Objective: To examine whether proton‐pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy influences the incidence and progression of dysplasia in patients with Barrett's oesophagus. Design and setting: Review of prospective data on patients undergoing surveillance with regular endoscopy and biopsy at a private endoscopy centre in Canberra, ACT, between 1981 and 2001. Patients: 350 patients diagnosed with Barrett's oesophagus. Interventions: PPI therapy was progressively introduced into clinical practice from late 1989. Once begun, PPI therapy was ongoing, with no attempt to reduce the dose. Main outcome measures: Relationship between development of dysplasia or adenocarcinoma and delay between diagnosis with Barrett's oesophagus and starting PPI therapy was determined by Cox regression analyses, stratified by year of enrolment. Age, sex, presence of macroscopic markers (severe oesophagitis, nodularity, Barrett's ulcer, stricture) and use of aspirin or non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs were considered as confounding factors in the regression analyses. Results: The 350 patients had 1422 surveillance endoscopies, with a median follow‐up of 4.7 years. Patients who delayed using a PPI for 2 years or more after diagnosis with Barrett's oesophagus had 5.6 times (95% CI, 2.0–15.7) the risk of developing low‐grade dysplasia at any given time as those who used a PPI in the first year. Similar results were found for the risk of developing high‐grade dysplasia or adenocarcinoma (hazard ratio, 20.9; 95% CI, 2.8–158). Conclusions: Use of ongoing PPI therapy appeared beneficial in the prevention of dysplasia and adenocarcinoma in patients with Barrett's oesophagus. We suggest that all patients with this condition, even those with no oesophagitis or symptoms, should be encouraged to continue long term PPI therapy.

Objective: To determine the incidence of adverse events related to an endoscopy sedation regimen that included propofol, delivered by general practitioner (GP) sedationists. Design: Audit of reports of sedation‐related adverse events in patients undergoing endoscopy. A sample of 1000 patients' medical records was also reviewed to determine the drugs and dosages used and the proportion of sedations delivered by GPs. Setting and participants: All patients undergoing gastroscopy and/or colonoscopy from January 1996 to December 2000 in two private endoscopy centres in Canberra. Sedation was provided by GPs or a specialist anaesthetist, in most cases using a drug regimen that included propofol. Main outcome measures: Incidences of respiratory arrest, airway obstruction, hypoxia requiring intervention, hypotension, and death; number of interventions to correct these events, including extra airway management, bag‐mask ventilation, intravenous fluid infusion, endotracheal intubation and the use of reversal agents, and admission to hospital. Results: 28 472 procedures were performed in the five years. There were 185 sedation‐related adverse events (6.5/1000 procedures; 95% CI, 5.6–7.4): 107 for airway or ventilation problems (3.8/1000) and 77 hypotensive episodes (2.7/1000). Respiratory‐related adverse events were more common in patients managed by GPs than anaesthetists, but this was not significant (P = 0.1). Interventions were recorded in 234 patients (8.2/1000; 95% CI, 7.2–9.3): 123 to maintain ventilation, and 111 intravenous infusions. GPs were more likely than anaesthetists to intervene to manage respiratory‐related adverse events (P = 0.03). Four patients required transfer or admission to hospital. No patients required endotracheal intubation, and there were no deaths. Conclusions: The GP sedationists encountered a low incidence of adverse events, which they managed effectively. It appears that appropriately selected and trained GPs can safely use propofol for sedation during endoscopy.

The treatment of moderate to severe hyponatraemia in patients with decompensated liver disease is unsatisfactory. We report our preliminary experience using intravenous infusion of albumin to treat this condition. Three patients with cirrhosis, ascites, and hyponatraemia responded satisfactorily to treatment; one patient with fulminant hepatitis B did not respond. Intravenous albumin infusion is a safe and effective therapy for patients with cirrhosis complicated by hyponatraemia. Its main role may be in preparing patients for surgery, particularly liver transplantation.

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SUMMARY BackgroundIt has been shown that the presence on diagnosis of endoscopic macroscopic markers indicates a high-risk group for Barrett's oesophagus.