Influenza epidemiology in patients admitted to sentinel Australian hospitals in 2019: the Influenza Complications Alert Network (FluCAN).

Influenza is a common cause of acute respiratory infection, and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. This report summarises the epidemiology of hospitalisations with laboratory-confirmed influenza during the 2019 influenza season. The Influenza Complications Alert Network (FluCAN) is a sentinel hospital-based surveillance program that operates at sites in all jurisdictions in Australia. Cases were defined as patients hospitalised at any of the 17 sentinel hospitals with influenza confirmed by nucleic acid detection. Data were also collected on a frequency matched control group of influenza-negative patients admitted with acute respiratory infection. During the period 1 April to 31 October 2019 (the 2019 influenza season), there were 4,154 patients admitted with confirmed influenza to one of 17 FluCAN sentinel hospitals. Of these, 44% were elderly (≥ 65 years), 21% were children (< 16 years), 7.7% were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, 1.7% were pregnant and 73% had chronic comorbidities. Most admissions were due to influenza A infection (85%). Estimated vaccine coverage was 75% in the elderly, 49% in non-elderly adults with medical comorbidities, and 27% in young children (< 5 years). The estimated vaccine effectiveness in the target adult population was 42% (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 36%, 49%). There were a larger number of hospital admissions detected with confirmed influenza in this national observational surveillance system in 2019 than in 2018.

Venous thromboembolism prevention in patients undergoing colorectal surgery for cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer are at high risk of post-operative venous thromboembolism (VTE). Thromboprophylaxis has been shown to have significant risk reduction, although there remains some controversy surrounding the optimal duration of pharmacological prophylaxis. Our institution does not routinely practise extended prophylaxis. The aim of this study was to retrospectively review the rate of post-operative thromboprophylaxis in colorectal cancer patients, and incidence of symptomatic VTE. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective audit of 200 consecutive patients who underwent colorectal surgery for cancer. Data to 90 days post-operatively were collected from medical records and imaging and phone calls to patients and family practitioners. RESULTS: Of the patients, 98% received pharmacological prophylaxis, with a median duration of eight days. Eight (4%) symptomatic VTEs were diagnosed within the 90-day follow-up period: two deep vein thrombosis (DVTs), five pulmonary emboli (PE) and one patient with both PE and DVT. A higher proportion of patients developed DVT/PE if they received prophylaxis other than low molecular weight heparin and similarly there was a trend in increased risk of DVT in the presence of metastatic disease. However, using univariate analysis, these results were not statistically significant (P = 0.18 and 0.11, respectively). DISCUSSION: The use of thromboprophylaxis was high in our centre, and the incidence of VTE was low when patients received a median of 8 days pharmacological prophylaxis combined with mechanical prophylaxis. The VTE incidence of 4% is similar to previous studies using extended prophylaxis. Our study findings do not support changing local protocol to extended prophylaxis.

Infective endocarditis and rheumatic heart disease in the north of Australia.

BACKGROUND: To prevent infective endocarditis (IE), Australian guidelines recommend providing prophylactic antibiotics to Indigenous patients with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) prior to procedures which may cause bacteremia. In northern Australia RHD remains prevalent. We aimed to determine whether RHD is associated with an increased risk of IE, which risk factors are associated with IE, and the incidence and aetiology of IE. METHODS: A retrospective review of IE patients who fulfilled modified Duke criteria at two tertiary centres in northern Australia. RESULTS: 89 patients were reviewed. The rate of IE was 6.5/100,000 person-years. IE was more common in people with RHD (relative risk (RR) 58), Indigenous Australians (RR 2.0) and men (RR 1.7). RHD-associated IE was not confined to Indigenous Australians with 42% being non-Indigenous. The commonest risk factors for IE were intracardiac prosthetic material, injecting drug use and previous IE. One in five patients died. CONCLUSIONS: In northern Australia the principle risk factor for IE is not RHD. Whilst RHD increased the risk of IE it was not restricted to Indigenous Australians. Current Australian recommendations of providing prophylactic antibiotics to Indigenous patients with RHD prior to procedures which may cause bacteremia may need to be broadened to include non-Indigenous patients.