australasian neuroscience nurses association
Issue 3, November 2005
Brainstem
www.anna.asn.au
I know that she is
already busily planning
next years
conference, which will
see us heading up to
tropical Queensland in
Cairns. Bring it on!
Tracy taking the surf rider challenge
The end of the year
and all of the
festivities that comes
with it is fast
approaching. This will
be our last
BRAINSTEM for 2005
and on behalf of the
Executive team we
wish you a safe and
merry Christmas and
prosperous New Year.
The month of
September saw 100
ANNA members come
together on the Gold
Coast for our annual
scientific meeting
(conference). It was
great to see so many
members (both old
and new) participate in
the sharing of
neuroscience
knowledge and to
network with fellow
colleagues.
The diversity of the
papers presented was
fantastic, with many
areas relevant to
neuroscience nursing
being addressed.
Congratulations to all
of the presenters, in
particular our prize
winners, Tim O’Maley,
Suzy Goodman and
Lucy Bailey.
Cheryl (our friendly
conference convener)
did a fantastic job
organising and
coordinating the
conference. The great
success of the
conference, which was
evident from the
evaluation responses,
was possible because
of her dedication to
every detail in ensuring
the conference met the
needs of ANNA
members.
Cheryl will have more
about the conference
in her report, but I can
sum it up by saying it
was educational and
fun (particularly the
beach theme dinner).
If you want to see what
ANNA members got
up to visit the ANNA
website.
As you will know we
ran several
competitions through
the year with the
winners being
announced at the
conference.
Congratulations to
the following winners:
33rd member to
renew for 2005-2006
– Rebecca Burke
Most members
recruited during the
week of ANND in May
– Royal North Shore
Hospital, Sydney.
ANND celebration
competition – Sydney
West Area Health
Service.
Inside this issue
• Presidents report
• Conference news
• WFNN News
• State news
• Membership
• 2005 AGM minutes
• Brainstem Evaluations
Special features:
• John Shead Biography
• Huntington’s Disease
• Onyx
Our membership numbers
have shown a steady rise
over the year, which is
pleasing to see. It is the
members that strengthen
our association and we
thank you for your support
in continuing to promote
ANNA and recruit new
members.
We welcome to the
Federal Executive Karen
Tuqiri as Treasurer. We
look forward to Karen
joining the team and
working together for the
association.
A Message from your Friendly
Conference Convener
As I pack away the folder for conference 2005 and label the 2006 folder I
feel that you the members deserve to read a somewhat bias report on the
33rd Annual Scientific Meeting.
Legends Hotel, Gold Coast QLD: September 15th – 17th 2005 was the
place to be according to @ 100 enthusiastic ‘ANNA’ members. ‘On the
Terrace’ with a drink in one hand old friendships were reunited and new
ones started as delegates mingled amongst their neuroscience colleagues.
Tracy Desborough welcomed all to our annual meeting and the networking
continued.
34 members submitted abstracts for posters and oral presentations, these
submissions allowed the program to reflect the diversity that Neuroscience
Nursing represents. Congratulations to our Prize winners, all gave
outstanding presentations representing the work they do for Neuroscience
patients:
Tonnie Koenen Prize: Tim O’Maley (QLD)
Neurosurgical Society Australasia (NSA) Prize: Suzy Goodman (VIC)
Poster Prize: Kylie Wright (NSW)
First Time Presenter: Lucy Bailey (QLD)
Congratulations to all presenters (oral and poster) and moderators who
expressed interest in participating at a very successful conference, I thank
you and look forward to your support next year.
I also look forward to the inundation of abstract submissions we get when I
post the call for abstracts!! Remember the conference program can only be as
good as its content, which is up to you the members. So if you want a longer
program or a more diverse program start thinking about your abstract
submission for next year now! And tell your colleagues.
As you know there is more to a conference than just absorbing and sharing
knowledge, what about the social side or in conference language ‘networking
opportunities’.
The conference dinner is an event that will be hard to beat, how many people
have now taken up surfing lessons or visited a chiropractor??? How much fun
was the mechanical surf board and the dance floor both activities proved that
nurses are very talented people!! I am sure there are story’s being told around
neuro wards about who was the most talented on the surf (Charmaine). Thank
you all for a great night.
Thank you for attending and supporting our conference it is always great to see
our members come together each year and share their experiences. I look
forward to seeing you all next year.
Bye for now
Your Friendly Conference Convener
Cheryl Trudinger
PS: See you in Cairns, September 14th – 16th 2006
A tribute to John Shead
- a biography
There is a beautiful saying…. Some
people come into our lives and quickly go.
Some stay awhile, leave footprints on our
hearts. And we are never, ever the same.
For those who had the privilege of having
met and known John Shead, would agree
that John has left footprints in our hearts.
