Chest
-
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is a common cause of respiratory infection and morbidity. Pseudomonas elastase is an important virulence factor regulated by the lasR gene. Whether PA elastase activity is associated with worse clinical outcomes in ICU patients is unknown. ⋯ Elastase activity is associated with 30-day ICU mortality. A high elastase producing clinical isolate confers increased lung tissue inflammation compared with a low elastase producer in vivo.
-
Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) is recognized as a characteristic syndrome of smoking-related interstitial lung disease that has a worse prognosis than idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, outcomes after lung transplantation for CPFE have not been reported. The aim of this study is to describe the clinical features and outcomes of CPFE after lung transplantation. ⋯ After transplantation, patients with CPFE were more likely to develop PGD, ACR, and CLAD compared with those with IPF. However, survival was not significantly different between the two groups.