Chest
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Review
3D Printing and 3D Slicer - Powerful Tools in Understanding and Treating Structural Lung Disease.
Recent advances in the three-dimensional (3D) printing industry have enabled clinicians to explore the use of 3D printing in preprocedural planning, biomedical tissue modeling, and direct implantable device manufacturing. Despite the increased adoption of rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing techniques in the health-care field, many physicians lack the technical skill set to use this exciting and useful technology. Additionally, the growth in the 3D printing sector brings an ever-increasing number of 3D printers and printable materials. ⋯ Additionally, we will address some of the major barriers to wider adoption of the technology in the medical field. Finally, we will provide an initial guide to 3D modeling and printing by demonstrating how to design a personalized airway prosthesis via 3D Slicer. We hope this information will reduce the barriers to use and increase clinician participation in the 3D printing health-care sector.
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Recent literature has implicated severe neurologic injuries, such as aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, as a cause of cardiac dysfunction, impaired hemodynamic function, and poor outcomes. Mechanistic links between the brain and the heart have been explored in detail over the past several decades, and catecholamine excess, neuroendocrine dysfunction, and unchecked inflammation all likely contribute to the pathophysiologic process. Although cardiac dysfunction has also been described in other disease paradigms, including septic shock and thermal injury, there is likely a common underlying pathophysiology. In this review, we will examine the pathophysiology of cardiac dysfunction after neurologic injury, discuss the evidence surrounding cardiac dysfunction after different neurologic injuries, and suggest future research goals to gain knowledge and improve outcomes in this patient population.
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Sickle cell disease (SCD), the most common genetic hemolytic anemia worldwide, affects 250,000 births annually. In the United States, SCD affects approximately 100,000 individuals, most of African descent. Hemoglobin S (HbS) results from a glutamate-to-valine mutation of the sixth codon of the β-hemoglobin allele; the homozygous genotype (HbSS) is associated with the most prevalent and severe form of the disease. ⋯ This represents a critical research need. In this review, the authors review the state-of-the-art understanding of the following pulmonary complications of SCD: (1) pulmonary hypertension; (2) venous thromboembolic disease; (3) sleep-disordered breathing; (4) asthma and recurrent wheezing; and (5) pulmonary function abnormalities. This review highlights the advances as well as the knowledge gaps in this field to update clinicians and other health care providers and to garner research interest from the medical community.
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Endobronchial ultrasonography (EBUS) facilitates a lung cancer diagnosis. However, qualitative tissue characterization of lung tumors is difficult using EBUS. Integrated backscatter (IBS) is an ultrasound technique that calculates the power of the ultrasound signal to characterize tissue components in coronary arteries. We hypothesized that qualitative diagnosis of lung tumors is possible using the IBS technique. The aim of the present study was to elucidate whether the IBS technique can be used in lung tissue diagnoses. ⋯ Qualitative diagnosis of lung tumors was possible, with a sensitivity of 84% and a specificity of 85%, using the ultrasound IBS technique.
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Relative pulmonary arterial enlargement, defined by a pulmonary artery to aorta (PA/A) ratio > 1 on CT scanning, predicts hospitalization for acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD). However, it is unclear how AECOPD affect the PA/A ratio. We hypothesized that the PA/A ratio would increase at the time of AECOPD and that a ratio > 1 would be associated with worse clinical outcomes. ⋯ The PA/A ratio increased at the time of severe AECOPD and a ratio > 1 predicted cardiac injury and a more severe hospital course.