Clinicians with a glass jar containing a dangerous Irukandji jellyfish. Photos: Queensland Health.
The main referral hospital in Far North Queensland is aiming to become a world leader in venom treatment with a pioneering Toxicology Centre of Excellence.
Cairns Hospital on the Esplanade has also opened a new 32-bed ward for surgical, orthopaedic and trauma care as part of a master plan to develop centres of excellence.
Hospital expansion project clinical lead Tamra Shakespeare said the new ward would help staff provide better care to patients, closer to their homes and families.
“We are creating a dedicated service that brings trauma, surgical and orthopaedic teams together to deliver more comprehensive, patient-centred care,” she said.
“The team in the ward have worked so hard to make this service a reality.”
The ward has 28 surgical and orthopaedic beds and four trauma bays. The beds will allow for more efficient elective surgeries and coordinated specialist care for patients with serious and complex injuries.
More than half of the state’s trauma cases occur in regional and rural areas and the multidisciplinary trauma service was considered a critical addition to the hospital.
Cairns Hospital has opened a new 32-bed surgical, orthopaedic and trauma care ward.
Patients will be able to get urgent care faster, without having to be taken long distances.
Far North emergency departments regularly treat patients for bites and stings from creatures including the box jellyfish (the most venomous animal on the planet), Irukandji jellyfish, stonefish, stingrays, bees, wasps, spiders and snakes.
Patients also present after coming in contact with the notorious Gympie-Gympie tree. Brushing up against the tree’s venomous hairs can cause excruciating pain lasting weeks or even months.
The Toxicology Centre of Excellence will be a key feature of the new Cairns Hospital Health Innovation and Surgical Centre and it’s hoped the hospital will become a global leader in venom treatment.
Work will include research and training on the management of envenomation (the exposure to a poison or toxin resulting from a bite or sting from an animal), toxicology and complex poisoning cases.
The ward and the planned toxicology centre are part of the $1 billion Cairns Hospital Expansion, with development expected through to 2031.
Cairns Hospital cares for patients in an area covering more than 1000 km, from the Torres Strait to Tully.
Original Article published by Luke Mortimer on Region Tropical North Queensland.
