Clinics in chest medicine
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Clinics in chest medicine · Sep 2015
ReviewRecent Advances in the Management of the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.
Advances in management of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) include the use of volume and pressure-limited ventilation and a fluid conservative strategy. Despite the extensive study of positive end expiratory pressure, consensus regarding the best approach to its application is lacking. ⋯ Alternate modes of ventilation remain unproven. A focus on ARDS risk factor reduction and the development of tools predicting progression to ARDS have the potential to further reduce its incidence.
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Clinics in chest medicine · Sep 2015
ReviewNovel Uses of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Adults.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been available for decades, with its use steadily expanding in the setting of advances in technology. The most common indications for venovenous and venoarterial ECMO remain severe hypoxemic respiratory failure and cardiogenic shock, respectively. Refinements in extracorporeal circuitry and cannulation strategies have led to novel indications for ECMO in cardiopulmonary failure, including pulmonary hypertension, extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and less severe forms of the acute respiratory distress syndrome. There is hope for the development of destination device therapy, which could have significant implications for acute and chronic management of severe respiratory and cardiac disease.
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Clinics in chest medicine · Sep 2015
ReviewSleep Loss and Circadian Rhythm Disruption in the Intensive Care Unit.
Critical illness is associated with profound sleep disruption. Causality is diverse and includes physiologic, psychological, and environmental factors. There are limited pharmacologic interventions available to treat sleep disturbances in critical illness; however, multidisciplinary strategies that alter the intensive care unit (ICU) environment and cluster care delivery have shown promise in sleep and circadian promotion and delirium reduction. With the appropriate administrative support and involvement of diverse ICU stakeholders, effective strategies could be created, implemented, and maintained to improve sleep disruption in critically ill patients.
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The development of widespread lung cancer screening programs has the potential to dramatically increase the number of thoracic computed tomography (CT) examinations performed annually in the United States, resulting in a greater number of newly detected, indeterminate solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs). Additional imaging studies, such as fluorodeoxyglucose F 18 (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET), have been shown to provide valuable information in the assessment of indeterminate SPNs. Newer technologies, such as contrast-enhanced dual-energy chest CT and FDG-PET/CT, also have the potential to facilitate diagnosis of potentially malignant SPNs.
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Clinics in chest medicine · Jun 2015
ReviewImaging of the central airways with bronchoscopic correlation: pictorial essay.
A wide variety of pathologic processes, both benign and malignant, affect the central airways. These processes may be classified into 4 distinct groups: anatomic variants, lesions that result in focal or diffuse airway narrowing, and those that result in multinodular airway disorder. Key to the accurate assessment of the central airways is meticulous imaging technique, especially the routine acquisition of contiguous high-resolution, 1-mm to 1.5-mm images. ⋯ In addition to diagnosing airway abnormalities, computed tomography (CT) also serves a critical complementary role to current bronchoscopic techniques for both diagnosing and treating airway lesions. Advantages of CT include noninvasive visualization of the extraluminal extent of lesions, as well as visualization of airways distal to central airways obstructions. As discussed and illustrated later, thorough knowledge of current bronchoscopic approaches to central airway disease is essential for optimal correlative CT interpretation.