International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2008
Case ReportsSuccessful lung transplantation for talcosis secondary to intravenous abuse of oral drug.
Talcosis due to intravenous injection of oral drugs can cause severe pulmonary disease with progressive dyspnea even when drug use is discontinued. We describe a 54-year-old woman with severe emphysema who underwent left lung transplantation. The patient had a remote history of intravenous injection of crushed methylphenidate (Ritalin) tablets. ⋯ Microscopic examination of the extracted lung demonstrated multinucleated giant cells with birefringent crystals, compatible with talcosis. At follow-up, daily symptoms were completely alleviated and lung function was good. We recommend that lung transplantation be considered as a viable option in the treatment of talcosis.
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2008
Caregivers for people with end-stage lung disease: characteristics and unmet needs in the whole population.
End-stage lung disease (ESLD) (predominantly caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and restrictive lung disease) is a significant cause of death. Little is known about community care for people with ESLD especially in the period leading to death. This paper describes demographic characteristics of caregivers, and key characteristics of the deceased irrespective of specialist service utilization. ⋯ Given the health consequences of caregiving, caregivers of people with ESLD would benefit from prospectively defining their needs given the time for which intense caregiving is provided.
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2008
Effect of noninvasive mechanical ventilation in elderly patients with hypercapnic acute-on-chronic respiratory failure and a do-not-intubate order.
Noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV) is effective in the treatment of patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF). It proved to reduce the need of endotracheal intubation (ETI), the incidence of ETI-associated pneumonia, and mortality compared to nonventilated patients. A particular aspect concerns the outcome of NIMV in patients referring to an emergency room (ER) for ARF, and with a do-not-intubate (DNI) status due to advanced age or critical conditions. ⋯ Among NIMV-treated patients, death occurred in 6 patients after a mean of 9.9 days; the overall rate of NIMV failure was 12.9%. Negative prognostic factors for NIMV response proved to be: an older age, a low Glasgow Coma Score, a high APACHE score at admission, a high PaCO2 after 12 hours and a low pH both after 1 and 12 hours of NIMV. We conclude that elderly patients with acute hypercapnic ARF with a DNI status can be successfully treated by NIMV.
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2007
ReviewPerioperative medical management of patients with COPD.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart diseases are considered independent risk factors for mortality and major cardiopulmonary complications after surgery. Coronary artery disease, heart failure and COPD share common risk factors and are often encountered,--isolated or combined--, in many surgical candidates. Perioperative optimization of these high-risk patients deserves a thorough understanding of the patient cardiopulmonary diseases as well as the respiratory consequences of surgery and anesthesia. ⋯ Reflex-induced bronchoconstriction and hyperdynamic inflation during mechanical ventilation could be prevented by using bronchodilating volatile anesthetics and adjusting the ventilatory settings with long expiration times. Intraoperatively, the depth of anesthesia, the circulatory volume and neuromuscular blockade should be assessed with modem physiological monitoring tools to titrate the administration of anesthetic agents, fluids and myorelaxant drugs. The recovery of postoperative lung volume can be facilitated by patient's education and empowerment, lung recruitment maneuvers, non-invasive pressure support ventilation and early ambulation.
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2007
ReviewReview of ventilatory techniques to optimize mechanical ventilation in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major global healthcare problem. Studies vary widely in the reported frequency of mechanical ventilation in acute exacerbations of COPD. Invasive intubation and mechanical ventilation may be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. ⋯ The basic pathophysiology in COPD exacerbation is the critical expiratory airflow limitation with consequent dynamic hyperinflation. These changes lead to further derangement in ventilatory mechanics, muscle function and gas exchange which may result in respiratory failure. This review discusses the altered respiratory mechanics in COPD, ways to detect these changes in a ventilated patient and formulating ventilatory techniques to optimize management of respiratory failure due to exacerbation of COPD.