Expert review of respiratory medicine
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Expert Rev Respir Med · Aug 2012
CommentWhat is the current place of azoles in allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis and severe asthma with fungal sensitization.
Evaluation of: Chishimba L, Niven RM, Cooley J, Denning DW. Voriconazole and posaconazole improve asthma severity in allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis and severe asthma with fungal sensitization. J. ⋯ Severe asthma with fungal sensitization, a disorder closely related to ABPA, is a specific phenotype of asthma characterized by severe asthma and evidence of fungal sensitization after exclusion of ABPA. Again, oral itraconazole has been found to improve the quality of life in these steroid-dependent asthma patients. The current retrospective study evaluated the use of newer azoles (voriconazole and posaconazole) in adult asthmatic patients with either ABPA or severe asthma with fungal sensitization, and found the newer azoles to improve asthma control and reduce the severity of ABPA.
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Expert Rev Respir Med · Aug 2012
Technological advances in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for respiratory failure.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for neonatal and pediatric cardiac and/or respiratory failure is well established, and its use for adult respiratory failure is rapidly increasing. Management strategies developed over the past 30 years coupled with significant recent technological advances have led to improved ECMO survival. These new technologies are expanding the potential applications for ECMO in exciting ways, including new patient populations and the ability to make ECMO mobile for both intra- and inter-hospital transport. In this article, we highlight some of the recent technological advances and their impact on the utilization of ECMO in increasingly diverse patient populations.