Chest
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Simulation-based education improves quality of care during cardiac arrest team responses at an academic teaching hospital: a case-control study.
Simulation technology is widely used in medical education. Linking educational outcomes achieved in a controlled environment to patient care improvement is a constant challenge. ⋯ A simulation-based educational program significantly improved the quality of care provided by residents during actual ACLS events. There is a growing body of evidence indicating that simulation can be a useful adjunct to traditional methods of procedural training.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Occult traumatic pneumothorax: diagnostic accuracy of lung ultrasonography in the emergency department.
The role of chest ultrasonography (US) in the diagnosis of pneumothorax (PTX) has been established, but how it compares with lung CT scanning in the diagnosis of radiooccult PTX and in the determination of its topographic extension has not yet been completely evaluated. ⋯ Lung US scans carried out in the ED detect occult PTX and its extension with an accuracy that is almost as high as the reference standard (CT scanning).
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Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is considered the archetypal systemic autoimmune disease. Clinically characterized by multisystem involvement and varied serologic abnormalities, no two patients present or have disease that evolves in exactly the same way. Viewed histologically, SLE is characterized by some combination of inflammation and fibrosis, and the clinical phenotype is dictated by the relative contributions of each and the organs affected. ⋯ As expected in a multisystem disease, the entire pulmonary system is vulnerable to injury. Any of its compartments-airways, lung parenchyma, vasculature, pleura, or the respiratory musculature-may be independently or simultaneously affected. This article offers the reader a comprehensive review of the numerous pulmonary and thrombotic manifestations of SLE and suggests approaches to their management.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Sildenafil improves health-related quality of life in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Sildenafil inhibits phosphodiesterase-5, enhancing cyclic guanosine monophosphate- mediated relaxation of pulmonary vasculature and is effective in treating patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). ⋯ Sildenafil improves HRQoL of PAH patients. These improvements appear to be maintained for at least 24 weeks. The effects are strongest in domains addressing the physical impact of health on daily activities and patients' overall perception of health.