Publications

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    1. 

2017   Book Chapter: Australasian Anaesthesia 2017-Introducing Viscoelastic   haemostatic assay guided blood product transfusion into your hospital. 

Megha   Jain, Erin Chamberlen, Kathryn Santifort, Surbhi Malhotra, Catherine Downs   page 77-94.
 https://www.anzca.edu.au/resources/college-publications/australasian-anaesthesia-(the-blue-book)/blue-book-2017-(1)
 

 Contribution: The introduction of ROTEM and the collection of data showing   improved blood product collection and analysis all performed by myself. I did   collaborate with a registrar to oversee the data, with obstetric   anaesthetists who added an obstetric haemorrhage section and a nurse who   wrote about this from the nursing perspective.
 

 Impact: This project resulted in many presentations and publications,   including 12 Randwick Campus presentations to the POW/SCH/POWPH/RHW   anaesthetic departments, and I’ve presented twice at ICU grand rounds.
 This project was also presented at an international Haematology meeting by Dr   Susan Macallum (Chair transfusion committee and haematologist), and I also   presented orally as an invited speaker at an international conference in   Antarctica and the National ANZCA anaesthesia meeting in Darling Harbour, and   in 2021 on a webinar panel for a national meeting with international speakers.   In collaboration with a registrar, we presented a poster at the ANZCA   national meeting titled “Use of ROTEM®: does surgical specialty influence   transfusion practice?” at Leaps and Bounds National ANZCA meeting May 2021. I   am the chair of the Rotem Working Party, responsible for the implementation,   education and audit of ROTEM guided transfusion, this is a multidisciplinary   task which has been the biggest change to transfusion management on campus   since the introduction of transfusion packs. As a result of my profile with   the book chapter, I have been an invited speaker, attending in person the   Werfen Asia Pacific Blood Management meeting in Thailand in March 2023, and I   am on Faculty presenting live online at the Certificate course in patient   Blood Management , WERFEN India with over 1000 registrants worldwide.

2.

 2005 Book Chapter in Australasian Anaesthesia: Analgesia After Thoracotomy: The Role of the Extrapleural Paravertebral Catheter. Cook E, Downs C. Australasian Anaesthesia 2005, page 103- 117. https://airr.anzca.edu.au/anzcacrisjspui/bitstream/11055/951/1/Australasian%20Anaesthesia%202005.pdf
Impact: Following from the journal publication in 1997 (below) I was asked to write this chapter. It resulted in this technique which is equal to but safer than an epidural being adopted for thoracic surgery around Australasia.

3.

 2000-Book chapter in The Textbook of Obstetric Anaesthesia.
Chapter 46: Anaesthesia for the Parturient with Neurologic Disease. Downs CS. The Textbook of Obstetric Anaesthesia. Birnbach, DJ, Gatt SP, Datta S. Churchill Livingston June 2000. https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/2166881  

6. 

2020 Multicentre Journal Publication, I was the Principal Investigator for SESLHD.
Funding Agency: Commonwealth Health Department Multicentre via ANZCA Trials Network
Title : Prevalence of Asymptomatic SARS-Cov-2 Infection in Elective Surgical Patients in Australia

May 2020 -August 2020/PID01529 (Regis)
Role: Principal Investigator SESLHD: At the peak of the pandemic three NSW hospitals were chosen by NSW Health as part of a National surveillance study. For SESLHD, I led the recruitment of 496 patients in June 2020. We had the second highest recruitment in the country, behind a centre in WA that continued collection into July. I arranged ethics approval and oversaw the theatre teams collecting nasal swaps and serology from most elective surgery patients at POW Private Hospital to determine the background prevalence of COVID at a time when Australia had shut its borders.
Budget: $340,419.

Impact: PUBLISHED: Prevalence of asymptomatic SARS-COV-2 infection in elective surgical patients in Australia: a prospective surveillance study. - Coatsworth N, Myles PS, Mann GJ, Cockburn IA, Forbes AB, Gardiner EE, Lum G, Cheng AC, Gruen RL, and the SG,-CoV-2 Testing in Elective Surgery Collaborators. ANZ J Surg 2020. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33421257/

SESLHD had the highest rate of background prevalence of COVID in Australia with 5 of our 496 patients having positive serology, and no active positive cases. This multicentre study reassured the medical leaders in Australia that there was no background prevalence of COVID at this time, in the Australian community.
  

5.

2016 Peer Review Journal publication
A novel Technique of Intraoperative Lateral Pectoral Nerve Block during Subpectoral Breast Implant Placement. Nicholas Bernard Haydon, Rhys van der Rijt, Catherine Downs, Garry Buckland, FRACS. Plastic Reconstructive Surgery Global Open. 17th March 2016; 4e646. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27257576/
Impact: The use of this block had never been published in the surgical literature, only in Anaesthesia. I wrote this up with two plastic surgical trainees and it is now widely adopted to reduce pain from the pec major muscle following implant surgery.

4.

