SOP Bulletin No. 63

4 — th Floor AMP Place, 10 Eagle St Brisbane  3 — rd Floor Blackburn House, 199 Grenfell St Adelaide

Intranet site:  http://intranet/nat/comp/dp/Nop/dsu/dsudefault.htm

15 October 2002

THE FOLLOWING RMA SOPS ARE TO BE GAZETTED ON 16 OCTOBER, 2002

IMPORTANT OPERATIONAL FEATURES

• Definition - the SOP definition has been changed to now require clinical manifestations of disease whereas previously evidence of atherosclerosis alone was sufficient.  This change brings the SOP into line in this regard with other atherosclerotic SOPs, eg ischaemic heart disease.
• Smoking - in the RH SOP, smoking cessation can now occur up to 20 years before onset/worsening (previously 15 years).  There is no change in the BOP SOP.
• New factors –
• for both onset and worsening, in both RH and BOP SOPs, new factors have been added for:

• hyperhomocystinaemia,
• chronic renal failure and
• therapeutic radiation

• for worsening only, in the RH SOP only, a new factor has been added for:

• inability to undertake more than a mildly strenuous level of physical activity.

• Smoking – a cessation clause has been added.  Clinical onset must now be within 20 years of stopping smoking for RH cases and 10 years for BOP cases.
• Drugs – Extensive changes have been made to the table of drugs, with changes to doses and time periods for the existing drugs and the addition of a number of new drugs.
• Malabsorption – the gastrointestinal malabsorption factor has been reworded and now contains a definitive list of causes.  The previous accompanying definitions have been removed.
• Calcium intake – A new factor has been added in both the RH and BOP SOPs for decreased calcium intake.
• Minor changes – minor wording changes have been made to a number of other factors and definitions, but these have no significant operational effect.

• There is an amendment to the definition of “animal fat”, excluding seafood, and including eggs from birds.

Remember! If you are having any problems with SOPs, or SOPs in CCPS, talk to us!