- Foreword
- Message from Board Chair & Chief Executive
- 2023 Clinical Research Fellowships
- A message from the RBWH Foundation
- A message from The Common Good
- Metro North Research Excellence Awards
- Research stories
- ICU of the Future
- New approach ruling out pulmonary embolism
- Improving access to healthcare in the prison environment
- Safety and efficacy of peripheral versus centrally administered vasopressor infusion
- COVID-19 learnings set to inform future policy
- Telomere study could provide key to treating debilitating lung disease
- Productive Ward – Releasing time to care
- Brain organoids to revolutionise epilepsy treatment
- Reducing weight stigma in maternity care
- Parkinson’s Disease Check-In program giving people a voice
- Trial brings new treatment for common heart condition
- Teledentistry study shows promise in residential aged care
- Research fellow to boost Oral Health evidence-based care
- Study explores best approach to surgery for painful shoulder osteoarthritis
- The development and pilot testing of a stroke telerehabilitation decision toolkit
- Metro North Health delivers world-first breast scaffold surgery
- Regenerative jawbone hard at work care of collaborative Metro North Health approach
- Jamieson Trauma Institute leads e-scooter and e-bike injury research to drive community safety
- Forgotten fathers in pregnancy and obstetrics
- Putting the Spotlight on nursing and midwifery research
- Improving the health self-efficacy of stroke survivors
Safety and efficacy of peripheral versus centrally administered vasopressor infusion
Dr Yogesh Apte
An observational study at Caboolture Hospital is informing the use of vasopresser infusions for intensive care patients with shock.
The single centre retrospective study is led by Caboolture Hospital Intensive Care Unit Senior Staff Specialist and Director of Training Dr Yogesh Apte and team. It has shown that in critically ill patients with shock, the administration of vasopressor infusions in low doses for up to 24 hours via a peripheral intravenous cannula offers a safe alternative to central venous catheters (CVC).
Circulatory shock affects one-third of patients admitted to intensive care units (ICU), which leads to increased mortality. Vasopressor medications are used to maintain blood pressure for patients in circulatory shock by restoring the haemodynamic stability.
The preferred mode to deliver these medications via infusion is by a CVC insertion. This is a time-consuming process which requires specific equipment and expertise.
Dr Apte said the retrospective cohort study of 212 patients admitted to the ICU during a 12-month period compared the safety profile and outcomes following delivery of vasopressor agents to critically ill patients in the Caboolture Hospital ICU.
“For those patients who have a peripheral intravenous catheter, it allowed for earlier initiation of potentially lifesaving therapy,” Dr Apte said.
“The study also identified early management of patients in shock states with safe provision of vasopressors and could be initiated without the need for a doctor specially trained in the insertion of CVC or specific equipment such as a vascular ultrasound machine.”
Following the success of the initial local study, Dr Apte is now looking further afield.
“We are currently undertaking a pilot feasibility study for a future large multi-centre trial of peripheral versus central delivery of vasopressor infusion,” Dr Apte said.
“In addition to safety aspects of the vasopressor infusions via peripheral venous canula versus central venous line, the study is also going to ascertain patients’ healthcare experience and look for potential cost-savings as a result of fewer procedures and a decreased need for expensive equipment.”