John’s recent sudden and tragic passing
had a profound effect on all staff, across
all disciplines throughout Westmead
Hospital. It goes without saying that
John’s prescience within the hospital was
always obvious and highly valued, and
now his absence has left an equally
obvious void and sense of immeasurable
loss for many, many people.
John had been on the staff at Westmead
for some twenty years and as such he
had become an integral and much loved
part of Westmead Hospital. John fulfilled
many professional roles during his time,
starting back in 1979 as a registered
nurse. In 1981, John completed his
midwifery training and stayed on staff
thereafter. John subsequently ventured in
to the world of Neural Sciences (some
would say he took his job a bit too
literally, as demonstrated by his shaved
bald head!)
After he successfully did the Neurological
Course at Westmead, John went on to
become the Nurse Unit Manager of the
Neuro High Dependency Unit (D5b),
before later becoming the Clinical Nurse
Consultant in Neural Sciences.
At one stage, John had completed more
postgraduate courses at Westmead than
any other nurse. In the last couple of
years, John embraced the opportunity of
a change in career direction and
successfully fulfilled the role of Acting
Facility Planner with the Maintenance and
Facility department. This role assisted in
raising the profile even higher and wider
amongst the Westmead Hospital
community and like his clinical career he
took little time in proving what a highly
valuable asset he was to the service.
John dedicated almost half his lifetime to
Westmead and he has left behind an
indelible legacy. Many people were
probably unaware of the extent of his
great work and commitment, to both his
clinical specialty and the nursing
profession in general. John was a regular
and popular lecturer on Neuro specialty
on local, national and international level.
John was the epitome of the ‘quiet
achiever’, who got on with the job, always
doing the best job possible. One of John’s
greatest achievements was his
outstanding ability as a teacher and
mentor.
Thank you to Angela Lownie and
Kate Murphy from the Western Area
Health Service, Sydney for providing
this contribution
The 2005 World Congress on
Huntington’s Disease
– Impetus for change
Reported by Angela Lownie
The 2005 World Congress on Huntington
Disease was held at the Midland Hotel,
Manchester from 10 – 13th September
2005. The program and abstracts have
been published as Supplement lV in the
Journal of neurology, neurosurgery and
psychiatry (Oct 2005, Vol 76).
Along with 492 other participants, I spent
the 2.5 days absorbing what scientists,
clinicians, and medical researchers from
the fields of genetics, epidemiology,
biochemistry, neurology, psychiatry,
psychology, nursing, and general
medicine, from every corner of the globe
had to say about their work in
understanding and overcoming, this
baffling hereditary condition. Also there
were care managers, administrators, and
representatives of HD affected families
through their local organizations, meeting
together for an historic first time.
The high- powered work for a cure or
treatments to slow down the progress of
the disease are truly astonishing and
would take an article on their own to
discuss. Suffice it to say that
collaborative international research
papers spoke (amongst many others) of
efforts to regulate the toxicity of mutant
Huntington (Rubinsztein et al; of the role
of dopamine in restoring cortical function
in HD mice (Cummings et al); of
evidence of the role of mRNA
dysfunction in producing pathology
(Hodges et al); preliminary results of
clinical trials of human striatal tissue
transplant (Dunnett – Brain repair group);
investigation of the effects of miraxion
(motor features), memantine (cognitive
impairment), coenzyme Q (functional
decline) and investigation of any impact
on disease course (minocycline) as well
as Creatine, Phenylbutyrate, EthylEPA,
Rosagiline, Citicoline, Lamotrigine,
MPEP and Amantidine.
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to
attend, assisted by a much appreciated
Professional Development Scholarship
from ANNA. With my service director,
neurologist Dr Elizabeth McCusker, I
presented a poster “Ten years of
Huntington Disease outreach service in
New South Wales” on the 2nd day with
eleven others under the heading of
Clinical Care and Management. In spite
of the rather crowded display space, I
had several conversations with other
participants during the hour long poster
viewing session regarding the functioning
of our service. I particularly enjoyed
discussions regarding late stage
residential care with team members from
the Netherlands working in a 70 bed
specialist residential unit “Overduin,“ in
Katwijk.
By comparison to my previous
experience a few years ago, it was
pleasing to find an increasing number of
papers and posters targeting care and
management issues at this key event.
Posters from the Leicester Partnership
Trust (UK), Nottingham (UK), Russia,
and the Netherlands (as mentioned),
presented work with common threads to
ours. Once again, we were happy that
our work in this area compares favorably
when viewed from the International
standpoint.
