On-site, intra-procedure cytopathologic examination of aspirated tissue during transbronchial needle aspiration (either by EBUS or “blind” approach) is probably helpful during bronchoscopy. Why wouldn’t it be? You’ve got a trained professional there to tell you when you’ve made the diagnosis and can stop taking biopsies. Diagnostic yield should go up, complications down. Randomized trials have [… read more]
Last year, PulmCCM reported on the TIOSPIR safety trial comparing the Spiriva dry-powder HandiHaler against the Respimat mist-delivery device. TIOSPIR showed no difference in all-cause mortality or composite cardiovascular risk endpoints between either Spiriva preparation. But this week, a group of drug safety researchers report their granular analysis of TIOSPIR data shows the Respimat device [… read more]
For the 7th edition of our Annual Symposium, we’ve assembled a great cast of characters to bring your bedside ultrasound game to a whole new level! Whether you’re a novice or have some experience in bedside ultrasound, we’re sure you’ll find our program very interesting, as the perspective we have chosen to take is patient-based, [… read more]
Choosing Wisely is an initiative of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) with the stated goal of “promoting conversations between physicians and patients by helping patients choose care that is supported by evidence, not duplicative, free from harm, and truly necessary.” Sounds good, huh? Politically, ABIM’s Choosing Wisely demonstrates to policymakers responsible self-governance by us [… read more]
It’s official: the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) announced its formal recommendation for yearly low-dose chest CT screening for lung cancer in high-risk individuals on December 30, 2013. The final grade B recommendation (“Suggestion: offer or provide this service”) was virtually unchanged from the draft recommendations the USPSTF made in July 2013. It advises [… read more]
Acute bronchitis with cough is overwhelmingly often due to viral infection, but that doesn’t stop coughers from seeking antibiotics, or their doctors from obligingly prescribing them. Most patients who ask for antibiotics get them, and the millions of excess antibiotic doses worldwide each year are believed to contribute to rising antibiotic resistance. Doctors seem almost [… read more]
Blair Westerly, MD Effective treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis continues to elude patients and clinicians alike. Multiple classes of medications have been studied, none with convincing data demonstrating efficacy. Because of the proposed contribution of endothelin-1 to the pathogenesis of IPF, receptor antagonists of this growth factor have previously been evaluated in IPF, but with [… read more]
Source: Inspire Med Systems Update: Inspire’s hypoglossal nerve stimulator was approved by the FDA in April 2014. Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation Markedly Improves OSA An estimated 15% of men and 6% of women in the U.S. have clinically significant obstructive sleep apnea, meaning it worsens their daytime cognitive functioning, cardiovascular risk, or both. In obstructive sleep [… read more]
People who survive critical illness often experience long-term cognitive impairment, even among those with normal or near-normal pre-hospital brain function. Cognitive impairment after critical illness is poorly understood; relatively few prospective clinical trials in critical care have followed patients after hospital discharge, and measuring cognitive impairment and determining its onset is difficult. Cognitive impairment reduces [… read more]
Hypothermia No Help for Bacterial Meningitis by Blair Westerly, MD Therapeutic hypothermia got “hot” after trials in the early 2000’s showed improvement in neurological outcomes in global cerebral hypoxia after cardiac arrest. (Any benefit of targeted temperature management below 36° Celsius is in serious doubt after a much larger randomized trial contradicted those earlier, smaller trials, showing no [… read more]
Scott Aberegg, M.D., M.P.H. Oh, my, what a predicament. Jahi McMath has been released from Oakland Hospital to the custody of the coroner and her family. She has been issued a death certificate. And she’s being transferred to an undisclosed care center, where it is hoped she will begin receiving artificial nutrition. This is the height [… read more]
Acute Liver Failure: Causes and Initial Management See also: Treatment of Acute Liver Failure Acute liver failure, also called fulminant liver failure, has been defined as “a severe liver injury, potentially reversible in nature and with onset of hepatic encephalopathy within 8 weeks of the first symptoms in the absence of pre-existing liver disease.” Acute [… read more]
Acute Liver Failure: Treatment (Part 2 of 2) See also: Acute Liver Failure: Causes & Initial Management Management of acute liver failure is largely supportive critical care for the multiorgan failure that frequently results. Severe acute liver failure results in rapidly progressive hepatic encephalopathy and lethal cerebral edema; this complication requires special vigilance and expert [… read more]
Best of 2013 in PulmCCM (Part 2) Read Part 1 2013 brought us a bumper crop of interesting and useful journal articles. No one could read them all, much less review them, but we at PulmCCM did our best. Here are the ones we found most worth your time. Happy New Year from PulmCCM, and [… read more]
Best of 2013 (1 of 2) Read Part 2 As we wave goodbye to 2013, take another look at the studies that got people thinking and talking this past year. New posts will resume January 6 in the new year. Happy and safe holidays to all, and thanks for visiting PulmCCM in 2013! High frequency [… read more]
Low-dose CT screening reduced death from lung cancer by about 20% in the National Lung Screening Trial, and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force signaled it would recommend CT screening for most people with a heavy smoking history. The Affordable Care Act stipulates that USPSTF-recommended screening tests be completely free to consumers, so lung cancer screening will [… read more]
The Glycocalyx: An Overview for the Clinician. by Dr. Phillipe Rola Ok, so I’d had a couple of glimpses at articles in the past few years which referred to the glycocalyx, but, in truth, I tend to read most of the “bench” studies a little, well…quickly. So basically, when I listened to Paul’s (Marik) recent lecture at [… read more]
The American College of Physicians released a new clinical practice guideline for the management of obstructive sleep apnea, published in Annals of Internal Medicine. ACP advises people with obstructive sleep apnea should use CPAP therapy or other airway opening devices such as mandibular advancement devices, and should be encouraged and assisted in losing weight. The guideline was [… read more]
Prevention and Management of Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury See also Part 1: Mechanisms of Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury The recognition that lifesaving mechanical ventilation can also be harmful, even lethal, has led to a sea change in the use of mechanical ventilation in critically ill patients — at least in theory. For people with acute respiratory distress [… read more]
Mechanisms of Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury (Part 1) See also Part 2: Prevention and Management of Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury Although invasive mechanical ventilation saves tens of thousands of lives each year, it can also be harmful, causing or worsening acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) when misapplied. The repetitive stretching of lung tissue during positive pressure ventilation [… read more]
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