Urgent Bite 285 – Adventitious Bursae
Adventitious bursae arrive throughout life and are not present at birth.
Urgent Bite 284 – Coryza and Catarrh
When considering the broad topic of the upper respiratory tract infection, catarrh and coryza is mentioned. What are they and why do old and outdated medical terms still persist.
Urgent Bite 283 – Referral Communication
When making acute referrals to hospital, there are times when the communication is not as straightforward as you would want. There are many reasons for this but interpersonal and inter professional relationships are at the core of effective communication.
Urgent Bite 282 – Head injuries in the elderly
Dame Jilly Cooper died of an acute subdural haematoma, following a fall.
Pathways for CT head in adults exist to guide us in determining who needs a CT, but we must not forget the importance of safety netting all elderly people after head injury and to consider measures to prevent patients sustaining head injuries in the first place.
Urgent Bite 281 – Thinking about sparkler related eye injuries
Sparklers are a common, handheld firework that are popular with all ages, especially children. As they are held in front of your face, can they cause eye injuries?
Urgent Bite 280 – A Poke in the Eye
We must be thorough in reviewing patients who have had direct trauma to their eyes. Objects that are small enough that the orbit provides no protection are of increased concern. In addition to other injuries, we need to be aware of orbital floor fractures and commotio retinae.
Urgent Bite 279 – Pisa Syndrome
Pisa syndrome is rare, but identifiable in urgent care and associated with drugs we will commonly see. It is a reversible condition. It highlights the importance of a full drug history and to consider medications as causes of strange symptoms.
Introduction to Māori health
The College has endorsed an online course from Taikura that offers an introduction to Māori health Taikura offer a 4-hour online introductory course to Māori health, created by Dr Elana Curtis, that has been endorsed as a CPD activity. The introductory course offers the following learning objectives: Explore your understandings of traditional and contemporary Māori…
Goodfellow Symposium 2026
Registrations for the Goodfellow Symposium 2026 are now open. It will be on the weekend of March 21 and 22, 2025. For the urgent care stream, we have some fantastic talks. Dr Paul Huggan, Infectious disease specialist, will be presenting on sepsis and the new national sepsis pathways. Dr Craig Ellis, Emergency Specialist and Deputy…
Urgent Bite 278 – Ocular Siderosis
We should be aware of the early signs of ocular siderosis, also known as siderosis bulbi which would indicate a retained metallic intraocular foreign body.