Healthcare
The 16 minutes and five seconds that probably cost Nick his life
Father-of-three Nick Panagiotopoulos could have survived his heart attack if his triple-zero call had been answered straight away. Instead, he died.
- by Aisha Dow
Latest
This surgery saved Alexia’s life. Labor’s ‘backflip’ could end it at Randwick
Health Minister Ryan Park says there has been no change to cardiac services at the Sydney Children’s Hospital at Randwick. Doctors and families aren’t convinced.
- by Angus Thomson
Why the ‘arbitrary’ way we define menopause needs to change
A new review has called for a radical rethink of menopause so that it is no longer based on the end of menstruation.
- by Henrietta Cook
Record wait times, more sick patients: NSW’s health crisis laid bare
Emergency department wait times have reached a record high while hospitals and paramedics in NSW are treating record numbers with life-threatening conditions.
- by Angus Thomson and Laura Banks
Botox and other injectables the focus of cosmetic industry crackdown
Peak health regulatory bodies will review non-surgical cosmetic procedures by doctors, nurses, dentists and other practitioners.
- by Laura Banks
Exclusive
Healthcare
Sara was 20 when her heart stopped. Now scientists want to know why
Sara Catena is one of the first on a database of cardiac-arrest victims. It’s hoped the registry will solve the mystery behind young people dying suddenly.
- by Angus Thomson
Exclusive
Ambulance Victoria
‘The worst I have seen’: Hospital ramping costs paramedics 120 years worth of shifts
Patients are getting sicker as they languish on stretchers, while Victorian ambulance crews have spent more than 523,000 hours waiting in emergency departments since 2018.
- by Aisha Dow and Henrietta Cook
Victorians lose their teeth as dental chairs sit empty
There are 640 public dental chairs statewide but the Australian Dental Association estimates that about 130 dental chairs are sitting vacant.
- by Melissa Cunningham
Stroke patients need treatment within an hour. Two-thirds don’t get it in time
Advocates are optimistic new time targets will improve the situation, as Australia’s treatment times lag behind the US and UK.
- by Mary Ward
‘I couldn’t control my mouse’: The injuries taking out elite gamers
The term sports injury evokes images of season-ending torn ACLs or broken legs, but in the world of esports, smaller injuries can be just as catastrophic for a player’s career.
- by Mary Ward
Exclusive
Drugs
The common medication involved in killing more Australians than alcohol
Xanax, Valium and other benzodiazepines are contributing to more than a third of all accidental overdose deaths, making them the second most deadly drug after opioids.
- by Amber Schultz