Chest
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The varied treatment response to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) in COPD and the increased risk of pneumonia necessitate a personalized ICS therapeutic approach. This is informed by blood eosinophil count (BEC), which predicts ICS treatment response. However, BEC appears to change in response to ICS treatment. ⋯ This exploratory analysis advocates preferentially using BEC off ICS or BEC change during ICS treatment for guiding ICS treatment decisions. BEC measured on ICS is less predictive of treatment response.
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The hemoglobin value to trigger RBC transfusion for patients receiving venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is controversial. Previous guidelines recommended transfusing to a normal hemoglobin level, but recent studies suggest that more RBC transfusions are associated with increased adverse outcomes. ⋯ We observed a decrease in number of RBC units per day of ECMO over time, but changes were not associated temporally with implementation of transfusion thresholds. A transfusion threshold of hemoglobin < 8 g/dL was associated with a lower hazard of death, but these findings are limited by study methodology. Further research is needed to investigate optimal RBC transfusion practices for patients supported with venovenous ECMO.
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Vasopressor administration at an appropriate time is crucial, but the optimal timing remains controversial. ⋯ Overall mortality did not differ significantly between early and late norepinephrine administration for septic shock. However, early norepinephrine administration seemed to reduce pulmonary edema incidence, and mortality improvement was observed in studies without fluid restriction interventions, favoring early norepinephrine use.