"Satellite" haemodialysis.

Thirty of the 39 patients treated at the Blacktown Dialysis Centre, the first "satellite" dialysis centre in the greater metropolitan Sydney, had been referred from four Sydney renal units for long-term dialysis therapy. The move save approximately 150 kilometres in travelling and eight hours time each week for each of these patients. The cost of running the unit was approximately $10,000 per patient per year in the first year--no greater than that of home dialysis, and less than that of dialysis in a teaching hospital. The advantages of establishing satellite dialysis centre, the method of operation, and the results of the first year of operation of the Blacktown Dialysis Centre are described.     

"Prune Belly" syndrome.

A large sonolucent mass was first revealed by the ultrasonic echography examination of a fetus at 18 1/2 weeks' gestation, but was no longer present at 28 1/2 weeks' gestation. The fetus was subsequently born with the "prune belly" syndrome. The case is described, and the possible causes, and possibilities of prevention, of "prune belly" are discussed.     

The "coast" hydrostatic bed.

The water bed has ushered in a new era in prophylactic care for patients suffering from the sequetiae of spinal cord injury and other debilitating diseases which have rendered the skin susceptible to decubitus ulceration. A commercially available water bed is described which has resulted from improvements to a prototype bed first used in the spinal injuries unit of Prince Henry Hospital in 1969 (Jones and Burniston, 1971).     

"Barbiturate burns" caused by glutethimide.

A case of glutethimide overdose associated with skin lesions resembling burns is reported. These characteristic skin lesions are usually ascribed to barbiturates. Their aetiology, incidence, and association with other drugs and neurological disorders are discussed.     

The treatment of "shooting" pain.

Anticonvulsant drugs were given to 70 patients suffering from lancinating pains of various clinical aetiologies. Serum drug estimations were used to ensure that an effective dose level was achieved. In about 66% of the cases, treatment produced some diminution in the intensity and/or frequency of the "flashes" of pain. The neurophysiological and pharmacological rationales are briefly explained. It is concluded that this use of anticonvulsant agents merits further study.