Annals of the American Thoracic Society
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Data regarding the sensitivity of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) for staging of lung cancer in patients with radiographic N0 disease is scant and inconsistent. With increasing use of nonoperative ablative therapies, studies focusing on the performance characteristics of EBUS-TBNA in this population are important. ⋯ This is the largest report of EBUS-TBNA in patients with N0 disease by "integrated" PET-CT. The majority of false-negative EBUS results were in LN stations outside its reach. In our study, both sensitivity and NPV of EBUS-TBNA were lower than early reports despite more extensive LN sampling. Given the high false-negative rate of imaging modalities, EBUS-TBNA may still play an important role in patients with radiographic N0 disease, particularly when nonsurgical ablative therapies are planned. Prospective studies are needed to corroborate our findings in the nonsurgical population.
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Review
Confronting the frustrations of negative clinical trials in acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Despite robust successes in trials of mechanical ventilation, pharmacologic interventions in acute respiratory distress syndrome have been disappointing. Although ineffective therapy remains the compelling explanation for these negative trials, other possible explanations exist. ⋯ These options can be organized into strategies that increase sample size, increase the signal from the therapy, and reduce the noise or variation in the study. Each of the strategies to improve the likelihood of a positive clinical trial poses a potential tradeoff in generalizability, cost, sample size, signal, or noise.
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Multicenter Study
Spectrum of critical illness in undocumented border crossers. The Arizona-Mexico border experience.
Approximately 150-250 migrants die each year while attempting to cross the border from Mexico to the Southwest United States. Many border crossers survive the journey, but some develop life-threatening medical complications. Such complications have been subject to little formal analysis. ⋯ Border crossers are a unique population of young individuals exposed to high temperatures and extreme conditions. Our review of border crosser admissions showed that most patients demonstrated signs of dehydration and leukocytosis, despite a normal median temperature. The median ICU stay was short, despite a high number of patients requiring ventilator support and surgical intervention. Only one death occurred in this cohort.