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Breast cancer breakthrough as new test could revolutionise treatment

A new test for breast cancer patients has been developed which can predict whether or not their cancer is likely to return just two weeks after they start treatment.

Experts said thousands of breast cancer patients could be spared unnecessary treatment as a result.

The new test has been devised by scientists to detect the likelihood of cancer reoccurring in patients with a type of breast cancer known as oestrogen receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive – which accounts for around 200,000 cases of cancer each year around the globe.

Writing in the journal eBioMedicine, experts said the test means that some patients will be able to “de-escalate” their treatment while it could also help identify those who need “more intensive therapeutic strategies”.

The test, which was developed by scientists at The Institute for Cancer Research, London, correctly identifies the 6% of patients at highest risk of relapse.

Dr Simon Vincent, chief scientific officer at Breast Cancer Now, which part-funded the study, said: “These findings add to the growing evidence that genomic testing can play a powerful role in helping to predict the risk of a woman’s breast cancer coming back, particularly in people with ER-positive, HER2-positive breast cancer.

“There’s potential for women to benefit hugely from this research in the future, with it ensuring they avoid undergoing unnecessary treatment and leading to more personalised treatment plans, so that women receive the most effective therapy for their specific type of breast cancer.”

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Source: The Independent, 19 July 2025

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Breakthrough in preventing hepatitis B transmission from mothers to children

Hepatitis B transmission from mothers to babies has been eliminated in England, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The WHO elimination target is that less than 2% of babies born to mothers with hepatitis B go on to develop the infection.

And data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows the figure for England currently stands at 0.1%

The UKHSA said progress had been made in tackling the viral infection, which can cause liver damage, cancer and death if left untreated.

A six-in-one vaccine is offered to all babies on the NHS when they are eight, 12 and 16 weeks of age.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: “We are paving the way for the elimination of hepatitis B and C, with England set to be one of the first countries in the world to wipe out these viruses.”

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Source: The Independent, 2 February 2023

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Breakthrough drugs herald ‘new era’ in battle against dementia, experts predict

Pills that prevent Alzheimer’s disease or blunt its effects are on the horizon, as the fight against dementia enters a “new era”, experts have said.

Scientific advances were on the cusp of producing medicines that could be used even in the most remote and under-resourced parts of the world, thereby “democratising” care, said Jeff Cummings, professor of brain science and health at the University of Nevada.

An estimated 50 million people live with dementia globally, more than two-thirds of them in low- and middle-income countries.

In 2024, the first drugs that can change the course of Alzheimer’s disease entered the market. Eisai and Biogen’s lecanemab and Eli Lilly’s donanemab were approved by medicine watchdogs in many western countries, including the UK and US.

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Source: Guardian, 8 January 2025

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Breaking down health barriers - new app to help immigrant women deal with these challenges

Navigating health systems in a foreign country can add another layer of anxiety to situations that often already stressful. Cultural differences, language barriers and a lack of confidence can all present obstacles to getting the right medical care. A new app has been designed to help immigrant women deal with these challenges by providing them with AI-powered support they can use during health appointments.

It aims to make medical treatment more accessible and “empower women to manage their health with confidence”. And as well as offering help on understanding their health insurance, it also includes an online community where women can share experiences and support.

The WE app concept was created by QIMU Design in the US and recently won a UX Design Award. The award judges said: “Enabling healthcare access for everyone should be a goal for both society and healthcare providers.

“WE tackled this challenge with an app, reducing barriers for non-native speaking women to access healthcare. Its simple, user-friendly design suits its target audience, enabling effective navigation through complex healthcare systems. A wide range of functions including translation, insurance guidance, articles, chat and advice offer holistic support. The relevance and thoughtful design make WE a compelling and impactful concept.”

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Source: CIEHF, 20 March 2025

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Brazilian butt lift death prompts meeting between UK and Turkey officials

UK officials are to meet with counterparts in Turkey following the death of a British woman during so-called Brazilian butt lift surgery at a private hospital in the country’s capital Istanbul.

Melissa Kerr, 31, from Gorleston in Norfolk, travelled to the private Medicana Haznedar hospital for the buttock enlargement surgery in 2019.

She died at the hospital on the day of the surgery, which involves fat taken from elsewhere on the body being injected into the buttocks.

An inquest into her death, which took place place in Norwich earlier this year, heard that Kerr, who was self-conscious about her appearance, was given only “limited information regarding the risks and mortality rate” associated with the operation.