However, it was the in-depth
conversations with nurses such as Dr
Elizabeth Almquist from Sweden
regarding their work on assessing
nursing interventions and strategies for
aggressive behaviour, and Steve Smith
from the University of East Anglia who
used the conference to launch his book
“Huntington’s Disease – a Nursing Guide
– Applying the Roper, Logan and Tierney
Model of Nursing,” that provided the
greatest benefit.
An excellent paper by administrator jim
pollard and psychologist R.M. Stein,
“accommodating the cognitive
phenotype : a challenge to nursing
homes and considerations for care
was the final impetus to animated
conversations which resulted in plans
to launch the first international network
of non medical professionals in HD.
Some last minute drafting late into the
night and we had a document, outlining
the aims and plans, to disseminate to
the participants at the last plenary
session. It is hoped that this network
might be a force for change with regard
to the noticeable lack of research by
allied health therapists and nurses.
The next congress will be in dresden,
Germany in 2007, and it would be
wonderful to be able to report on some
collaborative endeavors to that
meeting.
Interested nurses and allied health
staff can join through contacting me
(angela_lownie@wsahs.Nsw.Gov.Au)
or Steve smith
(steve.Smith@uea.Ac.Uk) or Jim
pollard (jpollard@comcast.Net)
What is Huntington's Disease?
•
Huntington's disease (HD) results from genetically
programmed degeneration of brain cells, called
neurons, in certain areas of the brain. This
degeneration causes uncontrolled movements, loss of
intellectual faculties, and emotional disturbance. HD is
a familial disease, passed from parent to child through
a mutation in the normal gene. Each child of an HD
parent has a 50-50 chance of inheriting the HD gene.
If a child does not inherit the HD gene, he or she will
not develop the disease and cannot pass it to
subsequent generations. A person who inherits the HD
gene will sooner or later develop the disease. Whether
one child inherits the gene has no bearing on whether
others will or will not inherit the gene. Some early
symptoms of HD are mood swings, depression,
irritability or trouble driving, learning new things,
remembering a fact, or making a decision. As the
disease progresses, concentration on intellectual tasks
becomes increasingly difficult and the patient may
have difficulty feeding himself or herself and
swallowing. The rate of disease progression and the
age of onset vary from person to person. A genetic
test, coupled with a complete medical history and
neurological and laboratory tests, help physician's
diagnose HD. Presymptomic testing is available for
individuals who are at risk for carrying the HD gene. In
1 to 3 percent of individuals with HD, no family history
of HD can be found.
•
How is HD Diagnosed?
•
The great American folk singer and composer Woody
Guthrie died on October 3, 1967, after suffering from
HD for 13 years. He had been misdiagnosed,
considered an alcoholic, and shuttled in and out of
mental institutions and hospitals for years before being
properly diagnosed. His case, sadly, is not
extraordinary, although the diagnosis can be made
easily by experienced neurologists.
A neurologist will interview the individual intensively to
obtain the medical history and rule out other
conditions. A tool used by physicians to diagnose HD
is to take the family history, sometimes called a
pedigree or genealogy. It is extremely important for
family members to be candid and truthful with a doctor
who is taking a family history.
The doctor will also ask about recent intellectual or
emotional problems, which may be indications of HD,
and will test the person's hearing, eye movements,
strength, coordination, involuntary movements
(chorea), sensation, reflexes, balance, movement, and
mental status, and will probably order a number of
laboratory tests as well.
People with HD commonly have impairments in the
way the eye follows or fixes on a moving target.
Abnormalities of eye movements vary from person to
person and differ, depending on the stage and
duration of the illness.
The discovery of the HD gene in 1993 resulted in a
direct genetic test to make or confirm a diagnosis of
HD in an individual who is exhibiting HD-like
symptoms. Using a blood sample, the genetic test
analyzes DNA for the HD mutation by counting the
number of repeats in the HD gene region. Individuals
who do not have HD usually have 28 or fewer CAG
repeats. Individuals with HD usually have 40 or more
repeats. A small percentage of individuals, however,
have a number of repeats that fall within a borderline
region
•
•
•
•
•
Is there any treatment?
•
Physicians prescribe a number of medications to
help control emotional and movement problems
associated with HD. Most drugs used to treat the
symptoms of HD have side effects such as
fatigue, restlessness, or hyperexcitability. It is
extremely important for people with HD to
maintain physical fitness as much as possible,
as individuals who exercise and keep active tend
to do better than those who do not.
What is the prognosis?
•
•
At this time, there is no way to stop or reverse
the course of HD. Now that the HD gene has
been located, investigators are continuing to
study the HD gene with an eye toward
understanding how it cause disease in the
human body.
•
What research is being done?
