The Medical Journal of Australia

Today we are exploring cardiac surgery in elderly patients.This podcast is sponsored by Macquarie University Hospital, part of Macquarie University Health – a trailblazer in healthcare, education and research.Professor Michael Vallely is a leading cardiothoracic surgeon who has clinical and academic interests in minimising the invasiveness of cardiothoracic surgery and is a world authority on total arterial, anaortic, off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery. He also has interests in minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS and Da Vinci robotic surgery), transcatheter (TAVI and Mitra-Clip) cardiac surgery, thoracic aortic surgery, geriatric cardiac surgery, and hybrid procedures including the use of ECMO.Dr Nargis Shaheen is a consultant geriatrician with a special interest in perioperative medicine working at Macquarie University Hospital and Concord Hospital. She is a member of the ANZCA perioperative care working group and is involved in perioperative medicine teaching.

Welcome to this podcast from the Medical Journal of Australia. My name is Sally Block, the MJA’s news and online editor. “The MJA acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which we live and work across Australia.  This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.” Between 1968 and 1970, Australia was hit by a pandemic known as the Hong Kong Flu. The MJA is publishing an historical piece about the pandemic and its impact. Dr John Gerrard is the Infectious Diseases Physician at the Gold Coast University Hospital and  former Chief Health Officer of Queensland.

Today we are exploring advances in glaucoma and age-related macular disease. This podcast is sponsored by Macquarie University Hospital, part of Macquarie University Health – a trailblazer in healthcare, education and research.Dr Helen Do is an ophthalmic surgeon with a specialising in medical retina and cataract surgery with a focus on diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration at Macquarie University hospital. She is a clinical lecturer at Macquarie University and Sydney University. And Dr Aparna Raniga is a glaucoma and cataract specialist surgeon with a focus on diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration at Macquarie University Hospital. 

A little over 10 years ago the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care released its first national clinical care standard.A perspective on the subject is published in the MJA today and a webinar is being held tomorrow where the Commission will showcase the five stories of excellence discussed in today’s podcast. The link to the webinar will be is hereThe Chief Medical Officer of the Commission Conjoint Professor Carolyn Hullick  and its Clinical Care Standards Director Dr Alice Bhasale join me on today's podcast.

The likelihood of a man or woman dying of coronary heart disease is much less than it was half a century ago with better treatments and a reduction in smoking. However, as our special guests will explain today, the overall burden of coronary disease continues to grow and it still remains the single leading cause of death in Australia.  Professor Will Parsonage is Clinical Director at the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation and Senior Staff Cardiologist at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and St Vincent's Private Hospital. Associate Professor Sarah Zaman is an Academic Interventional Cardiologist at Westmead Hospital and the University of Sydney. They are co authors on  the The Lancet Commission on rethinking coronary artery disease and they have written about it for the MJA’s InSight+ and they join me now.

Australia’s privacy regulator has recently updated its guidance to clinicians about contacting their patients’ relatives about their genetic risk of disease. The MJA is featuring an article on the subject by Dr Jane Tiller as an Online First this week, ahead of its publication in the Journal in August. Dr Tiller is a lawyer, genetic counsellor and public health researcher. She’s the Ethical, Legal and Social Adviser in Public Health Genomics at Monash University.

It’s NAIDOC week and the MJA’s – special issue on Indigenous Health “The MJA acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which we live and work across Australia.  This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people and pay my respects to their Elders past and present.” Associate Professor Paul Saunders is a proud Biripi man whose family comes from the mid north coast of New South Wales. He is the associate professor and academic lead for Indigenous Health in the Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Wollongong. He is one of the Guest editorial team and is our podcast guest today.

Today we are joined by Dr Brandon Baraty and Associate Professor Viraj Kariyawasam, two leading experts in gastroenterology, to discuss the latest in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) management and bowel cancer screening. They’ll share insights into the most recent advancements in diagnostic techniques and cutting-edge treatment options shaping the future of patient care.This podcast is sponsored by Macquarie University Hospital, part of MQ Health - a trailblazer in healthcare, education and research.Dr Baraty is a senior Gastroenterologist, Hepatologist, and Endoscopist. He is the Head of Discipline of Gastroenterology at Macquarie University Hospital and the Director of Endoscopy at Ryde Hospital. Dr Baraty specialises in IBD care and is a leading expert in transabdominal ultrasound for IBD assessment in New South Wales.Associate Professor Kariyawasam is a Senior Gastroenterologist, Hepatologist, and Endoscopist at Macquarie University Hospital and Concord Hospital. He holds a PhD from Sydney University and has completed international fellowship training in IBD. He is dedicated to advancing IBD diagnosis and management while actively supporting patient advocacy and education.

 In this episode we are exploring advances in pulmonary hypertension as well as symptoms, treatments, and its connection to rheumatological patients and much more.This podcast is sponsored by Macquarie University Hospital, part of MQ Health – a trailblazer in healthcare, education and research.Associate Professor Martin Brown is a cardiologist specialising in advanced heart failure, complex structural heart disease, and pulmonary hypertension. A Clinical Associate Professor at Macquarie University, he currently leads several international trials on heart failure and pulmonary hypertension and has developed the right heart catheter virtual reality training program being used worldwide.Associate Professor Fred Joshua is a physician specialising in rheumatic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and psoriatic arthritis. He pioneered rheumatological ultrasound in Australia and developed a degree for rheumatologists through the Australian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine and the Rheumatology Clinical Discipline Head at Macquarie University.

This week is the General Practice issue of the MJA. One of the authors featured is Dr Michael Wright, the President of Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. He is a co-author on the paper "The impact of patient enrolment in primary care on continuity and quality of care around the world, 2014–2024, and lessons for Australia: a scoping review."