Anaesthetics Research

1. PADDI (Post-operative dexamethasone dextrose and infection) trial at BMDH - Multicentre trial supervised by Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists Clinical Trials Network
   • Currently enrolled 49 patients
   • investigating the role of perioperative administered dexamethasone and in particular outcomes related to glucose metabolism and wound infection rates. There is also a sub-study investigation the effect on sleep on postoperative days 1 and 2
Investigators: Drs A Bullingham Julian Marshall
2. A multi-centre Retrospective, Comparative, Observational Study in Australia and New Zealand to Evaluate the Safety of repeated administration of PENTHROX® (methoxyflurane) for the treatment of Acute Pain associated with Burns and Wound Care Management
   • BMDH is the principal site for this retrospective study sponsored by Mundipharma pharmaceuticals
   • Currently four participating hospitals (Westmead, Wollongong, Waikato, Middlemore)
   • actively recruiting between 100-250 patients who have had methoxyflurane administered more than four times for management of pain associated with wound dressings
3. Audit of patients who have had pain management with Ketamine only PCA
   • Audit of around 30 patients who have been administered Ketamine via a patient controlled analgesia device (PCA). Ketamine has very rarely been used a sole agent in a PCA but offers a non opioid analgesic option for patients who are opioid tolerant.
   • QA approved currently in data analysis
   • PI Dr Simon Minns
4. Audit of outcomes associated with frailty after major joint surgery: Pre-operative Frailty Score of Elective Joint Replacement Patients and Post-operative Complications and Length of Stay
   • Frailty is associated with significantly worse outcomes and increase length of stay this project investigated the outcomes at BMDH and we hope to continue with an intervention in a cohort of similar patient to see if we can improve outcomes.
   • grant application pending to recruit a comparator study associated with interventions including exercise program and Iron infusion.
5. Audit of Anaesthetic Outcomes associates with Obesity PI Dr Erica Sanderson
6. Audit of outcomes associated with multiple administration of Methoxyflurane at Blacktown Hospital for wound dressing and debridement outside of the operating theatre
   • Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists Annual Scientific Meeting 2019 poster submitted
   • Investigators Drs Yisha Minikus, Ellie Bollinger, Alan Bullingham

Continuous Epidural Infusion vs Programmed Intermittent Epidural Bolus for Labour Analgesia: A Prospective, Controlled, before-and-after Cohort Study of Labour Outcomes

Bullingham, A., S. Liang, E. Edmonds, S. Mathur, and S. Sharma. 2018. British Journal of Anaesthesia 121 (2): 432–37.

• 2016 ANZCA ASM BMDH project winner of Best trainee presentation in pain medicine
  Postoperative analgesic efficacy of continuous wound infusion of local anaesthetic compared to opioid patient-controlled analgesia after laparotomy: a prospective study
  • Trang L, Bullingham A, Edmonds E, Fiorentino M, Yeh Z, Pitt S


• 2016 ANZCA ASM BMDH project presented at the Trainee academic prize
  A Prospective Cohort Controlled Study comparing outcomes after Continuous Epidural Infusion versus Programmed Intermittent Epidural Bolus plus Patient Controlled Epidural Analgesia for Labour Analgesia.
  • Mathur S, Bullingham A, Liang S, Edmonds E
  • This same project was awarded the WS LHD quality award for translational research
  • It was also awarded best poster at the 2016 APAC forum


• Winner Gilbert Troup Prize for best Oral Research Presentation 2015 ASA meeting September 2015
  Continuous local anaesthetic wound infusion for postoperative pain after midline laparotomy for colorectal resection in adults
  • Liang S Ting A, Eshan T, Kakala B, Strippoli G, Bullingham Am, Currow H, Dunn D, Yeh Z