•
Scientific investigations using electronic and
other technologies enable scientists to see what
the defective gene does to various structures in
the brain and how it affects the body's chemistry
and metabolism. Laboratory animals are being
bred in the hope of duplicating the clinical
features of HD so that researchers can learn
more about the symptoms and progression of
HD. Investigators are implanting fetal tissue in
rodents and nonhuman primates with the hope of
understanding, restoring, or replacing functions
typically lost by neuronal degeneration in
individuals with HD. Related areas of
investigation include excitotoxicity (over
stimulation of cells by natural chemicals found in
the brain), defective energy metabolism (a defect
in the mitochondria), oxidative stress (normal
metabolic activity in the brain that produces toxic
compounds called free radicals), tropic factors
(natural chemical substances found in the
human body that may protect against cell death).
western Australia
This year has been a
disappointing one for the WA
Branch, attendances at our
sessions have been variable and
often poor – a reflection of our
busy lives I guess.
I also think there are a number of
other organizations that compete
for the neuroscience nurses
including the MSNA, Parkinson’s
special interest group,
Rehabilitation Nurses group etc.
We all know membership fees are
costly and with family and other
commitments people make
choices and I believe this
negatively impacts on our
membership.
Increasingly we have seen the
neurosurgical nurses engage less
with the Association hence the focus
on non surgical topics to encourage
attendance from the more active
neurological nurses.
Our fundraising film night had great
potential but unfortunately with only
35 tickets sold the potential wasn’t
realized but we did make $122.50
profit. The biscuit sales were non
existent.
No members expressed an interest in
attending the ANNA symposium but I
understand Catherine Bucholz and
Jo McPhee (ex members non
financial) from SJOG attended with
hospital funding which is fantastic.
The WCN is being held in Sydney in
November and I think this may have
distracted some members unable to
attend both.
On the bright side we have held
some excellent educational
sessions including sessions on
Cognition, MS, Stroke and the
research done by the Parkinson’s
Nurse Consultant on carers. Other
opportunities available to
Members have been the TCD
workshop, the Trigeminal
After 10 years as State Delegate for
Neuralgia presentation and the MS
WA I am not seeking nomination this
Awareness Week forums.
year. Having restarted the branch in
1995 and facilitating a number of
significant achievements – including
several seminars which were
videotaped, the Professional
Standards for Neuroscience Nurses
adopted nationally and the
introduction of National Neuroscience
Nurses Day.
I believe it is time to hand over to
new blood. Since leaving the
hospital system I have found it
increasingly difficult both time
wise and with networking as it is
harder to access people
generally of site. Several key
players have also changed
positions and / or left the system
and this has added to the
difficulties faced in generating
interest and participation.
I would like to thank Lee for her
work as secretary over the last
12 months and Robyn for the
great work she did before that. I
would also like to thank that core
of people who have attended the
meetings and helped with
organising speakers and events
especially Harriet, Meg and Gill.
I would be happy to provide
support to the new position
holders if necessary and hope
that the branch can be
regenerated here in WA.
Sue Shapland
State Delegate
WA Branch ANNA
September 2005
new south wales
queensland
Dear NSW members and Australasia members:
The NSW branch held one of our most successful ever AGMs prior to the
annual conference. We were very lucky to be supported by Medtronic and
to have an educational presentation on the management of
Hydrocephalus prior to the meeting. At the AGM we welcomed Brianna
Beattie to the NSW - Executive as our weblinks assistant. Brianna is from
Royal North Shore Hospital and she will be working with Anita Lloyd from
Australasia to maintain the links on our Webpage. In addition to this new
member we welcome Nicole Morley to the Executive. At our next meeting
we will be outlining Nicole's new role - more of this in the next Brainstem
and Hemisphere News (the NSW newsletter coordinated by Kylie Wright).
Sadly I need to advise members that the NSW - Secretary, Ms Heidi
Evans, will be retiring from her role after 5 years as our State Secretary.
Never an easy task, Heidi has helped us immeasurably with keeping our
meetings organised, minuted and allowing us to use her own database for
membership information - in conjunction with that used by Australasia. I
would like to thank her for commitment to ANNA and for all her efforts.
A calendar will be going out to NSW members shortly to advise of planned
events over the rest of the financial year but before you get your
Christmas events all planned - Royal North Shore Hospital our hosting an
ANNA evening on the Wednesday 30th November 2005 from 5.308.30pm. Refreshments are provided and the meeting will take place in the
Main Block, Level 13 Boardroom, Royal North Shore Hospital on the
Pacific Highway at St. Leonards. The contact person for this event is Anne
MacLeod on 9926 8074 or amacleod@nsccahs.health.nsw.gov.au. The
program for the evening is: Onyx, Thrombolysis, Research in Action and a
Brain Bee Trivia Quiz. Anne requests that members and non-members
attend and RSVP by 23rd November (especially to assist with catering).
Registration and payment may be made on the night.
