Respiration; international review of thoracic diseases
-
Water pipe is a traditional method of tobacco use, which is epidemically spreading throughout Europe. There are scarce data about the use of water pipe and its relation to other addictive behaviors among young adults in Western countries. ⋯ Water pipe smoking is common among young adults and strongly associated with cigarette smoking and cannabis consumption.
-
Breathing pattern description and chest wall kinematics during phonation have not been studied in male and female patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. ⋯ Phonation imposes more abdominal breathing pattern changes in males and costal changes in females. Expiratory flow encroaches upon the MEFV curve with higher phonatory efforts and respiratory discomfort.
-
Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Exertional desaturation as a predictor of rapid lung function decline in COPD.
To date, no clinical parameter has been associated with the decline in lung function other than emphysema severity in COPD. ⋯ This study suggests, for the first time, that exertional desaturation may be a predictor of rapid decline in lung function in patients with COPD. The 6MWT may be a useful test to predict a rapid lung function decline in COPD.
-
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive and ultimately fatal disease, with a highly variable course in individual patients. Episodes of rapid deterioration are not uncommon, often following a period of stability. In cases of uncertain etiology, with typical clinical and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) features, the term 'acute exacerbation of IPF' (AE-IPF) has been coined to describe a combination of diffuse alveolar damage and preexisting usual interstitial pneumonia. ⋯ Acute exacerbations are less prevalent in other fibrotic lung diseases than in IPF and may have a better outcome, with the exception of acute exacerbations of rheumatoid lung. In AE-IPF, the exclusion of alternative causes of rapid deterioration, including heart failure and infection, is the main goal of investigation. Empirical high-dose corticosteroid steroid therapy is generally used in AE-IPF, without proven benefit.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of an automatic triggering and cycling system on comfort and patient-ventilator synchrony during pressure support ventilation.
The digital Auto-Trak™ system is a technology capable of automatically adjusting the triggering and cycling mechanisms during pressure support ventilation (PSV). ⋯ Use of the Auto-Trak system during PSV showed similar results in comparison to the conventional adjustments with respect to patient-ventilator synchrony and discomfort in simulated conditions of invasive mechanical ventilation.