Chest
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The assessment of left ventricular diastolic function is an important element of advanced critical care echocardiography. Standard methods of evaluating diastolic function that are routinely performed on an elective basis in the cardiology echocardiography laboratory may be difficult to apply in the critical care unit. In this article, we review methods of measuring diastolic function with echocardiography that are of relevance to the intensivist and present two options for measurement: the standard cardiology method and a simplified approach.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A Randomized Trial of Itraconazole vs Prednisolone in Acute-Stage Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis Complicating Asthma.
Whether itraconazole monotherapy is effective in the acute stage of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) remains unknown. The goal of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of itraconazole and prednisolone monotherapy in ABPA. ⋯ Prednisolone was more effective in inducing response than itraconazole in acute-stage ABPA. However, itraconazole was also effective in a considerable number and, with fewer side effects compared with prednisolone, remains an attractive alternative in the initial treatment of ABPA.
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Many hands can build a house; it takes trust to make that house a home. Trust has two main components: credibility (worthiness based on preparation and past performance) and empathy (the ability to understand and share another person's values). ⋯ It follows that the leader in chest clinical education would also be the home of the clinician-educator. You are that educator.
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Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a significant complication of Sjögren syndrome (SS) associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The mainstay of treatment remains corticosteroid administration, with or without additional immunosuppressive therapies. ⋯ Topical tacrolimus has been effective for ocular symptoms in SS, but systemic therapy has not been reported. We describe the first case, to our knowledge, of the successful use of a combination of systemic tacrolimus and abatacept in severe refractory SS and related ILD.
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A 62-year-old Hispanic woman, a resident of Puerto Rico, presented with symptoms of chronic cough and shortness of breath for the past 2 years that were slowly and progressively getting worse. She received a diagnosis of asthma on the basis of her history of symptomatic "wheezing" and had been on treatment with inhaled bronchodilators and corticosteroids with minimal symptomatic improvement. ⋯ There was no prior history of endotracheal intubations or surgeries. She denied any history of joint pain, skin rashes, eye pain, hair loss, mouth ulcers, photosensitivity, diarrhea, blood-mixed stool, or blood in the urine.