Canadian respiratory journal : journal of the Canadian Thoracic Society
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Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory condition characterised by chronic sputum production, fatigue, and dyspnoea. These symptoms will lead to reduced exercise capacity and a reduced ability to carry out activities of daily living. Glittre ADL test is a valid and reliable test which evaluates the activities of daily living. ⋯ The Glittre ADL test induced similar cardiorespiratory responses when compared to the six-minute walk test. So, the Glittre ADL test can be used as an assessment tool besides the six-minute walk test for the more complete evaluation of functional capacity and activities of daily living.
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Comparative Study
Poorer Prognosis of Idiopathic Pleuroparenchymal Fibroelastosis Compared with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in Advanced Stage.
Idiopathic pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis (IPPFE) is a rare disease characterized by predominant upper lobe pulmonary fibrosis of unknown etiology. However, the prognosis of IPPFE has not been discussed. We investigated the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of IPPFE and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). ⋯ Patients with IPPFE showed poorer prognosis in the advanced stage than patients with IPF. %FVC and GAP index are independent predictors of survival in patients with IPPFE.
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The stair-climbing test was used to assess the exercise capacity before lung resection in subjects with lung cancer. However, few studies have systematically evaluated the role of this exercise methodology as a postoperative test. The aim of the present study was to assess whether the stair-climbing test findings reflect the postoperative decrease in pulmonary function. ⋯ The stair-climbing test findings might be effective at detecting changes in exercise capacity induced by postoperative decrease in pulmonary function.
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The Usefulness of the Forced Oscillation Technique in the Diagnosis of Bronchial Asthma in Children.
The forced oscillation technique (FOT) requires minimal patient cooperation and is useful for children. However, comprehensive values of respiratory impedance at baseline and after the reversibility test have not been definitively confirmed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the basic parameters of FOT reactance (Xrs) and resistance (Rrs) in groups of healthy children and children with controlled and uncontrolled asthma. ⋯ Conclusions. Rrs and Xrs obtained by FOT well-discriminate patients with asthma from healthy children. A bronchial reversibility test involving the use of FOT is valuable for the diagnosis of bronchial asthma.
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Conventionally, a substantial number of patients with acute respiratory failure require mechanical ventilation (MV) to avert catastrophe of hypoxemia and hypercapnia. However, mechanical ventilation per se can cause lung injury, accelerating the disease progression. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) provides an alternative to rescue patients with severe respiratory failure that conventional mechanical ventilation fails to maintain adequate gas exchange. ⋯ During the running of ECMO, the protective ventilation strategy can be employed without worrying about catastrophic hypoxemia and carbon dioxide retention. There is a large body of evidence showing that protective ventilation with low tidal volume, high positive end-expiratory pressure, and prone positioning can provide benefits on mortality outcome. More recently, there is an increasing popularity on the use of awake and spontaneous breathing for patients undergoing ECMO, which is thought to be beneficial in terms of rehabilitation.