Jacqueline Lake, the senior coroner for Norfolk, wrote to the health secretary expressing concern about people travelling overseas for cosmetic surgery.

In a written response to Lake, health minister Maria Caulfield confirmed UK officials would be travelling to Turkey to meet with their counterparts.

“The intention is to discuss the regulatory framework, and the protections that are in place for UK nationals, and to identify concrete areas where the UK and Turkish authorities should work together to reduce the risks to patients in the future,” Caulfield says in the letter first reported by the BBC.

“Specifically, I have noted in your report the lack of standard pre-assessment questions provided to Ms Kerr in Türkiye.

“We remain aware countries providing healthcare tourism often conduct pre-assessment checks that may not match UK regulatory standards and we want to encourage all providers treating UK nationals to meet international best practices on pre-operative procedures whenever possible.

“Such transparency and standardisation are important to reduce potential risks to patients and improve patient care in the UK and overseas."

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Source: The Guardian, 21 November 2023

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Brazilian Butt Lift can be made safer say surgeons

UK plastic surgeons have released new guidelines to try to make Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) procedures safer for people who desire a bigger bottom.

Some women have died from the operation, which involves sucking out fat from elsewhere - such as the belly - and injecting it into butt cheeks.

The British Association of Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) says the injections should not go very deep to help avoid complications such as dangerous clots.

According to the NHS, it has the highest death rate of all cosmetic procedures, and the risk of death from BBL surgery is at least 10 times higher than many other procedures.

A major concern is that the injected fat can cause a blockage in a blood vessel in the lungs - called a pulmonary embolism - which can be fatal.

This happened to Leah Cambridge, a beautician and mother of three from Leeds.

She suffered a massive pulmonary embolism during the operation at a private hospital in Turkey in 2018, a coroner found.

BAAPS president Marc Pacifico told the BBC: "Unfortunately we don't know how many people have been going for these risky BBL procedures. We have been recommending against it for a number of years after seeing quite a frightening death rate associated with it. But people have been going abroad to get it done."

"Make sure you ask if the surgeon will be using ultrasound for gluteal fat grafting. We are recommending that surgeons should only perform this with real time ultrasound guidance as the only way to ensure the procedure is performed superficially and safely."

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Source: BBC News, 10 October 2022

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Brain op patients at Birmingham NHS trust suffered unnecessarily

Patients who underwent brain operations at a West Midlands NHS trust suffered unnecessarily because of poor surgical outcomes, a report has found.

More than 150 deep brain stimulation surgery cases at University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) trust are now being investigated and surgery is suspended.

There were unacceptable delays responding to patient concerns, the independent review also said.

The investigation recommended indefinitely suspending the service at the NHS trust until it is safer.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) for movement disorders is used on patients with conditions including Parkinson's disease and dystonia, where medication is becoming less effective.

The independent review, carried out by medics from King's College Hospital, was ordered by UHB after a serious incident investigation of a patient who underwent DBS for Parkinson's disease.

One of those 21 people, Keith Bastable, 74, from Brierley Hill, had DBS in May 2019 for his Parkinson's disease and the review found his probes were placed too far away to be acceptable.

Due to the misplacement, one was never switched on and the other probe had to be switched off as he suffered slurred speech and other side effects.

They were removed and new ones recently reinserted in Oxford after he was referred to a hospital trust there.

Mr Bastable said he had felt abandoned in the time it had taken to get resolved.

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Source: BBC News, 29 November 2022

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Brain op failings made patients' lives 'hell'

Patients who had probes located in the wrong part of their brain due to failings at an NHS trust suffered unnecessarily for years, a damning report has found.

The leaked report into deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, seen by the BBC, also shows a whistleblower was ignored, intimidated and disciplined.

Wendy Swain, who had electrodes in the wrong place for 11 years, leading to difficulty walking and a facial twitch, said: “They’ve made my life hell.”

The trust, already under fire following an inquiry that exposed a culture of bullying and a lack of openness, said it was "truly sorry" for the mistakes and felt "deep regret".

Dr Chris Clough, former chair of the National Clinical Advisory Team who oversaw the final report into the brain surgery failings, said he did not believe the trust was learning lessons.

“I am begging them to get this report out and be open and fair with patients,” he said.

“There’s suffering that has gone on here and they need to let people know what went on.”

