Chest
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Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a hemodynamic condition that has a poor prognosis and can lead to right-sided heart failure. It may result from common diseases such as left-sided heart or lung disease or may present as the rare entity of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. Biomarkers that specifically indicate the pathologic mechanism, the severity of the disease, and the treatment response would be ideal tools for the management of PH. ⋯ Circulating endothelial and progenitor cells have received much attention as markers of disease activity, but with controversial findings. A lack of standards for cell isolation and characterization methods and differences in the pathologic mechanisms of the investigated patients may have contributed to the discrepancies. In conclusion, although several promising markers have been identified over the past few years, the development of more specific markers, standardization, and prospective validation are warranted.
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Comparative Study
Lessons from the World Trade Center disaster: airway disease presenting as restrictive dysfunction.
The present study (1) characterizes a physiologic phenotype of restrictive dysfunction due to airway injury and (2) compares this phenotype to the phenotype of interstitial lung disease (ILD). ⋯ This study describes a distinct physiologic phenotype of restriction due to airway dysfunction. This pattern was observed following WTC dust exposure, has been reported in other clinical settings (eg, asthma), and should be incorporated into the definition of restrictive dysfunction.
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Comparative Study
Is a strategy based on routine endotracheal cultures the best way to prescribe antibiotics in ventilator-associated pneumonia?
The objectives of this study were to evaluate if a strategy based on routine endotracheal aspirate (ETA) cultures is better than using the American Thoracic Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America (ATS/IDSA) guidelines to prescribe antimicrobials in ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). ⋯ The ATS/IDSA guidelines-based approach was more accurate than the ETA-based strategy for prescribing appropriate, initial, empirical antibiotics in VAP, unless a sample was available≤2 days of the onset of VAP. The ETA-based strategy led to fewer days on prescribed antimicrobials.
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Multicenter Study
The occurrence and impact of bacterial organisms complicating critical care illness associated with 2009 influenza A(H1N1) infection.
Although secondary infections are recognized as a cause of morbidity and mortality in seasonal influenza, their frequency, characteristics, and associated clinical outcomes in 2009 influenza A(H1N1) (A[H1N1])-related critical illness are unknown. ⋯ Culture-based evidence of secondary infections commonly complicates A(H1N1)-related critical illness and is associated with worse clinical outcomes despite nearly ubiquitous antibiotic administration.
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Survivors of acute lung injury (ALI) and other critical illnesses often experience substantial posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. However, most questionnaires have not been validated against a PTSD diagnostic reference standard in this patient population. Hence, in the current study of survivors of ALI, we evaluated the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R), a questionnaire measure of PTSD symptoms, against the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), the current state-of-the-art PTSD diagnostic reference standard, which also provides a quantitative assessment of PTSD symptoms. ⋯ The IES-R appears to be an excellent brief PTSD symptom measure and screening tool in ALI survivors.