Hope to see you there and for those members who are not in the
metropolitan area who would like to be involved in an education event please contact me at: maureen.edgtton@swsahs.nsw.gov.au
Maureen Edgtton-Winn
Liverpool Hospital
I hope that all the members who
attended the conference enjoyed it.
I have had some very positive
feedback from m colleagues here at
the Princess Alexandra Hospital. I
was in the UK and therefore unable
to attend. In August, we were
guests of the Wesley Hospital,
Brisbane for an excellent
informative presentation by Dr Peter
Silburn on Deep Brain Stimulation
in the treatment of Parkinson
Disease. The next meeting, which
will be held on the 30th November
is sponsored by Novartis
Pharmaceuticals and held in
Romeos’s Italian Restaurant, Spring
Hill. It will feature Professor Mervyn
Eadie presenting an update on
epilepsy. Contact me for further
information as space is limited. I am
continuing to send out journal
articles by email, so any
Queensland member who does not
receive them, please let me know
as this means I either don’t have
your email address or I have the
wrong address. Any members who
are unable to attend meetings are
encouraged to send in items for
discussion or requests for support.
Sue Day
Ph: 07 3240 2137
Email: sue_day@health.qld.gov.au
Australian
Nurse
Practitioner “Supporting advanced nursing practice”
Association
2005 Report
The Australian Nurse Practitioner Association (ANPA) was officially formed in 2003. The association aims to support
and encourage advanced nursing practice across specialties. Members are committed to having a positive influence
over the clinical care and outcomes of all patients and their families. Currently the association has representatives from
5 states and 2 territories throughout Australia. Membership has grown dramatically throughout the year.
The Inaugural Conference was held in October 2005 in Canberra, ACT. Attendance exceeded expectations with 170
delegates. Delegates included Nurse Practitioners, aspiring Nurse Practitioners, academics and other health
professionals who support advanced nursing practice. This exciting and historic occasion provided opportunities for all
those involved to share knowledge, expertise and commitment to clinical excellence Delegates were also able to
discuss future directions and plans for advanced nursing practice. Keynote speaker was Prof Donna Diers. Prof Diers
delivered a very inspiring address sharing experiences and lessons learnt in the development of advance nursing role
development.
More information can be found at: www.nursepractitioners.org.au
Rochelle Firth
Nurse Practitioner- Neurosurgery
Australian Nurse Practitioner Association- Treasurer
Earlier in the year we asked you for your thoughts on your association newsletter. Here are the
results, and I hope that this issue starts to reflect what you the members want And just as a
gentle reminder contributions from you the members is greatly appreciated – we would love to
know what is going on in the world of neurosciences and hope that your good work is shared
amongst your professional peers
1. Could you please rate the following aspects of brainstem currently
Excellent
Quality of
Publication
Very Good
Satisfactory
67%
33%
Poor
Frequency of
Publication
8%
42%
25%
25%
Conference
Information
17%
58%
17%
8%
Membership
information
17%
58%
8%
17%
Clinical Content
8%
26%
33%
33%
Professional Issues
8%
17%
58%
17%
Association
Information/Update
16%
42%
25%
17%
50%
33%
17%
Educational
Opportunities
Comments:
Much improved after the facelift
The format is good
Very Informative
Inclusion of articles by community nurses and carer organisations to keep us informed and updated
An article on research stats on beneficial outcomes of early rehabilitation. Invitations to physio’s and
OT’s to contribute articles to “Brainstem”.
Have a particular interest in brain tumours
A research article on common co-morbidities in neurological. Pt’s would be of interest.
3. Please indicate whether you would like to see any of the following in future editions of
Brainstem?
Yes
No
Unsure
Member profiles
60%
20%
20%
Unit profiles
70%
10%
30%
General Professional Issues
100%
Educational opportunities
100%
A clinical theme eg Stroke,
Neurosurg
80%
State Delegate Updates
80%
Clinical Issues
90%
10%
Conference Updates
80%
10%
10%
Job advertisements
70%
20%
10%
Product information
70%
30%
20%
20%
What other area’s would you like to see covered in Brainstem?
WFNN Corner – used to have in journal few years ago
Current trial (clinical trials)
Different types of neuro illness.
I would like clinical relevant data included-maybe a topic an edition.
All covered in above
Educational Opportunities
Journal review: paragraph review
Link page reviewed.
Any other comments/ suggestions?
Many thanks for this facelift of brainstem
A job well done
I like brainstem to be in a newsletter format, with the journal focus on clinical issues.
More clinical based information for current practicing nurses- this will include people not able to attend
conferences.
Appreciate all the work people put in to get brainstem published.
