Chest
-
Exertional breathlessness is a cardinal symptom of cardiorespiratory disease. ⋯ Abnormal breathlessness graded using CPET normative reference equations was associated with worse clinical, physiological, and functional outcomes in people with CAL, supporting construct validity of abnormal exertional breathlessness.
-
Laryngeal dysfunction as a cause of chronic refractory cough and episodic dyspnea is often missed, which results in unnecessary testing and delays in diagnosis. Understanding laryngeal roles in breathing and airway protection can help to appreciate the propensity to laryngeal dysfunction with aging, chronic lung disease, and sleep apnea. ⋯ Pulmonologists should incorporate assessment of laryngeal dysfunction during evaluation of chronic refractory cough and dyspnea. Recognition of laryngeal hypersensitivity in the patient with chronic refractory cough can identify patients who may benefit from cough suppression therapies. Similarly, timely identification of inducible laryngeal obstruction may not only resolve episodic dyspnea but lessen the need for unnecessary testing and treatments.
-
Death is common in the ICU and often occurs after a decision to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining therapies. Care of the dying is a core skill for ICU clinicians, requiring expert communication, primarily with family of critically ill patients. ⋯ After a decision had been made to discontinue life-sustaining therapies, family members need to be given a clear description of comfort measures only and provided with additional detail about what it entails, including therapies or interventions to be discontinued, monitoring during the dying process, and common features of the dying process. Order sets can be a valuable resource for ensuring that adequate analgesia and sedation are available and the care plan is enacted properly. To achieve a good death for patients, a collaborative effort among members of the care team is essential.
-
Multicenter Study
Anaerobic antibiotic coverage in aspiration pneumonia and the associated benefits and harms: A retrospective cohort study.
Antibiotics with extended anaerobic coverage are used commonly to treat aspiration pneumonia, which is not recommended by current guidelines. ⋯ We found that extended anaerobic coverage likely is unnecessary in aspiration pneumonia because it was associated with no additional mortality benefit, only an increased risk of C difficile colitis.
-
Several characteristics distinguish lung cancer in female patients from that in male patients, with adenocarcinoma being more prevalent in female patients and occurring more frequently in female patients who do not smoke. Uncertainty surrounds the relationship between female-specific reproductive factors and lung cancer risk. ⋯ Early age at menopause, a shortened reproductive life span, and early age at first birth were associated with higher risks of lung cancer, particularly of lung adenocarcinoma, in a subpopulation with higher genetic susceptibility and detrimental behaviors. The evidence provided by this study emphasizes the significance of screening for multiple reproductive factors to prevent lung cancer among female individuals.