Chest
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Based on meta-analyses, the BP-lowering effect of CPAP therapy in patients with OSA is reported to be approximately 2 to 3 mm Hg. This figure is derived from heterogeneous trials, which are often limited by poor CPAP adherence, and thus the treatment effect may possibly be underestimated. We analyzed morning BP data from three randomized controlled CPAP withdrawal trials, which included only patients with optimal CPAP compliance. ⋯ CPAP withdrawal results in a clinically relevant increase in BP, which is considerably higher than in conventional CPAP trials; it is also underestimated when office BP is used. Greater OSA severity is associated with a higher BP rise in response to CPAP withdrawal.
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A 40-year-old woman consulted our ED for a 7-month history of left dorsal back pain and dyspnea. The pain was initially dull and mechanical. Her general practitioner started nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and physiotherapy, which provided partial relief. ⋯ The patient was a healthy woman who lived in an urban area of Barcelona, Spain. She did not smoke or take drugs of abuse, and she worked as a butcher. During the initial evaluation, her blood pressure was 131/76 mm Hg, heart rate was 120 beats/min, temperature was 36.2°C, and ambient air pulse oximetry was 98%.
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Observational Study
Oral Macrolide Therapy Following Short-term Combination Antibiotic Treatment for Mycobacterium massiliense Lung Disease.
Although Mycobacterium massiliense lung disease is increasing in patients with cystic fibrosis and non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, optimal treatment regimens remain largely unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of oral macrolide therapy after an initial 2-week course of combination antibiotics for the treatment of M massiliense lung disease. ⋯ Oral macrolide therapy after an initial 2-week course of combination antibiotics might be effective in most patients with M massiliense lung disease.
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Case Reports
A Man in His 20s With Diffuse Lung Opacities and Acute Respiratory Failure After Hookah Smoking.
A man in his 20s with no medical history presented with 2 days of progressively worsening shortness of breath accompanied by subjective fevers, chills, body aches, decreased appetite, night sweats, and cough producing nonbloody sputum. He denied childhood lung diseases, allergies, or a family history of lung disease. ⋯ He denied travel outside of the northeastern United States. He did not take medications, use illicit drugs, or engage in high-risk behavior.
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Although endobronchial coils for the treatment of severe emphysema are associated with an acceptable safety profile, adverse events such as pneumothorax and thoracic pain may occur. The coils are indicated as a permanent implant and are deemed very difficult to remove. We describe the first successful removal of two coils 10 months after placement in a patient who experienced persistent thoracic pain. This case report highlights that very distal (subpleural) coil placement may induce pneumothorax and subsequent thoracic pain and that nonsurgical removal of coils up to 10 months after implantation is feasible.