Chest
-
Diagnostic guidelines for pediatric ARDS (PARDS) were developed at the 2015 Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference (PALICC). Although this was an improvement in creating pediatric-specific diagnostic criteria, there remains potential for variability in identification of PARDS. ⋯ The interrater reliability of the 2015 PALICC criteria for diagnosing moderate to severe PARDS in this cohort was substantial, with diagnostic disagreements commonly caused by differences in chest radiograph interpretations. Patients with cardiac disease or chronic respiratory failure were more vulnerable to diagnostic disagreements. More guidance is needed on interpreting chest radiographs and diagnosing PARDS in these subgroups.
-
Observational Study
Outcomes in patients perceived as receiving excessive care by ICU clinicians: differences between patients < 75 and ≥ 75 years old?
The benefit of the ICU for older patients is often debated. There is little knowledge on subjective impressions of excessive care in ICU nurses and physicians combined with objective patient data in real-life cases. ⋯ Although the incidence of perceptions of excessive care is slightly higher in older patients, there is no difference in treatment limitation decisions and 1-year outcomes between older and younger patients once patients are identified by concordant perceptions of excessive care. Additionally, in patients without concordant perceptions, the outcomes are worse in the older adults, pleading against ageism in ICU nurses and physicians.
-
At least 10% of lung cancers arise in adults who have never used tobacco. Data remain inconclusive on whether lung cancer incidence has been increasing among adults who have never used tobacco. ⋯ These observed trends underscore the need to elucidate further the cause of lung cancer in adults who have never used tobacco, including why incidence is higher and rising in API adults who have never used tobacco.
-
A 74-year-old man presented to the ED with progressive dyspnea, orthopnea, and bilateral leg swelling for 2 months. He denied cough, hemoptysis, fever, night sweats, or weight loss. He had history of COPD and chronic atrial fibrillation. He had a 50 pack-year smoking history and had quit 7 years prior to presentation.
-
Venous bullet embolism is an exceedingly rare trauma diagnosis that presents diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. We present the case of a 32-year-old man who sustained multiple gunshot wounds with a venous bullet embolism to the right pulmonary artery. Imaging at first demonstrated a bullet lodged within the right lower lobe. ⋯ Coil embolization of the left lower lobe pulmonary artery was performed, and the patient was found to be asymptomatic at the 1-year follow-up. To our knowledge, this is the first case to demonstrate coil embolization of the pulmonary artery as a method of endovascular treatment for a venous bullet embolus. We present this case report to emphasize the difficulty in diagnosis, localization, and management of a migratory bullet within the pulmonary circulation.