Researchers develop world first test for high-risk influenza

Benjamin Tang had braced himself as he watched news footage from emergency department around the world over-run by the 2009 swine flu pandemic; the hallways clogged with patients and staff pushed to breaking point.

His own intensive care unit at Nepean Hospital had treated huge numbers of seriously ill patients with the infection who made it through triage.

"When I looked at their records I realised many of these people had presented to other EDs prior to coming to us, but no one had picked up that they were really very sick," Dr Tang said.

"Influenza can sometimes kill otherwise healthy people in the prime of their lives. No one was able to identify patients who were at high risk of developing pneumonia and could die.

"Their symptoms were almost identical to most other patients who just had the simple flu and could have been sent home," said the intensive care doctor at Nepean Hospital and researcher at Westmead Institute for Medical Research.

"That's when I thought maybe we could come up with a way that would help front-line doctors identify which patients would need intensive care and which patients they could send home," he said.

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