Annals of the American Thoracic Society
-
Central venous pressure (CVP) can be estimated by ultrasound of the inferior vena cava (IVC), but imaging the IVC is sometimes challenging. The femoral vein is easily imaged by ultrasound and might therefore provide an alternate target for estimating CVP. ⋯ The results of this exploratory study suggest that the accuracy of FVD measured by ultrasound imaging for estimating CVP is comparable to that which has been reported for ultrasound measurement of IVC diameter. FVD may provide an alternative approach when the IVC is difficult to image. Additional studies on other cohorts of patients are warranted to validate our proposed FVD cutoff values for predicting low and high CVP.
-
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare progressive disease of the pulmonary vasculature that is characterized by endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and right ventricular dysfunction. ⋯ In patients with PAH, lower vWF activity and cholesterol levels and higher NT-pro-BNP levels at baseline were associated with an increased risk of death or transplantation. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00384865).
-
Computed tomographic measures of central airway morphology have been used in clinical, epidemiologic, and genetic investigation as an inference of the presence and severity of small-airway disease in smokers. Although several association studies have brought us to believe that these computed tomographic measures reflect airway remodeling, a careful review of such data and more recent evidence may reveal underappreciated complexity to these measures and limitations that prompt us to question that belief. ⋯ The relationships between airway morphology and lung function are observed in subjects who never smoked, implying that native airway structure indeed contributes to lung function; computed tomographic measures of central airways such as wall area, lumen area, and total bronchial area are smaller in smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease versus those without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and the airways are smaller as disease severity increases. The observations suggest that (1) native airway morphology likely contributes to the relationships between computed tomographic measures of airways and lung function; and (2) the presence of smaller airways in those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease versus those without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as well as their decrease with disease severity suggests that smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may simply have smaller airways to begin with, which put them at greater risk for the development of smoking-related disease.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Randomized Pilot Trial of Two Modified Endotracheal Tubes To Prevent Ventilator-associated Pneumonia.
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a prevalent and costly nosocomial infection related to instrumentation of the airway with an endotracheal tube (ETT), enabling microaspiration of contaminated secretions. Modification of the ETT design to reduce microaspiration and/or biofilm formation may play an important role in VAP prevention. However, there is insufficient evidence to provide strong recommendations regarding the use of modified ETT and unaddressed safety concerns. ⋯ A randomized trial of ETTs inserted during emergency intubation for the prevention of VAP is feasible and did not appear to carry heightened safety concerns. These preliminary data did not suggest different patterns of tracheal colonization or occurrence of VAP among the study groups. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01744483).
-
Observational Study
Emotional Intelligence: A Novel Outcome Associated with Wellbeing and Self-Management in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
Individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often struggle with diminished autonomy and quality of life. Emotional factors play a crucial role in the well-being of patients with COPD; they are independently associated with critical outcomes such as dyspnea, quality of life, and health care use. Emotional intelligence is the capacity to understand and manage personal thoughts and feelings, as well as to positively influence interpersonal communication and social well-being. Emotional intelligence is a trainable skill that is extensively used in corporate business to improve well-being and performance, and it may also be significant in the self-management of emotions in patients with chronic disease. Importantly, research supports the proposition that emotional intelligence may be developed and learned at any time or any age, and training programs have been associated with increased well-being and better emotional regulation in patients with chronic disease. However, to date, no research has been done to investigate its value in patients with COPD. ⋯ Emotional intelligence may represent an important attribute in COPD, as it is associated with self-management abilities and all domains of quality of life, regardless of age or disease severity. Emotional intelligence can be learned and may complement existing rehabilitation efforts. Attention to it may address the current gap that exists in the treatment of emotional components of COPD responsible for decreased quality of life and increased health care use.