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Source: BBC News, 6 December 2024

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Brain image doctor banned for assault and racism

A doctor has been struck off for assaulting a woman, making racist or derogatory comments and uploading an image of a patient's brain on his dating profile.

Dr Sayed Talibi, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, was sanctioned by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) after it found his fitness to practise was impaired.

Other examples of his misconduct included threatening a woman with waterboarding.

The tribunal decided to erase Dr Talibi's name from the General Medical Council's register, effective immediately.

The chairman of the panel, Andrew Lewis, said Dr Talibi's conduct was "fundamentally incompatible with his continued registration".

"It [the tribunal] concluded that erasure was the only sanction that it could impose given the seriousness of the misconduct, the lack of insight and remediation shown, and the risk of repetition that remained," he wrote in the report.

He said allowing him to return to "unrestricted practice" would be inconsistent with the findings due to the "seriousness" of Dr Talibi's misconduct.

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Source: BBC News, 26 August 2025

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Brain fog, phantom smells and tinnitus: my experience as a Covid 'long hauler'

 I fell sick on 25 March. Four months later, I’m still dealing with fever, cognitive dysfunction, memory issues and much more

I just passed the four-month mark of being sick with Covid. I am young, and I had considered myself healthy.

My first symptom was that I couldn’t read a text message. It wasn’t about anything complex – just trying to arrange a video call – but it was a few sentences longer than normal, and I couldn’t wrap my head around it. It was the end of the night so I thought I was tired, but an hour later I took my temperature and realized I had a fever. I had been isolating for 11 days at that point; the only place I had been was the grocery store.

My Day 1 – a term people with Long Covid use to mark the first day of symptoms – was 25 March.

Four months later, I’m still dealing with a near-daily fever, cognitive dysfunction and memory issues, GI issues, severe headaches, a heart rate of 150+ from minimal activity, severe muscle and joint pain, and a feeling like my body has forgotten how to breathe. Over the past 131 days, I’ve intermittently lost all feeling in my arms and hands, had essential tremors, extreme back, kidney and rib pain, phantom smells (like someone BBQing bad meat), tinnitus, difficulty reading text, difficulty understanding people in conversations, difficulty following movie and TV plots, sensitivity to noise and light, bruising, and petechiae – a rash that shows up with Covid. These on top of the CDC-listed symptoms of cough, chills and difficulty breathing.

Read the full article here.

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Brain fog after Covid linked to blood clots - study

Blood clots in the brain or the lungs might explain some common symptoms of "Long Covid", including brain fog and fatigue, a UK study suggests.

In the study, of 1,837 people admitted to hospital because of Covid, researchers say two blood proteins point to clots being one cause.

It is thought 16% of such patients have trouble thinking, concentrating or remembering for at least six months.

But the research team, from the universities of Oxford and Leicester, stress:

  • Their findings are relevant only to patients admitted to hospital.
  • They are "the first piece of the jigsaw" but further research is needed before they can propose or test any potential treatments.
  • They tracked cognitive problems at six and 12 months only and through tests and questionnaires, which may "lack sensitivity".

Identifying predictors and possible mechanisms was "a key step" in understanding post-Covid brain fog, study author Prof Paul Harrison, from the University of Oxford, said.

Leicester's professor of respiratory medicine, Chris Brightling, said: "It's a combination of someone's health before, the acute event itself and what happens afterwards that lead on to physical and mental health consequences."

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Source: BBC News, 31 August 2023

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Brain damage to babies in birth has cost NHS in England £4.1bn in lawsuits

The NHS has spent £4.1bn over the last 11 years settling lawsuits involving babies who suffered brain damage when being born, amid claims that maternity units are not learning from mistakes.

It paid out just under £3.6bn in damages in 1,307 cases in which parents were left to care for a baby with cerebral palsy or other forms of brain injury, NHS figures reveal.

NHS Resolution, which defends hospitals in England accused of medical negligence, spent another £490m on legal fees, taking the total cost of dealing with the legal actions to £4.1bn.

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Source: Guardian, 26 May 2024

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Brain changes seen after 'mild' covid

Catching Covid may cause changes to the brain, a study suggests.

Scientists found significant differences in MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans before and after infection.

Even after a mild infection, the overall size of the brain had shrunk slightly, with less grey matter in the parts related to smell and memory.

The researchers do not know whether the changes are permanent but stressed the brain could heal.

