Executive Summary
2021 Highlights
This report gives an overview of the activity and achievements of the Royal North Shore Hospital Endocrine Surgery Department throughout 2021. The work of the department was again disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, with the Delta strain outbreak resulting in elective surgery being abruptly ceased across Australia on 2 August. Despite the restrictions placed on surgery at this time, there were a total of 1,337 endocrine operative cases involving 1,290 patients performed across the RNSH campus in 2021. The patients were largely from local health districts (LHDs) across NSW (98%), with a small number coming from interstate (2%); the largest cohort resided in Northern Sydney LHD (44%). The most common cases treated in 2021 involved thyroid-only (62%) and parathyroid-only surgery (22%). The distribution of public and private procedures was similar to the previous year, with 72% of total cases conducted at private hospitals and 28% at public hospitals. While cases increased by 4% in 2021, there was an 11% decline in total surgical cases compared to the 2020 figure due to pandemic-related restrictions on elective surgery. It is important to note that complications from the department’s surgical caseload have continued to decrease steadily since 2000. The team produced a total of 14 publications in 2021 and the department also continued to contribute to the Australian & New Zealand Thyroid Cancer Registry (ANZTCR) which is a binational clinical quality registry that collects information relating to the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of individuals diagnosed with thyroid cancer. In late 2021 and early 2022, the department expanded its Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) database to incorporate fields that provide information on parotid and submandibular operations. The sections on thyroid and parathyroid operations were also further refined to better reflect data collection.
The RNSH Endocrine Surgery Department welcomed seven Doctor of Medicine (MD) students in 2021, all of whom contributed fantastic work under the supervision of the consultants. The department also welcomed two registrars and two fellows, who all had solid terms, and a clinical research fellow who was another beneficial addition to the team. In 2021, department members were able to return to attending conferences and large meetings in both physical and virtual capacities. Members of the department lectured at seven conferences and international meetings, which is a fantastic effort, given the continued disruptions faced in 2021 due to ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks.
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Endocrine Surgery Annual Report 2021
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