Chest
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COPD is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Long-term cigarette smoking is the cause of > 90% of COPD cases in Westernized countries. However, only a fraction of chronic heavy smokers develop symptomatic COPD by age 80. ⋯ As such, the potential contribution of an autoimmune response to the pathogenesis of COPD exacerbation is still being investigated and represents an area of active research. Many drugs targeting autoimmune responses are already available, and the results of controlled clinical trials are awaited with great interest. The potential for measuring specific serum autoantibodies as biomarkers to predict clinical phenotypes or progression of stable COPD is promising.
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Frailty is a strong indicator of vulnerability among older persons, but its association with ICU outcomes has not been evaluated prospectively (ie, with objective measurements obtained prior to ICU admission). Our objective was to prospectively evaluate the relationship between frailty and post-ICU disability, incident nursing home admission, and death. ⋯ Pre-ICU frailty status was associated with increased post-ICU disability and new nursing home admission among ICU survivors, and death among all admissions. Pre-ICU frailty status may provide prognostic information about outcomes after a critical illness.
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We aimed to examine short- and long-term mortality in a mixed population of patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) with acute respiratory failure, and to identify those at lower vs higher risk of in-hospital death. ⋯ We created a risk score that classifies patients with ILD with acute respiratory failure from low to high risk for in-hospital mortality. The score could aid providers in counseling these patients and their families.
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As seen in this CME online activity (available at http://journal.cme.chestnet.org/sv-sleep-disorder), central sleep apnea (CSA) is associated with increased mortality in patients with heart failure (HF), and it has been thought that treatment of CSA may improve underlying HF. Positive airway pressure therapy, specifically auto-servoventilation (ASV), can not only suppress abnormal breathing patterns but has been reported to improve cardiac function in HF patients with CSA. In patients with HF and with CSA unsuppressed with CPAP, newer ASV use has been associated with significant CSA improvement; in addition, several studies have reported efficacy of ASV in the treatment of underlying cardiac dysfunction in HF patients with CSA. ⋯ However, until this is done, there is an urgent educational need for review of the approved labeling and validated clinical use of ASV within the medical community. The purpose of this educational activity is to review the appropriate use of ASV for the treatment of sleep-disordered breathing, including Cheyne-Stokes respiration, treatment-emergent central apnea, and opioid-induced periodic breathing. Emphasis will be placed on proper patient and therapy selection, especially in patients with HF.