Lead author Prof Gwenaelle Douaud, from the Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, at the University of Oxford, said: "We were looking at essentially mild infection, so to see that we could really see some differences in their brain and how much their brain had changed compared with those who had not been infected was quite a surprise."

But the researchers do not know whether the changes are reversible or truly matter for health and wellbeing.

"We need to bear in mind that the brain is really plastic - by that we mean it can heal itself - so there is a really good chance that, over time, the harmful effects of infection will ease," Prof Douaud said.

The most significant loss of grey matter was in the olfactory areas - but it is unclear whether the virus directly attacks this region or cells simply die off through lack of use after people with Covid lose their sense of smell.

UK Biobank chief scientist Prof Naomi Allen said: "It opens up all sorts of questions that other researchers can follow up about the effect of coronavirus infection on cognitive function, on brain fog and on other areas of the brain - and to really focus research on how best to mitigate that."

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Source: BBC News, 8 March 2022

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Bradford Teaching Hospitals Command Centre officially opens

At a launch event last week, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has officially opened its new Command Centre.

The Command Centre, using technology from GE Healthcare Partners, went live earlier this year and was recently awarded Tech Project of the Year in the innovative Health Tech Awards 2019.

The Trust said it helps staff to optimise patient flow and allow real-time co-ordination of care for each and every patient. Using advanced analytics and machine learning, the new system provides staff with real-time information to help them make speedy and informed decisions on managing patient flow across the Trust’s hospitals.

Sandra Shannon, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive at the Trust “Demand for services is growing at Bradford Teaching Hospitals every year, with up to 400 patients coming through our A&E every day, and we have to get smarter at how we manage the needs of patients with the resources we have.”

“The Command Centre is a major investment in how we, as a very busy acute Trust, can improve our performance, maintain and improve patients’ experience of coming into hospital and support our staff to do their jobs more efficiently, so they can concentrate on delivering excellent patient care.”

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Source: Health Tech Newspaper, 12 November 2019

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Boy, 9, died of sepsis after hospital ‘dismissed concerns’ about appendix

A nine-year-old boy died of sepsis eight days after he was discharged from hospital with influenza and sent home with painkillers, an inquest has been told.

Dylan Cope was admitted to Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran, South Wales, with abdominal pain but was discharged after a medic “dismissed any concern” about his appendix.

Days later the boy had a ruptured appendix and sepsis diagnosed, and he died at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff on December 14, 2022.

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Source: The Times, 21 May 2024

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Boy, 9, died 'in agony' after being operated on by suspended surgeon

A nine-year-old boy suffered "fatal physical harm" after he was operated on by a suspended surgeon at Addenbrooke's hospital.

Jack Moate died two months after Kuldeep Stohr performed surgery on him in 2015.

Jack suffered "significant blood loss" during the operation and was left in continuous pain.

His mother, Elizabeth Moate said: "They sent my boy home, and he died in agony."

She said she "felt pressured" to give consent for the operation, fearing it might be too much for her son, who had complex medical needs.

Independent experts recently assessed Jack's case as part of a wider investigation into Ms Stohr's practice.

They said they had "significant concerns" about his operation, which "carried significant risks" given his condition.

The reviewers also found no imaging was carried out before he was discharged after his surgery.

A later scan found his operation had not worked, leaving the procedure "unhealed and unstable".

Jack's mother said her son was "crying and screaming" with pain when he arrived home.

"I can't believe that Ms Stohr was unaware of the damage she had done… I'll never be able to forgive the hospital for what happened," she said.

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Source: Sky News, 5 March 2026

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Boy, 17, found dead after seeking mental health help ‘had not seen GP in person’

A coroner has expressed concern at the difficulty of getting face-to-face appointments with GPs and other health professionals after a 17-year-old boy suffering from mental health problems was found dead.

Sean Mark, who described himself as an “anxious paranoid mess”, was desperate for help but felt “palmed off” when he asked for assistance, an inquest heard. He was found dead in his bedroom four months after a phone consultation with a GP and before he had spoken to anyone in person about his concerns.

The area coroner, Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp, recorded a verdict of death by misadventure, saying she could not be sure Sean had intended to kill himself.

Dr Robin Harlow, clinical director of the Willow Group, where Sean Mark was a patient, said it had increased the number of face-to-face meetings. When told that Sean felt palmed off, he said: “I would want him to be seen face to face at the second time, if not the first time. We have seen a lot more face-to-face appointments since then.”

