Chest
-
Case Reports
Recurrent Pleuritic Chest Pain, Lobar Consolidation, and Pleural Effusion in a 50-Year-Old Woman.
A 50-year-old woman with a history of permanent atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) 6 months ago was admitted to the respiratory department of a tertiary hospital because of recurrent episodes of pleuritic chest pain in the preceding 5 months. The patient reported multiple visits to a regional hospital, where she was treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics after discovery of a left alveolar consolidation on chest radiograph (Fig 1), subsequently imaged with CT scan (Fig 2). On treatment failure and appearance of a left-sided pleural effusion during outpatient follow-up, the patient was re-admitted. ⋯ After emergence of left hilar lymphadenopathy (< 1 cm), a PET-CT scan was performed. The left lower inferior lobe consolidation, whose metabolic activity pattern was consistent with that of inflammation (standardized uptake value equal to 4.4) (Fig 4), as well as the left sided-pleural effusion were markedly improved compared with previous imaging 20 days after corticosteroid initiation (Fig 2). On the grounds of recalcitrant pleuritic pain and pleural effusion recurrence during corticosteroid tapering, the patient was referred to the respiratory department of our university hospital to have her condition diagnosed.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Telemedical Intensivist Consultation During In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation: A Simulation-Based, Randomized Controlled Trial.
High-quality leadership improves resuscitation for in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA), but experienced resuscitation leaders are unavailable in many settings. ⋯ Consultation by a telemedical intensivist physician did not improve resuscitation quality during simulated ward-based IHCA.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Dupilumab reduces oral corticosteroid use in patients with corticosteroid-dependent severe asthma: An analysis of the phase 3, open-label extension TRAVERSE trial.
Many patients with severe asthma require chronic corticosteroid treatment to maintain asthma control. ⋯ In the open-label TRAVERSE study, dupilumab demonstrated the ability to sustain the OCS dosage reduction from the parent OCS-sparing study, while maintaining a low exacerbation rate and improved lung function.
-
Pulmonary rehabilitation programs (PRP) are important for people with symptomatic COPD. ⋯ Among people with COPD who were suitable for a PRP, referral from the tertiary hospital setting was suboptimal. Suitable participants who were not referred showed lower interest in attending a PRP. There were novel complex individual barriers that reduced one's interest in participating in a PRP.