Issue 2 is a great improvement from all previous issues.
noticeboard
Following this years AGM,
several decisions need to be
highlighted to members:
• membership rates shall be for
a 12 month period i.e. if you
applied in march, renewals will
be expected in march the next
year - pro rata rates will no
longer apply. Each member will
receive reminder renewals
once the12 month period has
passed
RNSH ANNA Education Evening
• ANNA Exec and state
delegates will have the
discretion to distribute all
members with appropriate
notices via email
This education evening will be focusing
on interventional neuroradiological
techniques, primarily the use of
thrombolysis in stroke and onyx for the
treatment of aneurysms and AVMs.
Royal North Shore Hospital
November 30th 630pm – 830pm
Further information:
Anne Macleod
Light refreshments and
supper will be provided
Q I have an issue with taking the size of the pupil
Let everyone know about your education
evenings and advertise in Brainstem!
when doing GCS. I knew that I should take the size of the
pupil before shining light, but often many people
misunderstand as to take the size of the pupil after
shining light. Colleagues on my ward all think that it
should be the "post" one rather than the "pre" one.
Send information at least 2 months before
the event, including event, date, venue,
contact details
Could you guys tell me which is the correct one?? As
much as possible, can you also send me journal articles
to support the say, so that I can show it to my colleague??
Articles that I have found generally talk about the different
types of response of pupils towards light but they don't
describe how to take the size of the pupil
trivia
Send information to Rochelle McKnight
Email: annaexecutive@bigpond.com.au
Fax:
02 9439 9029
Mail: PO Box 6, Artarmon, NSW 1570
Australia
A When we assess pupil size it is the resting pupil size, that is
before the light is shone in the pupil. The references for this include
Joanne Hickey: The Clinical Practice of Neurological and
Neurosurgical Nursing, 5th edition and another useful journal article:
Shah, S (1999). Neurological Assessment: Nursing Standard, 13
(22), 49-56
The aims of this conference will be:
To highlight the timeframe for acute stroke care
To discuss innovations in stroke management and research
To promote new initiatives on stroke care
To provide the latest information on best practice in stroke
To provide a forum for stroke clinicians to share information
To raise awareness of rehabilitation concepts in stroke
To highlight rehabilitation practices by allied health
To raise community awareness of stroke
The Organising Committee request presentation ideas from prospective
presenters & participants to make this conference relevant and informative for all
stroke clinicians.
Just give us your ideas on what you would like to hear more of.
This is a call for your suggestions!
The call for abstracts will be sent out in the near future based on your
responses of what YOU want to hear about. We have provided the organising
committees aims of the conference to help guide you.
Please send your ideas by the 31.10.05 to:
Conference Secretariat: Louise Pitney
Conference Action Pty Ltd, PO Box 576, Crows Nest, NSW
AUSTRALIA 1585
Tel: 02 9437 9333 Fax: 02 9901 4586
Email: louise@conferenceaction.com.au
ANNA is continuing to recruit new association members! It is always
encouraging to see so many new memberships in the mail  On behalf
of ANNA, the executive would like to welcome the following new
members.
Kerri
Reeves
The Canberra Hospital
ACT
Justyne
Anderson
St Vincents Public Hospital - Sydney
NSW
Penny
Bisaro
Prince of Wales Hospital
NSW
Nghia
Bui
St Vincents Public Hospital - Sydney
NSW
Renee
Craig
Royal North Shore Hospital
NSW
Wendy
Cutler
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
NSW
Regina
Edwards
Prince of Wales Hospital
NSW
Lauren
Farmer
St George Public Hospital
NSW
Meredith
Ford
Royal North Shore Hospital
NSW
Linda Maree
Gesell
John Hunter Hospital
NSW
Alison
Harris
Wyong Hospital
NSW
Philip
Herbert
Royal North Shore Hospital
NSW
Jane Maree
Hunter
Central Coast Health
NSW
Tracy
Kelly
Prince of Wales Hospital
NSW
Steve
Klekacroski
St George Public Hospital
NSW
Simon
Latham
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
NSW
Christina
Mills
North Shore Private Hospital
NSW
Sandra
Morgan
Colette
Patteson
North Shore Private Hospital
NSW
Danni
Phillips
Nepean Hospital
NSW
Daniel
Troitsin
Royal North Shore Hospital
NSW
Dallas
Tucker
Nepean Hospital
NSW
Christine
Turner
The Sutherland Hospital
NSW
Kim
Milners
St George Hospital
NSW
Meena
Sharma
Liverpool Health Service
NSW
Kathryn
Bergan
Nepean Hospital
NSW
Fiona
Wade
Westmead Children's Hospital
NSW
NSW
A reminder to members to notify the Association promptly of change of
address, we have been receiving increasing numbers of returns of late.
If you have Email addresses please let the executive know - by emailing us and
we will then be in a position to electronically mail you all relevant association
documentation.
