The Medical Journal of Australia

Emergency laparotomies are performed on thousands of Australians each year for critical conditions like bowel obstruction and peritonitis. It’s a high-risk procedure with a mortality rate of 6.9%.

Now, for the first time in Australia, a national clinical care standard has been published by Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. It’s to support clinicians and healthcare services to deliver best care and improve patient outcomes.

To talk to us about the standard is Professor David Watters AM OBE. He is a Distinguished (Alfred Deakin) Professor at Deakin University and Barwon Health, and Director of Surgery at Safer Care Victoria. I’m also joined by Dr Chuan-Whei Lee, Staff Specialist and Joint Clinical Lead of Perioperative Medicine at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and Clinical Senior Lecturer in the Department of Critical Care at the University of Melbourne.

“The MJA acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which we live and work across Australia.  This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.”

My name is Sally Block, the MJA’s news and online editor.

“The MJA acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which we live and work across Australia.  This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.”

With the proliferation of GLP 1s globally, a new study published in the MJA aims to provide an estimate of the number of adults eligible for TGA approved medicine for chronic weight management.

At least four in ten adults are eligible for the drug and hundreds of thousands are eligible for the treatment of secondary prevention of heart disease.

Co-author and PhD candidate Jasmin Castrillon joins me now.

My name is Sally Block, the MJA’s news and online editor.

“The MJA acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which we live and work across Australia.  This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.”

The lung cancer screening program was introduced in July last year, designed to help with early intervention for Australia’s deadliest cancer. So how’s it faring?

To discuss this, our special guest today is Professor Fraser Brims who is a consultant respiratory physician at St Charles Gairdener Hospital and Curtin University in Perth.

He has written a perspective for the MJA on the program calling for more investment so it can reach it’s full potential. 

He joins me on this podcast.

This week we look at improving the health of children and young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through participation.

“The MJA acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which we live and work across Australia.  This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.”

Dr Jordan Cory a Kamilaroi woman and Bonnie Dukakis a Gunditjmara woman who were co-authors of an MJA paper on participation of Indigenous children and young people to improve health and wellbeing. 

In this podcast, they talk to Sally Block about the paper and many other aspects of the health of young Indigenous peoples. Cultural safety is explored and described - as not another tick a box alongside fire training in an organisation - but an evolving commitment.

Ms Dukasis is the CEO of The Koori Youth Council in Melbourne and we find out what they are doing for Indigenous young people.

This week is NAIDOC week and the MJA is publishing a special collection of articles that are Indigenous led and authored.

The MJA acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which we live and work across Australia.  This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.

My name is Sally Block, the MJA’s news and online editor.

To learn more about the collection, I’m joined by guest authors Ms Sophie Pitt, A Meriam Torres Strait Islander woman, Dr Stephen Harfield - a proud Narungga and Ngarrindjeri man and Associate Professor Paul Saunders a proud Biripi man.

This year marks the 90th anniversary of Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council.

From its official inception in the 1930s, the NHMRC has had a rich history from protecting Australia from diseases like polio and tuberculosis to making sure it backs high quality research that is ethical, rigorous and focused on community benefit.

"The MJA acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which we live and work across Australia.  This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.”

The Council Chair of NHMRC, Professor Caroline Homer AO joins me now.

Breastfeeding is encouraged worldwide – it also has particular benefits for mothers in warzones. 

To speak about this and other interesting facets about breastfeeding is Dr Mariana Gutierrez Popoca. She is a Paediatrician with Medicine Sans Frontiers and visited the Australian Breastfeeding Medicine Conference recently.

“The MJA acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which we live and work across Australia.  This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.”

Welcome to this podcast from the Medical Journal of Australia.

My name is Sally Block, the MJA’s news and online editor.

 “The MJA acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which we live and work across Australia.  This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation  I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.”

The MJA has recently published the Australian Clinical Guideline for Diagnosing and Managing Acute Coronary Syndromes 2025.

Professor Garry Jennings AO has a distinguished career as a cardiologist in clinical practice and was previously Director of Cardiology at The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, and Chair of the Division of Medicine. He is the Heart Foundation’s Chief Medical Advisor.

Professor Jennings is a co-author of the Guideline and joins me now.

Welcome to this podcast from the Medical Journal of Australia.

My name is Sally Block, the MJA’s news and online editor.

“The MJA acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which we live and work across Australia.  This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.”

Today we will be talking about a type of trauma that generally can’t be seen by the eye. 

Complex trauma is defined as repeated, ongoing, and often extreme interpersonal trauma (between people) –  and it can involve violence, abuse, neglect or exploitation experienced as a child, young person and adult.

The Blue Knot Foundation is a National Centre of Excellence for Complex Trauma.

Joining me today is the Foundation’s President and Managing Director Dr. Cathy Kezelman AM to talk about complex trauma and how clinicians can help patients who are affected by it.

Today we are exploring Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion or LAAO Therapy. 

We explore the clinical rationale, patient selection, referral pathways and key considerations for LAAO. and aim to understand the therapy as an option for patients who are unsuitable for long term anticoagulation therapy. 

This is a sponsored podcast.

A/Prof Pankaj Jain is an academic interventional cardiologist with appointments at Royal Prince Alfred, Concord, and Macquarie University Hospitals. He is a Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney, and Conjoint Senior Lecturer at the University of New South Wales. His interests include complex coronary and structural heart interventions, and mechanical support devices for heart failure.

Dr Ata Doost is an Interventional  Cardiologist. He completed his training at various hospitals throughout Australia and undertook his speciality fellowship training at Kings College Hospital in London   He has appointments at Macquarie University Hospital and National Capital Private & Calvary Bruce Hospitals  in Canberra and is a Senior Clinical lecturer at Macquarie University Medical School. Dr Doost has performed thousands of cardiac catheterisations and has extensive experience in structural heart procedures. He specialises in coronary interventions, advanced imaging, and valve therapies including TAVI and MitraClip.