Canadian respiratory journal : journal of the Canadian Thoracic Society
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Blastomyces dermatitidis is a dimorphic fungus endemic to north-western Ontario, Manitoba and some parts of the United States. The fungus is also endemic to parts of Africa. Pulmonary and extrapulmonary findings of a 24-year-old African man who presented with weight loss, dry cough and chronic pneumonia not resolving with antibiotic treatment are presented. The unusual occurrence of pulmonary blastomycosis associated with skin lesions and a moderate pleural effusion is reported.
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Computed tomography (CT) scans are used extensively to investigate chest disease because of their cross-sectional perspective and superior contrast resolution compared with chest radiographs. These advantages lead to a more accurate imaging assessment of thoracic disease. The actual use and evaluation of the clinical impact of thoracic CT has not been assessed since scanners became widely available. ⋯ The CT scan results were associated with a change in diagnosis in 48% of cases. Normal scans constituted 25% of the total and had the greatest impact scores. Waiting times were highly correlated with increased urgency of the presenting problem.
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Case Reports
Progressive dyspnea associated with a crazy-paving appearance on a chest computed tomography scan.
A 'crazy-paving' appearance of the lungs on computed tomography scanning of the chest was first described nearly 20 years ago in patients with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, and was thought to be characteristic of this condition. However, this pattern has subsequently been reported in a variety of pulmonary diseases and is now considered to be nonspecific. The present report describes a case of a 74-year-old man in whom congestive heart failure presented with a crazy-paving appearance of the lungs on a chest computed tomography scan. This uncommon association illustrates the importance of the correlation of clinical and radiographic information.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Comparison of the OxyMask and Venturi mask in the delivery of supplemental oxygen: pilot study in oxygen-dependent patients.
The OxyMask (Southmedic Inc, Canada) is a new face mask for oxygen delivery that uses a small 'diffuser' to concentrate and direct oxygen toward the mouth and nose. The authors hypothesized that this unique design would enable the OxyMask to deliver oxygen more efficiently than a Venturi mask (Hudson RCI, USA) in patients with chronic hypoxemia. ⋯ Oxygen is delivered safely and more efficiently by the OxyMask than by the Venturi mask in stable oxygen-dependent patients.