Respiratory medicine
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Respiratory medicine · Feb 2013
Prevalence and clinical significance of circulating autoantibodies in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
The clinical significance of circulating autoantibodies in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is unclear. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency and clinical significance of circulating autoantibodies in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. ⋯ The frequency of circulating autoantibodies in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is no different compared to healthy controls, but may be associated with longer survival.
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Respiratory medicine · Jan 2013
ReviewInhaler competence in asthma: common errors, barriers to use and recommended solutions.
Whilst the inhaled route is the first line administration method in the management of asthma, it is well documented that patients can have problems adopting the correct inhaler technique and thus receiving adequate medication. This applies equally to metered dose inhalers and dry powder inhalers and leads to poor disease control and increased healthcare costs. Reviews have highlighted these problems and the recent European Consensus Statement developed a call to action to seek solutions. ⋯ The opportunity for technological innovation and educational interventions to reduce errors is highlighted, as well as the specific challenges faced by children. This review is intended as a policy document, as most issues faced by patients have not changed for half a century, and this situation should not be allowed to continue any longer. Future direction with respect to research, policy needs and practice, together with education requirements in inhaler technique are described.
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Respiratory medicine · Jan 2013
Multicenter StudyChest physiotherapy effectiveness to reduce hospitalization and mechanical ventilation length of stay, pulmonary infection rate and mortality in ICU patients.
Although physiotherapy is an integral part of the multiprofessional team in most ICUs there is only limited evidence concerning the effectiveness of its procedures. The objectives of this study were to verify if physiotherapy care provided within 24 h/day for hospitalized patients in the ICU reduce the length of stay, mechanical ventilation support, pulmonary infection and mortality compared to a physiotherapy care provided within 6 h/day. ⋯ The presence of a physiotherapist in the intensive care unit contributes decisively to the early recovery of the patient, reducing mechanical ventilation support need, number of hospitalization days, incidence of respiratory infection and risk of mortality.
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Respiratory medicine · Jan 2013
Comparative StudyComparison of portable oxygen concentrators in a simulated airplane environment.
Portable oxygen concentrators (POC) are highly desirable for patients with lung disease traveling by airplane, as these devices allow theoretically much higher travel times if additional batteries can be used. However, it is unclear whether POCs produce enough oxygen in airplanes at cruising altitude, even if complying with aviation regulations. We evaluated five frequently used POCs (XPO2 (Invacare, USA), Freestyle (AirSep C., USA), Evergo (Philipps Healthcare, Germany), Inogen One (Inogen, USA), Eclipse 3 (Sequal, USA)) at an altitude of 2650 m (as simulated airplane environment) in 11 patients with chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) and compared theses POCs with the standard oxygen system (WS120, EMS Ltd., Germany) used by Lufthansa. ⋯ This causes a significant reduction of battery life. The three other POCs (EverGo, Inogen One, Eclipse 3) and the WS120 were able to increase the PaO(2) by more than 2.55 kPa (20 mmHg), which provides extra safety for patients with more severe basal hypoxemia. When choosing the right oxygen system for air travel in patients in COPD, not only weight, but also battery life and maximum possible oxygen output must be considered carefully.
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Respiratory medicine · Jan 2013
Association of heart diseases with COPD and restrictive lung function--results from a population survey.
Few studies have explored the association of COPD, based on GOLD definition, with heart diseases. The relationship between restrictive lung function impairment and heart diseases is still poorly studied on a population level. ⋯ The study shows a strong association between COPD and cardiovascular diseases and indicates a strong association between restrictive lung function and heart diseases. Both obstructive and restrictive lung function impairments were common among subjects with heart diseases and vice versa.