Richard Beasley
MBChB, FRACP, DM(Southampton), FAAAAI, FRCP(London), DSc(Otago), FFOM(Hon) Richard Beasley is a physician at Wellington Regional Hospital, Director of the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, and Deputy Chair of the Health Research Council of New Zealand. He is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Otago and Victoria University of Wellington, and Visiting Professor, University of Southampton, United Kingdom. His research interests in respiratory medicine are primarily in the fields of epidemiology and clinical management."
Marijuana and the Lung Main Session  Friday, 13 June 2014 Start 9:30am Duration: 20mins Baytrust Cannabis is the most widely used illegal drug worldwide. Concerns regarding its pulmonary effects arose with the observation that it is qualitatively similar to tobacco smoke, with the exception of their respective THC and nicotine components. Recent research has confirmed that long term cannabis use is associated with a dose-related impairment of large airways function, resulting in airflow obstruction and hyperinflation. For adverse effects on lung function, the dose equivalence between cannabis joints and tobacco cigarettes is 1 : 2.5-5.0. Long term cannabis use also increases the risk of lung cancer in young adults. These findings are of major public health significance in view of the high rates of cannabis smoking and the high prevalence of lung cancer and COPD in New Zealand.
Oxygen Therapy in Acute Medical Emergencies Concurrent Workshop Repeated Saturday, 14 June 2014 Start 11:00am Duration: 55mins Room 1 Start 12:05pm Duration: 55mins Room 1 The British oxygen guidelines presented for the first time comprehensive evidence-based recommendations for the use of oxygen in adult patients.1 One of the key messages emanating from this document was the lack of high quality evidence to support many aspects of current practice. Since these guidelines were published a substantive body of evidence has emerged suggesting potentially harmful effects of the routine administration of high concentration oxygen therapy in a variety of clinical settings. This evidence has led to the recommendation that oxygen is titrated to achieve a predetermined target saturation range, to avoid the potential harm from both hypoxia and hyperoxia. 1 O’Driscoll BR, Howard LS, Davison AG and on behalf of the British Thoracic Society. BTS guideline for emergency oxygen use in adult patients. Thorax 2008; 63;vi1-vi68. The SMART Regime in Asthma  Concurrent Workshop Saturday, 14 June 2014 Start 4:30pm Duration: 60mins Room 4 The recommended maintenance treatment for moderate and severe asthma in adults is regular inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) in combination with an inhaled long-acting beta-agonist drug (LABA) with a short-acting beta-agonist (SABA) used as rescue therapy. The ICS/LABA therapy should always be prescribed as a combination inhaler, rather than as separate inhalers with which there is a risk of LABA monotherapy during periods of ICS non-compliance. Combination ICS/LABA inhalers such as Seretide or Symbicort/ Vannair are commonly prescribed to be taken twice daily. An alternative regime in which patients take their Single combination inhaler both as Maintenance And Reliever Therapy (referred to as SMART) has recently been introduced. A large clinical trial programme in adults with asthma has shown that Symbicort/Vannair taken according to the SMART regime is more effective than the standard fixed dose regime, and results in a reduction in severe exacerbations. The key findings from this clinical trial programme will be presented and practical issues regarding the implementation of the SMART regime discussed.