Treatment resistance depression – a solution finally?

Jan 2018, Dr Chee L Khoo

The mainstay for the treatment of major depression disorder (MDD) has been SSRIs since the 1980s. But up to a third of patients with MDD don’t respond to the usual treatment for depression. This is commonly referred to as treatment resistant depression (TRD). The NDMA glutamate receptor antagonist, ketamine is known to have an efficacious and rapid-onset anti-depressant effect in patients with TRD.…

Subacromial Decompression – does it achieve anything?

Jan 2018 – Dr Chee L Khoo:
Subacromial decompression was first introduced in 1972 as a last resort for subacromial pathology but there is no high level evidence on its efficacy. Nonetheless, it is now one of the most common surgical procedures done in orthopaedics. Does it actually work?…

Watchful wait in Aortic Stenosis – waiting for what?

November 2017 – Dr Chee L Khoo:

Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common valvular heart disorder in Australia. About 3% of people >75 yo have AS and  most are diagnosed on incidental auscultation of the precordium or when echocardiogram is done for other reasons. The valve progressively narrows over years leading to cardiac failure. Sadly, once symptomatic, AS is rapidly fatal and often valve replacement is necessary.…

Saturated Fats – Good or Evil?

Unhealthy eating


October 2017 – Dr Chee L Khoo 

We have all been brought up to advise reducing total fat and saturated fatty acid intake, based on the presumption that replacing saturated fatty acids with carbohydrate and unsaturated fats will lower LDL cholesterol and should therefore reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. Several meta-analyses of randomised trials and prospective cohort studies8–10 and ecological studies,2 largely done in European and North American countries showed either no association or a lower risk between saturated fatty acid consumption with total mortality and CVD events.…