Chest
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Bakers are exposed daily to flour and may be susceptible to immunologic occupational diseases. A 30-year-old, nonsmoking, female baker was referred for progressive dyspnea on exertion, basal crackles on auscultation, restrictive lung function, decreased diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide, ground glass hyperdensities with a mosaic pattern on high-resolution CT scan, 25% lymphocytosis by BAL, and cellular chronic bronchiolitis with peribronchiolar interstitial inflammation by lung biopsy specimen. Cultures from flours isolated nine species, including Aspergillus fumigatus. ⋯ Outcome was favorable with cessation of occupational exposure to flours and transient therapy with prednisone and immunosuppressive agents. To our knowledge, this report is the first of a well-documented case of hypersensitivity pneumonitis due to sensitization to fungi- and mite-contaminated flours. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis--and not only asthma and allergic rhinitis--should be suspected in bakers with respiratory symptoms.
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Observational Study
Ultrasound Assessment of Pulmonary Embolism in Patients Receiving Computerized Tomography Pulmonary Angiography.
CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) is considered the gold standard for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) and is frequently performed in patients with cardiopulmonary complaints. However, indiscriminate use of CTPA results in significant exposure to ionizing radiation and contrast. We studied the accuracy of a bedside ultrasound protocol to predict the need for CTPA. ⋯ We conclude that ultrasound examination indicated that CTPA was not needed in 56 of 96 patients (58.3%). A screening, point-of-care ultrasonography protocol may predict the need for CTPA. Furthermore, an alternative diagnosis can be established that correlates with CTPA. This study needs further verification, but it offers a possible approach to reduce the cost and radiation exposure that is associated with CTPA.
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COPD is characterized by chronic inflammation. CD8+ T cells and CD4+ T cells have both been implicated in the inflammatory response. We investigated whether the lymphocyte and T-cell subpopulations in BAL differ between patients with COPD who are current smokers and those who are ex-smokers. ⋯ Current smoking status has a greater impact than airway obstruction on the distribution of T-cell subsets in BAL of patients with mild to moderate COPD. This fact must be considered when the role of T cells in COPD is evaluated. Our results stress the importance of subgrouping patients with COPD in terms of smoking.
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Case Reports
Mycobacterium brisbanense species nova isolated from a patient with chronic cavitary lung infection.
We describe the first case, to our knowledge, of Mycobacterium brisbanense species nova with the type strain W6743T (=ATCC 49938T=DSM 44680T) isolated from the lungs of a man with a 6-month history of productive cough and intermittent fever presenting with acute hypoglycemia. A CT scan of the thorax revealed multiple small nodules and consolidation over both lungs with cavitation. ⋯ There was dramatic clinical and radiologic response to treatment with an empirical combination of rifampicin, ethambutol, and levofloxacin and subsequently clarithromycin and levofloxacin once sensitivity was known. This report is the first, to our knowledge, of the pathogen isolated in a patient with chronic cavitary lung infection since it was first identified from an antral sinus in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, and the first time it is isolated from a human subject in Malaysia.
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Case Reports
Ethical dilemmas encountered with the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in adults.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can serve as a bridge to recovery in cases of acute reversible illness, a bridge to transplantation in circumstances of irreversible cardiac or respiratory failure, a bridge to ventricular assist device therapy in select cases of cardiac failure, or a bridge to decision when the prognosis remains uncertain. Recent advances in ECMO technology that allow for prolonged support with decreased complications, the development of mobile ECMO teams, the rapidity of initiation, and the growing body of evidence, much of which remains controversial, have led to a significant increase in the use of ECMO worldwide. ⋯ In this article, we explore some of the ethical issues inherent in the decisions surrounding the initiation and withdrawal of ECMO by raising key questions and providing a framework for clinicians. We will address extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the inability to bridge a patient to transplant or recovery--the so-called "bridge to nowhere"--and the significance of resuscitation preferences in the setting of continual extracorporeal circulatory support.