In our facility, a post-anaesthetic systolic blood pressure in excess of 150 mmHg was associated with an increased risk of haemorrhage following thyroid surgery.

Intraoperative assessment of parathormone is an accurate predictor of those patients who will become hypoparathyroid in the postoperative period. Intraoperative prediction allows for targeted autotransplantation of glands in those at risk and selected early institution of postoperative supplementation in these patients. Patients not identified as at risk can be safely discharged.

Background: Phyllodes tumour (PT) is a rare breast neoplasm and little is known about its epidemiological risk factors. The literature suggests a higher incidence of PT in Asian patients and other minority ethnic groups. The purpose of this study was to identify whether there was a difference in incidence, grade and age at presentation for patients with PT among minority ethnic groups when compared with European patients in Aotearoa New Zealand (AoNZ). Methods: A retrospective review was conducted across the three District Health Boards (DHBs) in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand (AoNZ), from 2008 to 2018 to investigate the relationship between ethnicity and clinical characteristics of PT. Demographic information and histology reports were reviewed to obtain relevant data. The primary outcome measure was ethnicity and the secondary outcome measures were age at presentation, tumour volume and grade. Results: One hundred and fifty-nine patients were included. The total number of non-European patients were 108 (68%). Minority ethnic groups including Pasifika, M aori and MELAA were overrepresented in the patient cohort. Larger tumour volume was significantly correlated with higher tumour grade (p < 0.001). Pasifika patients presented with larger tumours (p 0.05) and at a younger age (p 0.027) when compared with European patients. Conclusion: This study found that patients with PT in AoNZ were significantly overrepresented in Asian, Pasifika and MELAA ethnic groups. Pasifika patients may be at an increased risk of presenting at a younger age with larger, higher grade tumours when compared with European patients. Further research is required to investigate the reasons behind these findings in minority ethnic groups.

Background: Given negative publicity surrounding surgical mesh in the media, the aim of this study was to assess post-operative morbidity and quality of life (QoL) following laparoscopic inguinal hernia surgery with self-adhesive ProgripTM mesh. Methods: This study is a retrospective analysis of ProgripTM mesh for laparoscopic inguinal hernia repairs by two experienced surgeons in the public and private sectors. Data were collected by screening electronic clinical records. A sample of participants were contacted directly for QoL assessment using the Carolinas Comfort Scale (CCS). Descriptive statistical analysis was performed in Microsoft Excel. Results: Five hundred and fifty-two patients had 648 hernia repairs using ProgripTM mesh from 2013 to 2019. The rate of hernia recurrence was 0.2% (n = 1). The rate of reoperation was 0.5% (n = 3). There were no mesh explant procedures, no adhesion-related readmissions and no perioperative deaths. Haematoma was the most common post-operative complication, occurring in 3.1% of participants (n = 17). The CCS assessment had a response rate of 55.8%. A total of 93% of CCS questions were answered with no sensation of mesh, 92% with no pain and 98% with no movement limitation. No participants reported severe or disabling symptoms. Conclusion: In this cohort, laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair with ProgripTM has shown a low recurrence rate and excellent post-operative QoL. The QoL data shows that the public perception of mesh based on media reports of complications may not be relevant for this operation. The knowledge gained from this study reinforces the potential value of a national mesh registry such as those seen overseas.

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