E142 – Rheumatic fever and heart disease

David Liew talks to Linny Phuong, paediatric infectious diseases physician, about changes to prevention and management of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). They discuss how RSV infections affect communities in Australia, high-risk groups to watch out for, and when to test for RSV. Linny also outlines available RSV immunisations for different populations. Read the full article by Linny and her co-author, David Foley, in Australian Prescriber.

Dhineli Perera chats with Allen Cheng, director of Infectious Diseases at Monash Health and member of the Antibiotic Expert Group, about some of the updates in the latest version of Therapeutic Guidelines: Antibiotic. Allen talks about changes to severity assessment and treatment for community-acquired pneumonia, updated antimicrobial dosing advice, a new tiered approach for managing patients with sepsis and much more.

Jo Cheah talks to Bronwyn Jenkins, consultant neurologist, about the role of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)–targeted therapies in migraine treatment. Bronwyn explains the difference between tension-type headaches and migraines, and outlines current treatment options. The conversation also covers adverse effects, patient eligibility, and other important considerations for prescribers. Read the full article in Australian Prescriber.

Justin Coleman speaks with Kate Ziser, a pharmacist at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, about her paper on the role of triple antithrombotic therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation following coronary stent insertion. Kate explains when triple therapy is indicated, the duration of therapy, and the step-down approach to antithrombotic therapy. Read the full article by Kate and her co-authors in Australian Prescriber.

Laura Beaton chats with Nadia Mouchaileh, senior pharmacist, and Jillian Cameron, head of movement disorders and consultant neurologist at Austin Health, about device-assisted therapies for Parkinson disease. They discuss the benefits vs traditional therapies, when to refer patients to a specialised movement disorder centre and what to look for when caring for a patient using a device. Read the full article in Australian Prescriber.

Jo Cheah talks to Debra Kennedy, director of MotherSafe, about her paper on drug safety in pregnancy. Debra discusses the key considerations when stopping or starting a medicine during pregnancy, and the ways in which medicines can affect developing fetuses. Debra also explains the Australian categorisation system for prescribing medicines in pregnancy. Read the full article by Debra and her co-author, Ronald Batagol, in Australian Prescriber.

Dhineli Perera speaks with Lee Fong, a medical advisor for the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, about the need to establish a national clinical care standard for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Lee explains how the Standard can be used to identify gaps in care and optimise the management of patients with COPD. Read the full article by Lee and his co-authors in Australian Prescriber.

David Liew talks to Claire Larter, a medical officer at the pharmacovigilance branch of the TGA, about her paper on adverse event reporting. Claire explains why pharmacovigilance is important for clinicians, and outlines what type of adverse events should be reported. The conversation also covers the process of reporting adverse events and how the TGA handles reports. Read the full article by Claire and her co-authors in Australian Prescriber.

Laura Beaton chats with Paul Kubler, director of Rheumatology at Royal Brisbane and Women’s hospital, about how to identify and manage antiphospholipid syndrome. They discuss the key presentations of APS, classification criteria and approaches to treatment. They also cover patients with catastrophic APS and asymptomatic people with persistent antiphospholipid antibodies. Read the full article by Paul and his co-authors in Australian Prescriber.

Jo Cheah talks with Eileen Cole, GP lead, and Jennifer Kyi, pharmacist advisor at Quit, about the use of therapeutic vapes for smoking cessation. They discuss the current evidence and new Australian guidelines. The conversation also covers choosing a vape and how to prescribe or supply vapes. Read the full article by Eileen, Jennifer, and their co-authors, in Australian Prescriber.