Marcia
Greenaway
Auckland City Hospital, Operating Rooms
NZ-Nth
Anna
Kreft
Starship Children's Hospital Auckland
NZ-Nth
Ben
McIntyre
Auckland City Hospital
NZ-Nth
David
Moxon
Canterbury District Health Board
NZ-Nth
Kathryn
Robinson
Starship Children's Hospital Auckland
NZ-Nth
Mabeline
Siaw
Canterbury Health Board, New Zealand
NZ-Nth
Nathan
Hood
Christchurch Hospital
NZ-Sth
Melissa
Burton
Princess Alexandria Hospital
QLD
Jacqueline Clare
Cameron
Royal Brisbane Hospital
QLD
Sarah
Day
Royal Brisbane Hospital
QLD
Sharmaine Denise
Hoera
Gold Coast Hospital
QLD
Rosina
McKeen
Gold Coast Hospital
QLD
Lorraine Barbara
Retallick
Gold Coast Hospital
QLD
Jasmin
Abdulhakeem
Boxhill Hospital
VIC
Suzanne
De Lange
Monash Medical Centre
VIC
Natalie
Derry
St Vincent's Private Hospital - Melbourne
VIC
Darren
MacGregor
Alfred Hospital
VIC
Patricia
O'Donoghue
St Vincent's & Mercy Private Hospital
VIC
Joahnne
Ramos
Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne
VIC
Cheryl
Schlosser
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
WA
wa
nz
Sep-05
sa
tas
act
Jun-05
qld
vic
nsw
Mar-05
0
50
100
150
200
Membership renewals are now overdue with names of unfinancial members now
removed from our active membership lists and from future mail outs. If you have
colleagues who are concerned at their current financial status please advise them to
contact the executive for clarification.
What the??? Onyx, a new
As a result of high blood flow and
pressure imbalances, Intracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVM) are at risk of
hemorrhage, or rupture, which can lead to
stroke, severe disability and even death.
They often represent a complex clinical
problem in regards to treatment, the
choice of treatment and the technical
difficulties related to treatment.
embolization
material
Treatment options for AVMs include
catheter-based therapies, surgery, radiation
therapy, or a combination of these
treatments. Catheter-based treatments
involve the delivery of embolic materials to
occlude, or block, the abnormal blood
vessels comprising the AVM.
Onyx is a liquid embolic material that is
delivered by neurovascular specialists
through micro catheters directly into a
vascular defect, such as a brain aneurysm
or AVM, in a very controlled manner. After
delivery of the embolic material, it stays in
liquid form until it comes into contact with
blood or other aqueous solutions.
Once contact is made, Onyx begins to precipitate,
changing from liquid to a solid thereby sealing off the
vessels in the AVM from blood flow and reducing the
risk of rupture. Endovascular embolization can
reduce the size and vascularity of the AVM, thereby
facilitating safer and easier surgical resection
Opaque – can be seen radiologically
Slow injection for exact placement.
Non-adhesive – easy injection with
microcatheters
Disadvantages
Vascular toxicity, vasospasm &
necrosis.
By-products of Onyx are
released by lungs producing an
unpleasant smell.
Cost: approx. $2000 per vial
Post insertion of onyx, the AVM no longer
has a blood supply
Annual General Meeting Minutes
17th September, 2005
Legends Hotel, Gold Coast, QLD
Attendance: Tracy Desborough, Sharon Eriksson, Cheryl Trudinger, Jennifer Blundell, Suzy Goodman, Carley Mills, Rochelle
McKnight, Joanne McLoughlin, Terri Pinkis, Tania Heywood, Sue de Lange, Phillipa Balfour, Kellie McIntosh, Helen Houridis,
Brianna Beattie, Allison O’Dea, Saskia Baaijens, Ros Nicholson, Karen O’Malley, Tim O’Malley, Barbara Lester, Lynette Wallace,
Dallas Tucker, Sharryn Byers, Michael Sham, Anne MacLeod, Rochelle Firth, Vicki Evans, Jeanne Barr, Rosey Merheb, Mary Wyer,
Penny Bayliss, Nerolie Lyle, Karen Tuqiri,
1.Apologies: Angela, Maureen Edgtton-Winn, Sue Day, Denise Le Lievre, Jane Henry, Joan Johnson, Sue Astegno, Brooke
Lederman, Jill Stow, Naomi Moody, Eithnie Irving, Mary Lomas
2.Proxies:
3.Chair: Tracy Desborough
4.Confirmation of previous minutes: Lynette Wallace
Seconded: Sharryn Byers
5. Tabling of
Reports
Content
Action
5.1 President
Report
5.2 NSW Report
Since the change of executive, we have been meeting monthly to
look at the processes;
Financial transactions, journal production, recruitment and retention
strategies of members, benefits for members increasing the
educational content of Brainstem, Strategies to improve the
communication between the Executive and the State Delegates
We plan to review again these strategies at the end of the year.
