Respiratory care
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The aim of the present study was to assess how volume-oriented incentive spirometry applied to patients after a stroke modifies the total and compartmental chest wall volume variations, including both the right and left hemithoraces, compared with controls. ⋯ Incentive spirometry promotes increased expansion in all compartments of the chest wall and reduces asymmetric expansion between the right and left parts of the pulmonary rib cage; therefore, it should be considered as a tool for rehabilitation.
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Fatigue is a frequent symptom of patients with sarcoidosis. The origin of fatigue associated with sarcoidosis is unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of affected organs, medication, and comorbidity on fatigue related to sarcoidosis. ⋯ It is important to consider that multiple clinical factors, especially comorbidities, contribute to the high degrees of fatigue in sarcoidosis.
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Observational Study
Endurance time is the most responsive exercise measurement in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Although pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) has been reported to improve exercise capacity in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, it is unknown which exercise measurement is the most responsive for evaluation of PR efficacy. The purpose of this study was to compare the responsiveness of 5 exercise measurements by evaluating the efficacy of PR in subjects with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. ⋯ ET is the most responsive exercise measurement for evaluating PR efficacy in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
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Comparative Study
A Worldwide Perspective of Nursing Home-Acquired Pneumonia compared to Community-acquired Pneumonia.
Nursing home-acquired pneumonia (NHAP) is the leading cause of death among long-term care patients and the second most common cause of transfers to acute care facilities. The aim of this study was to characterize the incidence, microbiology, and outcomes for hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and NHAP. ⋯ Worldwide, only a very small proportion of hospitalized patients with CAP present with NHAP; the poor outcomes for these patients may be due primarily to a higher number of comorbidities compared with patients without NHAP.
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Benign metastasizing leiomyoma (BML) was initially used to describe single or multiple pulmonary nodules composed of proliferating smooth muscle cells (lacking cellular atypia) in premenopausal females 3 months to 20 y after hysterectomy for uterine leiomyoma. The lung is the most commonly involved site, thus including many malignant and benign entities in the differential diagnosis. The present case refers to a 47-y-old premenopausal woman with a history of subtotal hysterectomy for a uterine leiomyoma presenting with bilateral cavitating pulmonary nodules. ⋯ The histological findings in correlation with the immunohistochemical results were consistent with the diagnosis of BML. A bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed, combined with complete removal of the remaining cervix. One year later, the subject remains asymptomatic, and the pulmonary nodules are stable with regard to number, size, location, and morphology.