Research Projects
Surgical
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Cardiovascular complications during hip and knee replacement surgery
Clinical problem
During surgery for hip and knee replacements, the artificial hip or knee (the prosthesis) is anchored into the bone marrow using a medical ‘cement’.
A common complication of this procedure is an embolism (an obstruction in a blood vessel) which occurs when fat is ‘squeezed out’ from the bone marrow into the bloodstream due to increased pressure from surgical tools and the artificial joint.
A fat embolism can cause a cardiovascular reaction that results in a drop in blood pressure, lack of oxygen to heart tissue, or cardiac arrest leading to sudden death.The study
This project is using an animal model to investigate how and why the cardiovascular changes associated with fat embolism occur, and to test a variety of approaches to prevent the cardiovascular reaction.Ultimate aim
Researchers expect this project will lead to developing strategies to prevent the potentially fatal side effects of hip and knee replacements. It may also have applications in spinal surgery and surgery to fix broken thigh and shin bones.
Researchers
Dr Ben Goss, Research Fellow
Dr Ian Dickinson, Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr Scott Sommerville, Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr Niklaus Aebli, Research Fellow
Project sponsor
XStrata
Project partners
The Prince Charles Hospital
Queensland University of Technology
The Unversity of Bern (Switzerland) -
Predicting outcomes of lap band surgery for obese patients
Clinical problem
For some morbidly obese patients, lap-banding surgery (surgery to reduce the capacity of the stomach by introducing a device which restricts the amount of food patients can consume) is their last chance at weight loss. While the surgery may be a success, around 30 per cent of patients suffer psychological complications such as loss of self-esteem and confidence and have low levels of emotional support which play a part in the success of the procedure.The study
The research has involved an extensive study of patients who have had the procedure and clinical staff.Ultimate aim
As a result of this project, researchers will develop a pre-operative questionnaire for patients and develop clinical guidelines to evaluate suitability for lap band surgery. This will increase the chance of success by identifying patients who have a greater chance of successful outcome, and those who are more likely to need greater support.