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Source: The Guardian (23 August 2022)

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Boy, 10, with asthma died due to ‘neglect by healthcare professionals’

A 10-year-old boy with severe asthma died as a result of multiple failings by healthcare professionals amounting to neglect, a coroner has concluded.

William Gray, from Southend, died on 29 May 2021 from a cardiac arrest caused by respiratory arrest, resulting from acute and severe asthma that was “chronically very under controlled”. His death has led to calls to improve asthma treatment for children nationwide.

The court heard that William’s death was a “tragedy foretold” having previously suffered a nearly fatal asthma attack on 27 October, 2020, which he survived.

The coroner said that William’s death was avoidable, his symptoms were treatable, and he should not have needed to use 16 reliever inhalers over 17 months, but instead his condition should have been treated with preventer medications and should have been controlled.

Julie Struthers, a solicitor at Leigh Day who represented the family, said, “In an inquest involving concerns with medical treatment it is rare for a coroner to find neglect, and even rarer for a coroner to find Article 2, a person’s right to life, to be engaged. This reflects the real tragedy of what happened to William, the substantial number of failures by multiple healthcare professionals in his care, and the importance of improving asthma treatment for children nationwide.”

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Source: inews, 22 November 2023

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Boy who died would ‘100% still be here’ if not denied hospital bed, uncle says

Five-year-old Yusuf Nazir died from pneumonia on Monday. It is reported an infection had spread to his lungs and caused multiple organ failure, resulting in several cardiac arrests.

His family said they struggled to get the poorly child admitted to hospital in the run-up to his death, as they were told there were not enough beds or doctors available.

His uncle, Zaheer Ahmed, said he had “begged” Rotherham General Hospital to take his nephew in.

He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain a GP said Yusuf had “severe tonsilitis” and needed intravenous antibiotics - but the doctor had been told not to refer anyone to the ward and they needed to go to A&E instead.

Mr Ahmed said he rang the hospital himself. “I begged them. I begged them. I’ve never begged for anything in my life and I begged them to help him,” the tearful uncle said.

He said he told them Yusuf needed treatment but was told there were no beds. He claimed he was told: “What do you want me to do? Just get a bed out of the air? We’ve got kids waiting.”

They say they drove him to the emergency department of Rotherham General Hospital the next day when his condition did not improve. The family waited for hours before Yusuf was seen but he was sent home even though the doctor treating him had said “it was the worst case of tonsillitis he had ever seen”, according to Mr Ahmed.

Yusuf’s condition worsened while he was at home and his parents called an ambulance and insisted he was taken to Sheffield Children’s Hospital, where he later died.

Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust has launched an investigation into Yusuf’s care.

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Source: The Independent. 29 November 2022

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Boy dies of cancer after doctors dismissed mother’s warnings six times

A little boy whose headaches turned out to be a brain tumour died in his parent’s arms just four months after his diagnosis.

Rayhan Majid, aged four, died after doctors discovered an aggressive grade three medulloblastoma tumour touching his brainstem.

His mother Nadia, 45, took Rayhan to see four different GPs on six separate occasions after he started having bad headaches and being sick in October 2017.

No one thought anything was seriously wrong, but when his headaches didn’t clear up Nadia rushed him to A&E at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

An MRI scan revealed a 3cm x 4cm mass in Rayhan’s brain.

Rayhan underwent surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible and was told he would need six weeks of radiotherapy and four months of chemotherapy.

But before the treatment even started another MRI scan revealed the devastating news that the cancer has spread.

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Source: The Independent, 30 January 2023

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Boy died of sepsis after important GP note missed

A nine-year-old boy died from sepsis after doctors and nurses missed a "significant" GP note, an inquest heard.

Dylan Cope, from Newport was taken to the Grange Hospital in Cwmbran, Torfaen, on 6 December 2022 after his GP wrote “query appendicitis”, but this note was not read.

The senior doctor on shift that night said GP referrals were not being printed off and put into patients' notes because of how busy the department was.

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Source: BBC News 23 May 2024

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Bowel cancer screening capsules the latest in at-home care trend

People will be able to check if they have bowel cancer by swallowing a tiny capsule containing miniature cameras, in an extension of patient self-care.

In what experts described as a trend towards more NHS at-home care, hastened by the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of people in England will be able to avoid the discomfort of having a camera inserted into their bowel by instead swallowing a capsule the size of a cod liver oil tablet.

