Chest
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A 78-year-old Chinese man presented in March 2019 with a 2-day history of small-volume hemoptysis. He did not report any associated chronic cough, sputum production, epistaxis, night sweats, unintentional weight loss, or fever. ⋯ His medical history was significant for ischemic heart disease on aspirin, as well as hospitalizations in 2016 and 2017 for hemoptysis. The patient's evaluation for hemoptysis was only notable for a right middle lobe nodule on chest CT imaging and Klebsiella pneumoniae on sputum cultures, for which he was treated with antibiotics.
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Adipokines have inflammatory and fibrotic properties that may be critical in interstitial lung disease (ILD). We examined associations of serum adipokine levels with CT imaging-based measures of subclinical ILD and lung function among community-dwelling adults. ⋯ Higher adiponectin levels were associated with lower HAA on CT imaging among adults with a higher BMI. Higher leptin and resistin levels were associated with lower FVC and greater HAA, respectively.
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The simplified Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (sPESI) score is a practical score for identification of patients with low-risk pulmonary embolism (PE), although it has not been applied in patients with active cancer. The current study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the sPESI score in patients with PE and active cancer. ⋯ Among patients with PE and active cancer, patients with sPESI score = 1 had a lower 30-day mortality rate compared with patients with sPESI scores ≥ 2, and they showed very low PE-related mortality risk, although the overall mortality rate remained high because of cancer-related mortality. They also showed relatively high risks for recurrence and major bleeding, suggesting the need for careful follow-up.
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There are increased options to deliver thrombolytic treatment for acute, high-risk pulmonary embolism (PE). The goals of this study were to examine practice patterns of systemic thrombolysis and catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) and to compare outcomes following CDT with ultrasound facilitation (CDT-ultrasound) and CDT alone. ⋯ Systemic thrombolysis is used more often than CDT in patients with acute PE, in particular among those with a greater prevalence of high-risk features. Among patients treated with CDT, there were no differences in events between CDT-ultrasound and CDT alone.
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Pectus excavatum is a chest wall deformity with no known cause and no standardized guidelines for evaluation or management. There is a pressing need to characterize the symptoms that these individuals experience and to evaluate a potential mismatch between their expected and observed experiences with health care. We hypothesized that these individuals would feel that their health-care needs are not adequately met. ⋯ The results of this questionnaire expose a major discrepancy between expectations and delivery of care for people with pectus excavatum. These individuals should be routinely screened for both physical and psychosocial symptoms by general practitioners.