Chest
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SARS-CoV-2-related ARDS is associated with endothelial dysfunction and profound dysregulation of the thrombotic-fibrinolytic pathway. Defibrotide is a polyanionic compound with fibrinolytic, antithrombotic, and antiinflammatory properties. ⋯ The use of defibrotide for management of SARS-CoV-2-related ARDS proved safe and tolerable. No hemorrhagic or thrombotic complications were reported during therapy, with promising outcomes in a patient population with a historically high mortality rate.
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Interstitial lung disease (ILD) results in profound symptom burden and carries high mortality. Palliative care (PC) is dedicated to improving quality of life in patients with serious illness. Early PC provision improves rates of advance care planning and symptom management in patients with ILD. ⋯ Most ILD providers use PC and are comfortable discussing PC. Barriers to PC identified in this survey include the following: perceived lack of local access to PC, lack of systematic tools to assess symptom burden, lack of established optimal timing of PC referral, and unclear need for specialized PC delivery.
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A 60-year-old woman, a care worker with no known comorbidities, presented to the pulmonary clinic for assessment of a left hilar tumor detected on chest radiography. She had a history of oophorocystectomy and was a 0.5-pack/day smoker. She was asymptomatic but desired a confirmative diagnosis.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has strained health care systems and has resulted in widespread critical care staffing shortages, negatively impacting the quality of care delivered. ⋯ Restrictive visitation policies contributed to moral distress as reported by intensivists, highlighting the need to reconsider the risks and benefits of these policies. We also identified several interventions as perceived by intensivists that may help to mitigate moral distress and to improve burnout as part of efforts to preserve the critical care workforce.