Annals of the American Thoracic Society
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Surrogates of critically ill patients often have inaccurate expectations about prognosis. Yet there is little research on how intensive care unit (ICU) clinicians should discuss prognosis, and existing expert opinion-based recommendations give only general guidance that has not been validated with surrogate decision makers. ⋯ Family members, clinicians, and experts identified specific communication behaviors that clinicians should use to discuss prognosis in the critical care setting. These findings extend existing opinion-based recommendations and should guide interventions to improve communication about prognosis in ICUs.
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Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is an established technique for the diagnosis of thoracic malignancies. Non-ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle injection has been used previously to deliver chemotherapeutic agents. ⋯ This is the first description of EBUS-TBNI to treat local recurrence of lung cancer and one of the first reports of the use of EBUS for intratumoral therapy. Additional research is warranted to determine the clinical usefulness and safety of this therapeutic approach.