory preservation for the breast and nipple post-mastectomy
Justine, a 54-year-old woman with no familial breast cancer history, presents with biopsy-confirmed left breast cancer. She undergoes initial left unilateral therapeutic mammoplasty for tumour…