Pictures transmitted from inside their body during the painless procedure will help doctors judge whether the person has bowel cancer, the second deadliest form of the disease in the UK.

The boss of the NHS in England said the procedure, known as a colon capsule endoscopy, is an example of “sci-fi” medicine increasingly deployed to improve care. One of the country’s top doctors said the capsules illustrated a major shift of healthcare out of hospitals that will see more and more diagnosis and treatment of illness done at home.

Prof Martin Marshall, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “We’re aware that some patients are reluctant to seek help for certain cancers because the diagnostic tests available can be invasive, so this is a fascinating development and we will be very interested to see the results of the trial.

“GPs are preparing for an upsurge in cases of suspected cancer cases post-Covid, and the capsule cameras and new test for cervical cancer are welcome developments that could enable more patients to monitor and manage their own health at home without embarrassment or discomfort.”

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Source: The Guardian, 11 March 2021

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Bowel cancer prediction test for IBD patients 90% accurate

A new method for detecting bowel cancer is more than 90% accurate at predicting which higher-risk people will develop the disease, according to research.

About 500,000 people in the UK live with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's and ulcerative colitis.

Currently, they are offered regular checks for pre-cancerous growths in their gut, which, if detected, indicate about a 30% chance of bowel cancer developing over 10 years.

But the UK research found DNA changes in those pre-cancerous cells, when analysed by an algorithm, were more than 90% accurate in predicting who would develop bowel cancer over the next five years.

Prof Trevor Graham, from the Institute of Cancer Research in London, said: "Most people with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease won't develop bowel cancer.

"But for those that have these conditions and are showing signs of pre-cancer in their colon, there are some tough decisions to make.

"Either they have it monitored regularly, in the hope that it doesn't become cancer, or they have their bowel removed to guarantee they don't get cancer in the future.

"Neither of these options are particularly pleasant.

"Our test and algorithm give people with IBD, and the doctors who care for them, the best possible information so that they can make the right decision about how to manage their cancer risk."

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Source: BBC News, 30 January 2025

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Bottoms up: Surgeons say no to BBL (Brazilian Butt Lift) but yes to SGL (Superficial Gluteal Lipofilling)

In 2018 the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (www.baaps.org.uk)  dissuaded all its members from performing Brazilian Buttock Lift (BBL) surgery, until more data could be collated. The decision was taken due to the high death rate associated with the procedure. Now, following an extensive four-year review of clinical data, new technology and techniques, BAAPS has published its Gluteal Fat Grafting (GFG) guidelines.

Gluteal fat grafting is currently the procedure with the biggest growth rate in plastic surgery worldwide, with an increase of around 20% year-on-year). It has become the most popular means of buttock volume augmentation, overtaking gluteal augmentation with implants.  In 2020, The Aesthetic Society statistics recorded 40,320 buttock augmentation procedures, which included both fat grafting and buttock implants.

In 2015, there were reports of intraoperative mortality related to pulmonary fat emboli associated with BBL surgery and in 2018 with growing concern about the high mortality rate associated with this procedure BAAPS recommended it was not performed by its members.

The development of the present guidelines and recommendations has been stimulated by the evidence that has emerged since 2018, based on scientific review and analysis. BAAPS guidelines now recommend that Gluteal Fat Grafting is safe to perform under two key conditions:

  1. Injection into the subcutaneous plane only - there is a plethora of evidence to suggest this significantly reduces mortality related to the procedure perhaps this needs to be changed to – the evidence shows that the only deaths from the procedure have been when fat has been injected into the deeper muscle layer.
  2. Intraoperative ultrasound must be used during the placement of fat in the gluteal area to ensure that the cannula remains in the subcutaneous plane – this is the only way that surgeons can be confident they are not in the muscle layer.

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Source: BAAPS, 17 October 2022

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Botox providers in England facing stricter rules

The government could ban unlicensed providers of cosmetic treatments in England, in what industry bodies say would be the biggest shake-up in a generation.

Under the plans, anyone carrying out Botox, breast or butt lift injections would have to be trained and licensed, with their premises also inspected.

The proposals have been have been opened up for public consultation.

At present, healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses and dentists carrying out non-surgical cosmetic procedures have to be trained and insured to do them as part of the requirements laid down by their regulatory bodies.

But there is no set training for beauty therapists and other non-professionals.

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Source: BBC News, 3 September 2023

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