BMC pulmonary medicine
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Feb 2020
Meta AnalysisEffect of Dexmedetomidine on duration of mechanical ventilation in septic patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Because of its analgesic and light sedative properties, the highly selective alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonist dexmedetomidine (DEX) has been suggested for the treatment of septic patients, but its effect on the duration of mechanical ventilation remains unclear. The present study was conducted to review the extant literature in DEX and determine its influence on ventilation time in adult septic patients. ⋯ Administration of DEX for sedation in septic patients was not associated with the duration of mechanical ventilation, but it increased the ventilator-free days and reduced 28-day mortality.
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Feb 2020
Chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis in the southeastern United States: an assessment of how clinicians reached the diagnosis.
Chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (cHP) is a disease caused by exposure to inhaled environmental antigens. Diagnosis of cHP is influenced by the awareness of the disease prevalence, which varies significantly in different regions, and how clinicians utilize relevant clinical information. We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate how clinicians in the Southeast United States, where the climate is humid favoring mold growth, diagnosed cHP using items identified in the international modified Delphi survey of experts, i.e., environmental exposure, CT imaging and lung pathology, METHODS: We searched Duke University Medical Center database for patients over the age of 18 with a diagnosis of cHP (ICD-9 code: 495) between Jan. 1, 2008 to Dec. 31, 2013 using a query tool, Duke Enterprise Data Unified Content Explorer (DEDUCE). ⋯ Environmental mold was the most common exposure for cHP in the Southeast United States. Lung pathology was available in more than half of cHP cases in our tertiary care center, perhaps reflecting the complexity of referrals. Differences in exposure sources and referral patterns should be considered in devising future diagnostic pathways or guidelines for cHP.
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Jan 2020
Surfactant protein A as a biomarker of outcomes of anti-fibrotic drug therapy in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and fibrosing lung disease with poor prognosis. Pirfenidone and nintedanib are anti-fibrotic drugs used for patients with IPF. These drugs reduce the rate of decline in forced vital capacity (FVC). Serum surfactant protein (SP)-A, SP-D, and Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) are monitoring and prognostic biomarkers in patients with IPF; however, their relationship with the therapeutic outcomes of anti-fibrotic drugs has not been investigated. We aim to clarify whether serum SP-A, SP-D, and KL-6 reflect therapeutic outcomes of pirfenidone and nintedanib administration in patients with IPF. ⋯ Changes in serum SP-A reflected the outcomes of anti-fibrotic drug therapy. Serum SP-A has a potential as a biomarker of therapeutic outcomes of anti-fibrotic drugs.
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Jan 2020
Association between peripheral blood/bronchoalveolar lavage eosinophilia and significant oxygen requirements in patients with acute eosinophilic pneumonia.
We investigated the association between a combination of two markers, peripheral (PEC) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) eosinophil percentage (BEP), and oxygen requirements in patients with acute eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP). ⋯ In this study, we revealed that both peripheral and BAL eosinophilia is associated with favourable outcomes in AEP patients.
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BMC pulmonary medicine · Jan 2020
The value of serum Krebs von den lungen-6 as a diagnostic marker in connective tissue disease associated with interstitial lung disease.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of serum krebs von den lungen-6 (KL-6) level as a diagnostic indicator for connective tissue disease associated with interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD). ⋯ Serum KL-6 level can potentially serve as a diagnostic marker for CTD-ILD and be utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of CTX pulse therapy.