Annals of the American Thoracic Society
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Multicenter Study
The Prevalence and Significance of Staphylococcus aureus in Patients with Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis.
Staphylococcus aureus is commonly cultured from the sputum of patients with bronchiectasis; however, little is known about the prevalence of the organism in these patients, the characteristics of patients who have grown the organism, or its implications. ⋯ Staphylococcus aureus does not appear to be an independent risk factor for severe disease in patients with bronchiectasis enrolled in the Bronchiectasis Research Registry.
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Multicenter Study Pragmatic Clinical Trial
Comparative Effectiveness of Proactive Tobacco Treatment among Smokers with and without Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease.
Adults with chronic lower respiratory disease differ in their barriers to smoking cessation but also suffer from tobacco-related health concerns, which may motivate quit attempts. Few studies have examined differences in tobacco treatment response between smokers with and without chronic lower respiratory disease. ⋯ Smokers with chronic lower respiratory disease may be more likely to respond to a proactive outreach intervention for tobacco cessation treatment than those without chronic lower respiratory disease. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT 00608426).
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Physicians are increasingly being held accountable for patient outcomes, yet their specific contribution to the outcomes remains uncertain. ⋯ Intensivists independently contribute to outcomes of Medicare patients who undergo mechanical ventilation, as evidenced by the variation in risk-adjusted mortality across intensivists. However, physician experience does not underlie this relationship between intensivists, suggesting the need to identify modifiable physician factors to improve outcomes.
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High-flow nasal cannula oxygenation has distinct advantages over other oxygen devices because of its unique effects on respiratory physiology. In particular, adjustable oxygen delivery and flow-dependent carbon dioxide clearance reduce work of breathing and better match inspiratory demand during respiratory distress. Historically, few studies had evaluated whether the physiologic effects of these devices translated into clinical benefit. ⋯ High-flow nasal cannula oxygenation has been shown to have similar, and in some cases superior clinical efficacy compared with conventional low-flow oxygen supplementation and noninvasive positive pressure ventilation in acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. High-flow nasal cannula oxygenation also prevents reintubations in medical and postoperative surgical populations, provides preoxygenation for laryngoscopy, and supports oxygenation during bronchoscopy. This review examines the evidence for high-flow nasal cannula oxygenation use in adults, including a focus on the unique effects of high flow on respiratory physiology and keys for tailoring flow for specific clinical scenarios.