2002- Peer Review Journal publication.
The effects of sevoflurane on isolated gravid human myometrium. Turner RJ. Lambros M. Holmes C. Katz SG. Downs CS. Collins DW. Gatt SP. Anaesthesia & Intensive Care. 30(5):591-6, 2002 Oct. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12413258 

 3. 

2002- Peer Review Journal publication
Airway management on placental support (AMPS)--the anaesthetic perspective. Collins DW. Downs CS. Katz SG. Gatt SP. Marsland C. Abrahams N. Turner RJ. Anaesthesia & Intensive Care. 30(5):647-59, 2002 Oct. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12413268/
 

2.
2000 - 2002 -  Multicentre Trial Journal Publication  
Funding Agency: The B-Aware trial was funded by project grants from the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists, the Alfred Hospital Research Trust, Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation (S Swallow), and the Centre for Encouragement of Philanthropy in Australia.
Title : Bispectral index monitoring to prevent awareness during anaesthesia: the B-aware randomised controlled trial
Role: As a junior consultant it was my idea and I coordinated for POW cardiac unit and RHW to be included in this Multicentre trial. I was involved in recruiting high risk patients from Randwick campus and collecting and communicating their data. This Multicentre study collected 2463 non-cardiac surgery patients at risk of awareness under anaesthesia, randomised to bispectral index (BIS) monitoring that resulted in the reduction in the incidence of awareness compared with routine care.
PUBLISHED LANCET 2004 P S Myles: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15172773/
Impact: This led to widespread use of depth of anaesthesia monitoring technology in patients undergoing high risk surgery, and today it is in mainstream use. 

1.

 1997- Peer Review Journal publication Continuous extrapleural intercostal nerve block for post thoracotomy analgesia in children. Downs CS, Cooper MG. Anaesth Intensive Care. 1997 Aug; 25(4):390-7.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9288383/ Impact: this was an early display of contrast injection to the paravertebral space in children, and a description of doses of local anaesthetic to complete it safely, that resulted in this block being used widely even today. 

7.

MAY 2024 : ANZCA Brisbane meeting -see upcoming presentations

6.
2023- 3-4th May: Obstetric SIG meeting and 5-8th May ANZCA national meeting in Sydney, Australia. Simon Cole, Rebecca Deans, George Caponas, John Tippett, Craig Hargreaves, Leonie Watterson and Catherine Downs, Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney, Australia. Anaesthesia for Uterine transplant-the first Australian experience presentation at both the ANZCA national meeting and the Obstetric SIG meeting in Sydney in May 2023.

5.
2022- Poster presentation. Evaluation of Tranexamic Acid in breast reduction-A NSW Survey. Ahmad Sulaiman, Michael Gathy, Catherine Downs, Garry Buckland. May 2022 Royal Australian College of Surgeons ASC, Brisbane, Australia.

4.
2021- Poster presentation. Use of ROTEM®: does surgical specialty influence transfusion practice? Dr Cameron Dunn, Dr Ronald Kam Kai Fung, Dr David Hassell, Dr Mary Hoang, Prof. Michael Bennett, Dr Catherine Downs . May 2021: Leaps and Bounds National ANZCA meeting, Melbourne, Australia.
 Contribution: This presentation stemmed directly from the ROTEM audit where I   am the coordinating principal Investigator for the hospitals on Randwick   Campus.
 Impact: We showed that for all initial ROTEM tests done in obstetrics, only   one third showed coagulopathy requiring yellow blood products. Most obstetric haemmorhage can therefore be managed with obstetric intervention and this has   helped me teach this to the obstetricians and anaesthetists who now use this   ROTEM data to make clinical decisions as to whether to return to theatre   immediately for an intrauterine balloon if bleeding is occurring in the   presence of normal coagulation..

3.

2012 Poster presentation. Time to pre anaesthetic consultation following emergency surgery booking – an audit in a busy public hospital. Blatchford K, Downs C, Wolfers D. ASA National Scientific congress in Hobart September 29th 2012. 

2.

2011 Poster presentation. Case Report-Catecholamine–induced stress cardiomyopathy. Rajan A, Downs C, Collins D. Green and Growing ASA NSC 8th to 11th September 2011 Sydney convention and Exhibition centre. 

1.
2008 Poster Presentation. Anaphylaxis to Chlorhexidine: A case report and review of the literature. Heavener R, Downs C and Powers B. Anaesthesia Science, Art and Life, ANZCA ASM 3rd -7th May 2008, Sydney convention and Exhibition centre.

 2008-2013: National online educational module development
In my role as the ASA Iamonline module CPD committee representative I created 4 online modules with Anaesthesia registrars from Randwick Campus:

4. 2013 ASA online Module, Anaphylaxis Management. Iamonline module ASA website. Kerdic J, Downs C
3. 2011 ASA online Module, Post Dural Puncture headache. Iamonline module ASA website. Kheng-Heng Ng, Downs C
2. 2009 ASA online module creation. Management of massive transfusion. Iamonline module ASA website. Pitt S, Liew A and Downs C
1. 2008 ASA online module creation. Remifentanil and Obstetrics. Iamonline module ASA website. Ng K and Downs C