Latest news with #CairnsHospital
ABC News
2 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Snake bite victims urged to seek medical help regardless of what type they think it is
Australia is home to some of the deadliest snakes in the world and with a bite not always obvious to the untrained eye, experts warn any suspicion of a puncture warrants immediate action. A Queensland coroner is examining the public awareness of snakebite symptoms and first aid treatments after Tristian Frahm, 11, died from a snake bite at a Murgon property, three hours north of Brisbane, on November 21, 2021. The Toowoomba Coroner's Court heard evidence earlier this week about the hours leading up to Tristian's death. His father, Kerrod Frahm, and two other adults at the property told the court they had not found any sign of a snake bite on the child and ultimately did not seek medical treatment for the boy before he died. Medical experts have told the inquest that the physical appearance of a snake bite was not always obvious to the untrained eye. Forensic pathologist Christopher Day, who performed Tristian's autopsy, told the inquest "two small scratches like lesions" were at the site of the snake bite. He said the puncture marks appeared more like scratches and could be hard to identify as a snake bite if a person was not aware it could present that way. Mark Little, a Cairns Hospital emergency physician and toxicologist, told the inquest that a bite site was commonly "insignificant or just a mark". "Everyone thinks you if you've bitten by a snake there will be two fang marks," he said. In February, the Queensland Ambulance Service reported it had responded to more than 50 snake bite-related call-outs within a 10-day period. Dr Little said more than 700 snake bite cases presented to the Cairns Hospital annually, with about five or six envenomation cases on average. "It's exceptionally rare to have a death in Australia due to a snake bite," he said. The inquest was told Tristian had died from hypertension brought on by envenomation from a brown snake, which led to blood pooling in his abdomen and cardiac arrest. The director of Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital's clinical toxicology unit told the inquest that snake bite-related deaths were likely caused from early sudden collapse, which could trigger a cardiac arrest or bleeding of the brain. Associate Professor Katherine Isoardi co-authored a study published in the Medical Journal of Australia in April that found early collapse almost always occurred within 60 minutes of the bite. The study analysed data from the Australian Snakebite Project involving 1,256 envenomed people between July 1, 2005, and June 30, 2020, across 200 hospitals in Australia. Dr Isoardi told the inquest it was important for people to seek medical attention immediately, even if they were not sure if a snake bite had occurred. Dr Little agreed, stating that even he sometimes had difficulty being certain whether a snake bite had occurred or not. "Don't underestimate a snake bite. Even though it's rare, the potential complications — as we've seen in this case — are lethal and people do die from this," he said. "I know emergency departments are [busy] but we'd much rather keep them for a night and observe them." Coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard is expected to hand down her findings within months.
West Australian
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
What to Watch: Our Medicine, And Just Like That, Pee-wee As Himself, Bono: Stories Of Surrender and Dept. Q
Leah Purcell narrates this fantastic doco series, which takes viewers behind the frontline of Australia's medical services — but from a very different perspective. The series focuses on the excellent work being done by First Nations healthcare professionals across Australia, including doctors, nurses and paramedics, as well as practitioners of traditional medicine, all working to improve healthcare outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The doco crew was granted unique access to various teams, embedded with the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS), Queensland Ambulance Service, Cairns Hospital and Royal Melbourne Hospital — they also spent time with the folks at Jalngangurru Healing in Western Australia. In episode one, we learn how patients are being treated using traditional practices by local healers in Fitzroy Crossing. Then it's over to a busy ER on the other side of the country to check in with the many and varied cases coming through Cairns Hospital's doors. As the documentary points out, life expectancy for First Nations peoples in Australia is approximately eight years lower than that of non-Indigenous Australians, and it's great to see trials like the one being done in the Kimberley approaching issues in healthcare through a new lens. As Purcell says in the first episode, 'From maintaining and reviving cultural practices, to making their mark in our overburdened health services, these are the medical practitioners blazing a trail to better outcomes.' This is a brilliant insight into the work being done to make healthcare better — hats off to everyone involved. Matthew Goode stars as DCI Carl Morck, a once-brilliant detective battling some serious inner demons. He's been put in charge of a cold case department, set up as a PR stunt to distract from the failures of the Edinburgh police force he was once an integral part of. Along with his unusual basement-dwelling colleagues, he's reopening a case most would rather be kept forgotten. This is generating lots of early buzz — don't miss it. Pee-wee Herman was a huge part of our lives in the 80s and 90s — if you know anything about the comedian, real name Paul Reubens, you'll be aware of the reasons why he retreated from the spotlight. This doco, made with Reubens' approval before his death in 2023, attempts to paint a picture of who he was away from his cartoon persona, using interviews with the star and archival footage. But by the end, are we any closer to learning where Reubens ends and Pee-wee begins? Maybe not. And just like that, we're back again with Carrie and the gang for season three as they navigate this next chapter of their post-menopausal life in New York City. Thankfully, this time the ever-annoying Che Diaz isn't along for the ride. But Aidan is — whether you'll be pleased about this very much depends on where you sit in the Aidan-Carrie debate. Still enjoying this show and won't hear a bad word against it — anything that celebrates women-of-a-certain-age living their best lives, I can very much get onboard with. 'These are the tall tales of a short rock star,' says Bono in this doco, which made its debut at this year's Cannes Film Festival. It sees the Irish rocker solo on a stage, riffing about his family, his life and his astonishingly successful career. It's a very different setting to the mega-arenas Bono is used to, and between his anecdotes, the star performs 'unplugged' renditions of some of his biggest songs accompanied by harp and cello. One for fans, of which there are plenty.
ABC News
19-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
North Queensland Anglican diocese seeks to sell property to pay child sex abuse claims
On today's show: The North Queensland Anglican Diocese needs to find millions of dollars to compensate victims of historic child sexual abuse under the National Redress Scheme. Reporter: Jenae Madden (Mackay) New South Wales is abolishing no-grounds evictions from May 19. Tenants' advocates say the new rental laws do not go far enough and are calling for a register of landlords behaving badly. Reporter: Elloise Farrow-Smith (Lismore) Far North Queensland only has one paediatric cardiologist despite huge caseloads across the vast region. Parents want the Cairns Hospital to appoint a second specialist, saying their children are having important check-ups delayed due to their cardiologist's workload. Reporter: Christopher Testa (Cairns) Rental scams are rising as international criminal networks use social media to find vulnerable victims. Queensland renters are now losing more money to the scams than any other state, as authorities urge people to verify property ads. Reporter: Jay Carstens (Sunshine Coast)
