European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society
-
Haemoptysis is a potentially life-threatening condition with the need for prompt diagnosis. In about 10-20% of all cases the bleeding source remains unexplained with the standard diagnostic approach. The aim of this article is to show the necessity of widening the diagnostic approach to haemoptysis with consideration of pulmonary venous stenosis as a possible cause of even severe haemoptysis and haemoptoe. ⋯ Clinical findings are unspecific and may be misleading. Pulmonary venous stenosis can be detected using several imaging techniques, yet three-dimensional magnetic resonance-angiography and three-dimensional contrast-enhanced computed tomography are the most appropriate. Pulmonary venous stenosis should be considered in patients with haemoptysis.
-
Prone positioning has been used for many years in patients with acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), with no clear benefit for patient outcome. Meta-analyses have suggested better survival in patients with an arterial oxygen tension (PaO2 )/inspiratory oxygen fraction (FIO2 ) ratio <100 mmHg. A recent randomised controlled trial was performed in ARDS patients after a 12-24 h stabilisation period and severity criteria (PaO2 /FIO2 <150 mmHg at a positive end-expiratory pressure ≥5 cmH2O). ⋯ The reasons for this dramatic effect are not clear but probably involves a reduction in ventilator-induced lung injury due to prone positioning, for which there is ample evidence in experimental and clinical studies. The aims of this article are to discuss: the rationale of prone positioning in patients with ALI/ARDS; the evidence of its use based on trial analysis; and the limitations of its use as well as the current place of prone positioning in the management of patients with ALI/ARDS. From the currently available data, prone positioning should be used as a first-line therapy in patients with severe ALI/ARDS.
-
In 2011, revised international guidelines were issued jointly by the American Thoracic Society, the European Respiratory Society, the Japanese Respiratory Society and the Latin American Thoracic Association, which provide a valuable framework for the diagnosis and management of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, due to the complexity of IPF, these guidelines may not comprehensively account for the management of individual IPF patients in clinical practice. We describe three patient cases that were presented and discussed during the 2013 AIR: Advancing IPF Research meeting in Nice, France. These cases highlight the heterogeneity in the presentation, history and clinical course of IPF, together with expert insights regarding the diagnosis and management of IPF in the real-life setting.