Annals of translational medicine
-
Sepsis bundles represent key elements of care regarding the diagnosis and treatment of patients with septic shock and allow ones to convert complex guidelines into meaningful changes in behavior. Sepsis bundles endorsed the early goal-directed therapy (EGDT) and their implementation resulted in an improved outcome of septic shock patients. ⋯ Nevertheless, the interest of early goal directed therapy in septic shock patients compared to usual care has recently been questioned, leading to an update of sepsis bundles in 2015. These new sepsis bundles may also exhibit, as the previous bundles, some limits and pitfalls and the effects of their implementation still needs to be evaluated.
-
Acute chest pain is an important clinical challenge and a major reason for presentation to the emergency department. Although multiple imaging techniques are available to assess patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS), considerable interest has been focused on the use of non-invasive imaging options as coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). According to several recent evidences, CCTA has been shown to represent a useful tool to rapidly and accurately diagnose coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with low to intermediate cardiovascular risk. ⋯ Conversely, CMR is considered the gold standard in the evaluation of morphology, function, viability and tissue characterization of the heart. CMR offers a wide range of tools for diagnosing myocardial infarction (MI) at least at the same time of the elevation of cardiac troponin values, differentiating infarct tissue and ischemic myocardium from normal myocardium or mimicking conditions, and distinguishing between new and old ischemic events. In high-risk patients, with acute and chronic manifestations of CAD, CMR may be preferable to CCTA, since it would allow detection, differential diagnosis, prognostic evaluation and management of MI.
-
Acute pulmonary embolism (APE) is a potentially fatal condition, and making a timely diagnosis can be challenging. Computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) has become the modality of choice, and this contributes to the increasing load on emergency room CT scanners. Our purpose was to investigate whether an elevated d-dimer cut-off could reduce the demand for CTPA while maintaining a high sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV). ⋯ We conclude that the elevated d-dimer cut-off of 0.9 mg/L achieved a high sensitivity and NPV, while reducing the number of CTPA by 27%. The correlation between d-dimer values and location of embolisms supports the suggestion of an elevated d-dimer value.
-
Smoking behavior may have a substantial influence on the overall effect of lung cancer screening. Non-randomized studies of smoking behavior during screening have indicated that computer tomography (CT) screening induces smoking cessation. Randomized studies have further elaborated that this effect has to do with participation in screening alone and not dependent on the CT scan. ⋯ Also low smoking dependency and high motivation to quit smoking at baseline predicted smoking abstinence in screening trials. Lung cancer screening therefore seems to be a teachable moment for smoking cessation. Targeted smoking cessation counselling should be an integrated part of future lung cancer screening trials.
-
Implementation of lung cancer CT screening programs will increase the incidence of pulmonary nodules and require multidisciplinary efforts for devising appropriate treatment plans. The role of the thoracic surgeon is paramount in leading the discussion and shaping the treatment strategies. Management of CT screen-detected lung nodules differ from conventional lung cancer nodules given their smaller size, varied histologies and potentially indolent growth. Here we present a brief overview of the thoracic surgeon's perspective on the clinical evaluation, diagnostic tests and surgical approach to these nodules in the setting of a comprehensive lung cancer screening program.