Our mid-term results continue to show that the self-crimping shape memory alloy Nitinol stapes piston overcomes the limitations of manual malcrimping in stapedotomy, thus simplifying and optimizing the surgical procedure. This so far has allowed reliable, safe, and consistent ABGC in patients with otosclerosis.

The current system of prevocational training does not meet the needs of junior doctors because of a high administrative workload, insufficient funding for education, and a lack of centralised guidance for trainees, teachers and hospitals. The Australian Curriculum Framework for Junior Doctors is designed to identify the training objectives for the prevocational years. The Framework has the potential to improve the quality of training of junior doctors, but this depends on how well it is implemented and resourced. It is imperative that any group responsible for implementing or assessing the Framework have a representative junior doctor, among others, on its decision‐making committee. Stringent accreditation of training institutions is vital to the effective implementation of the Framework. The Framework should be used to promote teaching and learning, not as a barrier to vocational training or as a check‐list to complete.

Kartagener syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive condition. Approximately 25% of those with situs inversus totalis suffer the syndrome. With the rising overall number and indications for bariatric surgery, this condition will be increasingly recognised. We present a case of a 25-year-old woman with SIT and Kartagener syndrome who underwent a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. As with all bariatric surgery, a multidisciplinary team approach was important in managing such a case. There were considerable cognitive challenges for the surgical team both preoperatively and during the procedure. The patient tolerated the operation well and was discharged 2 days after the surgery. At 12-months follow-up, the patient had achieved 125% excess weight loss. This case illustrates that an experienced surgeon can safely perform a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy on a patient with situs inversus totalis.

We report a case of multi-system organ failure as a result of unsuspected colchicine overdose in a patient with known gout and bulimia nervosa. The patient had initially presented with mild gastrointestinal symptoms with rapid progression to fulminant hepatic failure and multiple organ dysfunction before the causative agent was identified. The patient survived with aggressive intensive care support and ongoing medical treatment. Physicians should be aware of the risk assessment based on the ingested dose, that the clinical presentation of colchicine in toxic doses may be nonspecific with high potential for severe morbidity or death and that survival may occur despite multiple organ failure requiring aggressive support.

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Introduction: Obesity is common and adversely impacts quality-of-life and healthcare cost. In Australia, less than 10% of bariatric surgeries are performed in the public sector. This study reports our 10-year experience from a high volume public bariatric service which delivers multi-disciplinary care for primary and revisional procedures with mid-to longterm follow-up. Methods: A prospectively maintained database of all patients who underwent bariatric surgery from January 2010 to January 2020 at a tertiary metropolitan hospital was analysed. We analysed patient demographics, comorbidities, perioperative outcomes, 2-and 5-year weight loss as well as comorbidities reduction. Results: A total of 995 patients underwent 1086 (674 primary and 412 revisional) bariatric procedures with mean age of 46.9 years, mean BMI of 49.6 AE 9.1 kg/m 2 and 92% patients with ≥1 obesity-related co-morbidity. Length-of-stay was longer for revisional than primary surgery (5.6 vs. 3.5 days). Major complication rate was 4.2%. Overall, % Total body weight loss (%TBWL) for primary surgeries at 2 years was 26.2%, and for revision surgery was 17.4%. At 2 years follow-up, treatment was ceased or reduced in 65% of diabetics, 29% of hypertensive patients and 69% of sleep apnoea patients. Conclusion: This study confirms that bariatric surgery in Australia can be delivered effectively in resource constrained public health system with outcomes similar to private sector.

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