Thank you to the Executive and State Delegates for their
enthusiasm.
Received and tabled
6. Business arising
Content
Action
6.1 Standards of
Neuroscience
Nursing
Standards were mailed out early in the year. The Case studies were
omitted accidentally, but will be printed and mailed out as an
amendment within the month.
RM to mail
out case
studies
6.2 Affiliation with
the College of
Nursing
With the change in Executive, this has not been followed up. This is
essentially a branch initiative and will be forwarded to NSW to
follow up
6.3 EBSCO
Publishing
ANNA has formalised the contract with EBSCO. Members will be
informed in Brainstem further information
JB to submit
a short
contribution
re: EBSCO
contract for
Brainstem
7. Election of
Office Bearers
Content
Action
7.1 Treasurer
Position
•Nomination – Karen Tuqiri
•Proposed – Sharon Eriksson
•Seconded – Tracy Desborough
•Accepted unanimously
8. New Business
Content
Actions
8.1 Affiliation with
the NSA
ANNA now consists of more than just neurosurgical nurses –
neurology, stroke, Parkinson's disease, ms, mnd
The Exec raised the idea of not following the NSA and to look at
becoming a stand alone independent conference. Concerns
highlighted include sponsorship support; there are still a few nurses
that stay on from the ANNA conference for the NSA. There was a
suggestion to encourage neurologists to present at future
conferences
TD/SE to
follow up
8.2 Dual
Membership
There are competing bodies for professional organisations. The
Exec would like to investigate the idea of having dual membership,
targeting other organisations e.g. operating room nurses, spinal,
rehab, ACCCN, Radiology
Discussion around benefits which included:
Members receiving a discount from combined membership;
Advertising to affiliation members ANNA conference delegate
rates; Shared resources during conferences leading to a meeting that
encompasses all areas within neurosciences
8.3 Email
Correspondence
The Exec proposed to the members the idea of ANNA business
being emailed.
Accepted unanimously
8.4 Receipting
Processes are being addressed in regards to the receipting of
transactions and the timing. These will continue to be addressed
with the change over of the role.
8.5 AJON
JB reports that there have been difficulties in obtaining
contributions, but the Journal is in print.
Suggested journal article content: case studies/ clinical updates;
Abstracts; Themes
JB is developing an article package which will include guidelines
for article structure
JB will also develop a guideline package for reviewers. Interested
reviewers would look at 1- 2 papers per year
9. Business without
notice
Content
9.1 Membership
pro rata rates
Following discussion at the State delegate Meeting, the Exec would
like to propose a standard 12 month membership. It was discussed
that the pro rata rates were quite confusing to members.
State delegates will be notified of unfinancial members regularly
for follow up
Meeting closed: 1550
Next meeting: Cairns September 2006
Actions
WORLD FEDERATION OF NEUROSCIENCE NURSES
2005 Update
Following a successful 9th Congress, Barcelona- Spain, plans for the 10th Congress are under way.
The location of the next congress has yet to be decided. To ensure the quality, efficiency and
support for congress preparations it was decided that prospective host countries were to provide
submissions for consideration. Submissions are due at the end of 2005 and congress location for
2009 will be announced at the beginning of 2006.
A Membership, Education, Research Committee (MERC) has been formed. This is to ensure
ongoing development and opportunities for neuroscience nurses. It is expected that the MERC will
prove to be extremely valuable in the growth of WFNN and its members.
There has been further development in the Nurse Exchange Program with a proposed sponsorship
contract from Johnson and Johnson. Details are still being finalised however this program will
create wonderful opportunities for neuroscience nurses to exchange practices and ideas.
Ongoing information will be updated on the web site: www.wfnn.nu
Rochelle Firth
Nurse Practitioner- Neurosurgery
WFNN- Secretary
PO Box 6, Artarmon NSW 1570 AUSTRALIA
annaexecutive@bigpond.com.au
phone: 9926 7527 fax: 02 9439 9029
President
Tracy Desborough
tdesborough@doh.health.nsw.gov.au
Phone: (02) 43 947 679
Treasurer
Karen Tuqiri
Karen.Tuqiri@sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au
Vice President
Sharon Eriksson
Sharonmaree.eriksson@sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au
Secretary
Rochelle McKnight
annaexecutive@bigpond.com.au
Phone: (02) 9926 7527
Phone: (02) 9382 8113
Conference Convener
Cheryl Trudinger
Cheryl.Trudinger@sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au
Phone: (02) 9382 3802
Journal Editor
Jenni Blundell
jblundel@nursing.usyd.edu.au