Expert review of respiratory medicine
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Expert Rev Respir Med · May 2018
ReviewVentilator-induced lung injury during controlled ventilation in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome: less is probably better.
Mechanical ventilation is required to support respiratory function in the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), but it may promote lung damage, a phenomenon known as ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). Areas covered: Several mechanisms of VILI have been described, such as: inspiratory and/or expiratory stress inducing overdistension (volutrauma); interfaces between collapsed or edema-filled alveoli with surrounding open alveoli, acting as stress raisers; alveoli that repetitively open and close during tidal breathing (atelectrauma); and peripheral airway dynamics. In this review, we discuss: the definition and classification of ARDS; ventilatory parameters that act as VILI determinants (tidal volume, respiratory rate, positive end-expiratory pressure, peak, plateau, driving and transpulmonary pressures, energy, mechanical power, and intensity); and the roles of prone positioning and muscle paralysis. ⋯ In patients with moderate to severe ARDS, prone positioning can reduce lung damage and improve survival. Overall, volutrauma seems to be more harmful than atelectrauma. Extracorporeal support should be considered in selected cases.
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Expert Rev Respir Med · May 2018
ReviewNon-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants for pulmonary embolism: who, where and for how long?
Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a relatively common cardiopulmonary emergency that is a major cause of hospitalization and morbidity and is the primary cause of mortality associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE). During the last decade, one of the biggest changes in the management of PE has been the approval of four non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs; apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban and rivaroxaban) for the treatment of PE and deep vein thrombosis and secondary prevention of VTE. ⋯ NOACs provide new anticoagulant treatment options for patients with PE, based on Phase III clinical study results. The consistent efficacy and safety profile of NOACs across many PE patient subgroups, including the elderly, fragile patients, those with active cancer and high-risk (right ventricular dysfunction) patients, suggests NOAC use will increase among these patients.
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Expert Rev Respir Med · Apr 2018
ReviewTreatment of acute exacerbations of interstitial lung disease.
Interstitial lung diseases (ILD) include a broad range of diffuse parenchymal lung disorders of known and unknown etiologies. Patients with ILD can experience acute exacerbations (AE) which are associated with extremely high morbidity and mortality. Little is known about the etiology of AEs, and whether inciting triggers (such as infection) result in an aberrant inflammatory response in a predisposed host. ⋯ Expert commentary: Therapeutic options for AE are limited without definitive treatments available, and the prognosis is often poor. Treatment is mainly based on correcting hypoxemia, looking for reversible etiologies of respiratory decline, and palliation of symptoms. Overall little is known about the pathogenesis of ILDs and AE-ILD, more research is needed in hopes of identifying better treatment options.
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Expert Rev Respir Med · Mar 2018
ReviewSymbicort® Maintenance and Reliever Therapy (SMART) and the evolution of asthma management within the GINA guidelines.
The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) annual report summarizes the latest evidence for asthma management. GINA recommends stepwise pharmacological treatment, advocating inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) plus rapid, long-acting β2-agonists (LABA) delivered in a single inhaler for maintenance and relief at Steps 3 (moderate persistent asthma requiring 1-2 controllers plus as-needed reliever), 4 (severe persistent asthma requiring ≥2 controllers plus as-needed reliever), and 5 (higher level care and/or add-on treatment). ⋯ The simplified dosing strategy may improve adherence and overall asthma control but relies on patient education. Budesonide/formoterol as needed in mild asthma (patients qualifying for regular low-dose ICS) is currently under investigation in two double-blind randomized studies, SYGMA1/2 (NCT02149199/NCT02224157), comparing budesonide/formoterol as needed with budesonide plus SABA and SABA alone.
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Expert Rev Respir Med · Sep 2017
ReviewBiopsy in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: back to the future.
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a relentlessly progressive, fibrosing interstitial pneumonia characterized by a radiologic and/or histologic pattern of usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP). The availability of two effective anti-fibrotic drugs in IPF has encouraged the identification and treatment of patients in early stages in order to maximize clinical benefit. The ability of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) to identify a 'definite' UIP pattern is suboptimal, particularly in the absence of honeycombing. ⋯ Areas covered: We identified and critically reviewed the most relevant recent literature related to the limitations of current radiologic criteria, new lung sampling procedures, and molecular pathways in support of the need of lung tissue to better understand IPF. Expert commentary: The development of truly effective treatments for IPF requires the identification of key pathogenetic molecules and pathways. To this end, the availability of lung tissue is vital.