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Sleep complaints are common among patients with traumatic brain injury. Evaluation of this population is confounded by polypharmacy and comorbid disease, with few studies addressing combat-related injuries. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of sleep disorders among soldiers who sustained combat-related traumatic brain injury. ⋯ Sleep disruption is common following traumatic brain injury, and the majority of patients develop a chronic sleep disorder. It appears that sleep disturbances may be influenced by the mechanism of injury in those with combat-related traumatic brain injury, with blunt injury potentially predicting the development of OSAS.
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Nutrition is an important component of clinical care for patients with cystic fibrosis. We aimed to test the hypothesis that increased BMI, height, and level of creatinine as a biomarker for lean muscle mass are associated with lower mortality and whether differences in these measures may contribute toward sex differences in survival in cystic fibrosis. ⋯ Lower muscle mass, shorter stature, and a low BMI are associated with increased mortality in cystic fibrosis. These measures of body habitus may contribute to the sex-specific survival differences in individuals with cystic fibrosis.
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Patient safety remains a national priority, but the role of disease-specific characteristics in safety is not well characterized. ⋯ Patients hospitalized for sepsis, compared with the general hospital population, were at a substantially increased risk of potential medical injury; their risk rose as disease severity increased. Future patient safety efforts may benefit from focusing on medically vulnerable populations.
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The lung volume reduction coil (LVR-coil), a new experimental device to achieve lung volume reduction by bronchoscopy in patients with severe emphysema, works in a manner unaffected by collateral airflow. We investigated the safety and efficacy of LVR-coil treatment in patients with heterogeneous emphysema. ⋯ LVR-coil treatment is a promising technique for the treatment of patients with severe heterogeneous emphysema. The treatment is technically feasible and results in significant improvements in pulmonary function, exercise capacity, and quality of life, with an acceptable safety profile.