Annals of the American Thoracic Society
-
The mass gathering of people is a potential source for developing, propagating, and disseminating infectious diseases on a global scale. Of the illnesses associated with mass gatherings, respiratory tract infections are the most common, the most easily transmitted, and the most likely to be spread widely beyond the site of the meeting by attendees returning home. Many factors contribute to the spread of these infections during mass gatherings, including crowding, the health of the attendees, and the type and location of meetings. ⋯ Although the Hajj is without equal, other mass gatherings can generate similar hazards. The geographic colocalization of the Zika virus epidemic and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Brazil is a current example of great concern. The potential of international mass gatherings for local and global calamity calls for greater global attention and research.
-
Despite therapeutic advances, pulmonary arterial hypertension remains a disease without a cure. Focusing on symptoms, such as dyspnea, is an important part of assessing response to therapy. ⋯ Using distributional and anchor-based methods, we estimate the minimum important difference for Borg dyspnea scale in pulmonary arterial hypertension is approximately 0.9 units. Using distributional methods only, we estimate the minimum important difference for the Borg fatigue scale is around 1 unit. Further studies are needed to determine the clinical utility of these scores in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.
-
Legal documents similar to the Maryland Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST) form requiring physician endorsement are increasingly used by critically ill patients. ⋯ An interactive, online educational module had no effect on trainee knowledge of completing and interpreting MOLST forms approximately 2 months after completion. Information conveyed via online modules alone may have minimal sustained impact on house staff knowledge.
-
Spirometry plays a major role in the diagnosis and assessment of severity of lung disease. Determining which lung function values are normal and which are below the lower limit of normal depends on reference equations derived from an appropriate population. ⋯ This study provides spirometric reference equations for the Canadian population that were measured under the recommended clinical conditions and with rigorous quality control.
-
Rapid On-Site Evaluation (ROSE) of specimens collected by endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)-guided-transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) ensures sample adequacy and triages subsequent biopsy procedures. EBUS-TBNA allows sampling of lymph nodes in granulomatous diseases; however, the ability of ROSE to predict the final diagnosis in this setting has not been well characterized. ⋯ In this single-center study, there was a high concordance between ROSE and the final cytological diagnosis for mediastinal lymph nodes containing granulomas that were sampled by EBUS-TBNA. ROSE may serve to reduce procedure time, enhance sample triaging, and obviate the need for further invasive testing. The only variable associated with increased concordance was the experience of the operator.