Respirology : official journal of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology
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Drainage of the pleural space is a common procedure. The safety of chest tube insertion in patients using clopidogrel has not been investigated. ⋯ Given the known effects of clopidogrel on platelet function, these results were interpreted as indicating that clopidogrel therapy is a relative but not an absolute contraindication to chest tube insertion, if an experienced operator places a small-bore tube under ultrasound guidance.
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A single dose of 10 Gy radiation to the thorax of rats results in decreased total lung angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity, pulmonary artery distensibility and distal vascular density while increasing pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) at 2 months post-exposure. In this study, we evaluate the potential of a renin-angiotensin system (RAS) modulator, the ACE inhibitor captopril, to mitigate this pulmonary vascular damage. ⋯ Captopril resulted in a reduction in pulmonary vascular injury that supports its use as a radiomitigator after an unexpected radiological event such as a nuclear accident.