Chest
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Pressure-relief continuous positive airway pressure vs constant continuous positive airway pressure: a comparison of efficacy and compliance.
To compare polysomnographic data and compliance in sleep apnea patients receiving continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and pressure-relief CPAP (PRCPAP) [C-flex; Respironics; Murrysville, PA] as first treatment in the sleep laboratory and subsequently at home. ⋯ In terms of the effectiveness in treating obstructive sleep apnea, PRCPAP and constant CPAP are comparable. During the first night of treatment, patients receiving PRCPAP had less dryness of mouth; over a period of 7 weeks, this difference disappeared. Nightly use of the device was comparable in both groups. PRCPAP is therefore a new ventilation mode that enables effective treatment of OSAS patients. Further studies should be done to investigate the effects of expiratory pressure lowering in low-compliance patients and patients requiring CPAP > 9 cm H(2)O or experiencing dry mouth with CPAP.
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Exacerbations of asthma and COPD are major causes of morbidity, mortality, and health-care costs. Over the last decade, studies using new molecular diagnostic techniques have established that respiratory viruses are a major cause of exacerbations of both asthma and COPD. The most prevalent viruses detected during exacerbations are the rhinoviruses. ⋯ Exacerbations are associated with increased airway inflammation in patients with both asthma and COPD, but many questions remain unanswered regarding the key inflammatory cells and mediators involved. Identifying the key inflammatory mediators involved in exacerbations holds the promise of developing diagnostic and prognostic markers of exacerbation. In addition, such studies can identify new therapeutic targets for the development of novel drugs for the prevention and treatment of exacerbations.
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The diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia relies on protected specimen brush (PSB), BAL, and plugged telescoping catheter (PTC) procedures. In the particular setting of nosocomial pneumonia (NP) occurring in non-mechanically ventilated patients, no consensus exists on their use. When mechanical ventilation (MV) becomes mandatory, postintubation tracheal aspiration (PITA) could be a simple, fast, and cheap diagnostic tool. Our aim was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of PITA to that of PSB, BAL, or PTC in patients requiring MV for suspected NP. ⋯ PITA may be a reliable alternative to RMs in the particular setting of NP in newly mechanically ventilated patients.
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The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between respiratory symptom intensity and quality and dynamic lung hyperinflation (DH) during induced bronchoconstriction in asthma. ⋯ Four dominant qualities of dyspnea in asthma (inspiratory difficulty, chest tightness, unsatisfied inspiration, and work) were reported early in the course of MCT and evolved in parallel, becoming more prevalent at maximum response. Significant DH accompanied even mild bronchoconstriction during MCT in asthma, making it difficult to separate mechanisms of chest tightness from other dominant respiratory sensations.