Chaired by: Dr Philip Unsworth
1.30 pm
Coffee and Registration
2.00 pm
Clinical Audit, Quality Improvement Project or Case Presentation
- Profiling the commotio cerebri patient: a forensic case series - Valeria Bergomi
- Dual pathology in a femur – metastatic breast carcinoma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia – Sai San Hay
2.40 pm
Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for treatment of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection
Dr Pradeep Subudhi, Consultant Microbiologist, Divisional Medical Director / Governance Lead for Diagnostic and Support Services Division
Synopsis:
Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is the most common cause of infectious diarrhoea in hospitals with an increasing incidence in the community. CDI is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. C. difficile colonises the human intestinal tract after the normal gut flora has been disrupted frequently in association with antibiotic therapy and is the causative organism of antibiotic associated colitis including pseudomembranous colitis. . One of the most common complication after CDI is recurrence. These recurrent CDI episodes are caused by antibiotic disruption of colonic microbiota and the goal of therapy for recurrent CDI is to allow the normal colonic microbiota to restore itself. Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has shown efficacy of greater than 85% success rate in treatment of recurrent CDI.
Learning objectives:
- Clostridioides difficile is an anaerobic spore forming bacteria that colonises the intestinal tract of patients whose normal gut microbiota is disrupted by antibiotic therapy. C difficile produces 2 major toxins – toxins A and B – that cause intestinal mucosal injury, diarrhoea, colitis, and in some cases, fulminant infection leading to shock, ileus and toxic megacolon.
- Diagnosis of CDI requires unexplained new onset diarrhoea and a positive C.difficile assay. Clinical management of CDI depends on the severity of illness and involves treatment with specific antibiotics like vancomycin, fidaxomicin or metronidazole.
- Antimicrobial stewardship and infection prevention are key strategies for prevention of CDI.
3.10 pm
Coffee
3.30 pm
The Greater Manchester Pathology Network - The Story So Far
Dr Chris Sleight, Chief Officer for the Greater Manchester Pathology Network
4.00 pm
Health inequalities: Perspectives from Pathology
Dr Rafik Bedair, Chief Medical Officer, Northern Care Alliance NHS Group
Talk synopsis:
Dr Bedair will share findings from an analysis of a health inequalities within the faecal immunochemical test (FIT) pathway. This initiative aligns with NCA's ongoing commitment to addressing health inequalities through its Vision10 strategy.
The analysis examined 40,000 FIT tests which were returned to the NCA over a 12-month period. Key measures included FIT results, test validity, and lab processing times, analysed in relation to patient characteristics such as sex, age, ethnicity, and deprivation. The results revealed inequalities in FIT outcomes and validity based on ethnicity and deprivation. Individuals who were older, of Asian, Black, Other, or Unknown ethnicities, and living in more deprived areas, were less likely to obtain a valid test result. These variations may be attributed to differing levels of health literacy, potentially resulting in delayed cancer diagnoses among certain population groups.
4.20 pm
"Mind the Gap" - A (hopefully) interactive discussing the transition between trainee to consultant in Histopathology
Dr Laura Shepherd, Consultant in Histopathology, Manchester University NHS FT
5.00 pm
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