Life Support Blog

St Vincent’s Hospital is world renowned for its ground breaking medical research and cutting edge surgeries. From heart and lung transplants to robotic surgery and bionics, St Vincent’s has also become the last hope for many patients facing debilitating or life threatening conditions.

A new way to beat chronic pain will be trialled at St Vincent's, using state-of-the-art virtual reality technology.

Dr Brendan Gunalingam from St Vincent's demonstrates how a surgical alternative to blood-thinning medication can help patients at risk of stroke.

He was only 38 years old, but for a man who suffered a cardiac arrest and died on a city footpath, luck was on his side.

Early detection and diagnosis of lung cancer

Breaking the hospital-homeless cycle

When the pharmacy at St Vincent's Hospital alerted pain specialist Dr Jennifer Stevens to the "steep" year-on-year increases in the amount of opioid-based painkillers being prescribed to patients on discharge, she knew something had to change.

Sydney Roosters star Latrell Mitchell shares why he became an ambassador for Aboriginal heart health.

Cameron French, Manager of Tierney House - St Vincent's Hospital's Homeless Health accommodation service, shares his reflections on Reconciliation, during a powerful address at the 2017 Darlinghurst Campus Reconciliation Week event.

St Vincent's has launched the Centre for Family-Based Mental Health Care, in partnership with the University of Sydney. The Centre is focussed on addressing the need for a recovery-orientated approach to mental health care with a stronger focus on young people, early intervention, and involving families and carers.

More than two years ago, Associate Professor Moore, Professor Ma and the transplant team embarked on a journey to bring stem cell transplant technology to Sri Lanka; making this life-saving procedure accessible to all Sri Lankans, no matter what their means. The expertise, training and support they brought to Sri Lanka has proven invaluable. But Professor Ma and his team also found the experience of being exposed to different perspectives, environments and cultures transformative. Here Professor ...

Read the latest edition of St Vincent's Voice, packed with great stories of what's been happening around the hospital, including our latest awards, new clinical trials and interviews with our staff.

Pancreatic cancer has one of the poorest survival rates of any cancer, with just 6.8 per cent of sufferers living five years past their diagnosis. But a novel new program at St Vincent's, a first for Australia, is screening asymptomatic people with a high risk of developing pancreatic cancer in an effort to catch and treat the disease early.

Roger James was clinically dead for 31 minutes. Thanks to new life-saving technology, currently on trial at St Vincent's and RPA, he's now fighting fit and counting his blessings.

Our goal is to provide our patients with the safest possible care. Health care in Australia is among the best and safest in the world, but there are still risks when spending time in hospital. They include the risk of infection, a fall or a pressure injury (bedsore). Find out how we keep you safe during your hospital stay.

Since late February, Huguette Burns and Nathalie Cathan from the Qi Centre in Crows Nest have been volunteering their time and skills to deliver Qi Therapy to palliative care inpatients at Sacred Heart Health Service.

At St Vincent's, Director of Palliative Care, A/Prof Richard Chye is starting a clinical trial with terminally ill cancer patients to discover how medicinal cannabis can help with pain and appetite.

Cardiac rehabilitation, also known as cardiac rehab, is an exercise and education program that supports you while you’re recovering from a heart procedure or problem. This service has been proven to keep patients alive and out of hospital - and it’s a very important step on your road to recovery.

After surgery your body needs plenty of support to heal and recover. This can include resting, medications and physiotherapy, but what you may not know is how important nutrition is in your recovery process, in particular for wound healing.

At the 2016 St Vincent’s Health Australia (SVHA) Innovation and Excellence Awards held late last week in Brisbane, St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney took out 6 out of 10 awards at the event, including the prestigious Chairman’s Award.

If your doctor has booked you in for a procedure at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney you may be wondering what happens next and when. Below is an outline of what you can expect.

If you are travelling overseas and take medicines, particularly insulin, you will need to organise them well in advance and take extra care while you’re away. The following recommendations and resources can avoid unexpected delays and ensure a stress free trip.

High blood cholesterol affects one in three Australians and is considered a significant risk factor for heart disease. Did you know that there are many things you can ADD to your diet to help lower your cholesterol, including several types of healthy fats.

Cardiovascular disease is the single leading cause of death in Australia, claiming a staggering 54 Australians each day or one Australian every 27 minutes. There are measures you can take to help prevent heart disease from affecting you, but unfortunately there are also some risk factors you can’t change.

Men make up a small minority of nurses in Australia, but St Vincent's emergency department nurse Ethan Watters couldn't imagine doing anything else. Find out why chose nursing as his profession and what it means to him.

It can be difficult to visit a loved on in the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital. It usually means they are seriously unwell, and emotions can be running high. Here are answers to some of our most commonly asked questions about coming into ICU.

It may sound strange, but an innovative new app is helping patients deal with anxiety and depression.

Year 10 student Elli recently completed three days of work experience at St Vincent’s with the Media and Communications team. Here’s her personal account of what it was like.

Always at the forefront of cardiac knowledge and innovation, St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney has launched a new website portal for patients, families and carers touched by the single biggest killer of Australian men and women - heart disease.

There are a number of signs and symptoms that may be experienced by people with diabetes. If you have any of the below symptoms contact your GP. Early diagnosis, treatment and good control of diabetes can reduce the chances of developing serious diabetes complications.

1 in 2 Australians will develop cancer by the age of 85. Odds are you've been touched by it or someone close to you has. There have been many studies conducted in the last 15years relating to exercise and cancer. These studies have shown that exercise is not only safe to do during and after cancer treatment, but can also help you improve your survivorship and reduce recurrence rates.

Here are 85 questions to ask your doctor or health care team to find out more about your health problem. The answers to them will help you to understand what your condition is, why you have it, what you need to do to get better and how to look after yourself.

It’s never a dull day in the life of a social worker. Here, we explain a day in the life of St Vincent’s social workers, who are always dedicatedly providing care and assistance for our patients, their families and their carers.

Dr Sylvia Gjerde is an Intern in St Vincent's very busy Emergency Department. It's a role that keeps her on her toes, never knowing what patients and situations may come her way. But Sylvia's fast-paced job doesn't slow her down outside of work, with her passions extending all the way from excellent patient care - straight to the dance floor!

“Everyone will die once, so we have to get it right the first time” - Dr Richard Chye. In honour of National Palliative Care Week (22-28 May 2016), A/Prof Richard Chye, Director of Sacred Heart Health Service, talks about end-of-life care and dying at home.

St Vincent’s Addiction Medicine Specialist, Dr Craig Rodgers, has spent some time sharing his expertise with Emergency Medicine registrars in Gaborone, Botswana.

Introducing a new player in the fight against cancer: exercise! Anna-Louise Moule explains how exercise physiologists work with those going through cancer treatment.

It can be difficult to visit your loved one in hospital, but you can have a positive influence on their recovery. We encourage contact from family and friends during visiting hours. Remember these tips for your next visit, which will help the patient and hospital staff.

As dieticians, rather than focusing on what you shouldn’t eat, we like to encourage people to eat more of the good stuff. So if you’re planning a bit of a lifestyle shake up, try focusing on the things you should be eating more of.

Have you decided about organ and tissue donation? Here are our top 10 reasons why you should become an organ donor. Have the chat with your family and friends today, so they're aware of your wishes.

We all know that getting a good nights sleep is beneficial for your overall health and wellbeing. Here’s what you should do to ensure you get optimal health benefits from your sleep.