Chest
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The measurement of arterial blood gases, P(A-a)O2 and VD/VT, during cycle ergometry is the "gold standard" for the assessment of pulmonary gas exchange. However, some patients are unable to perform cycle ergometry because of other medical problems. ⋯ Proposed criteria for arm crank exercise testing accurately identified all patients with normal and abnormal pulmonary gas exchange during cycle exercise. The data from the present study suggest that arm crank can be an acceptable alternative exercise testing modality for the assessment of pulmonary gas exchange.
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Mean lung density (dm) and radiologic (VLx) lung volume can be calculated using CT scan data. As many emphysematous patients are overdistended, the analysis of dm alone could be meaningless. However, lung mass (m) can be calculated as the product of dm and VLx. ⋯ Unexpectedly, these results show that most patients (22/24) with emphysema have a normal or increased lung mass. Normal or above normal m values might be due to oversecretion in some patients. Nevertheless, the synthesis of new tissue due to chronic inflammation is the most likely explanation that could account for this finding.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Elevation of cardiac output and oxygen delivery improves outcome in septic shock.
Septic shock is characterized by hypoperfusion and tissue energy defects. We prospectively evaluated the therapeutic benefit of augmenting cardiac output and therefore oxygen delivery (DO2) on mortality in patients with septic shock. Twenty-five patients were randomized to a normal treatment (NT) group and 26 patients were randomized to an optimal treatment (OT) group. ⋯ Since some of the NT patients were spontaneously hyperdynamic and some of the OT patients did not achieve their desired end point, patients were arbitrarily subsetted using a midpoint CI of 4.5 L/min/m2. The NT less than 4.5 group had a CI of 3.1 +/- 0.2 L/min/m2 and DO2 of 10.9 +/- 1.0 ml/min/kg while the OT group greater than 4.5 L/min/m2 had a CI of 5.7 +/- 0.2 L/min/m2 and a DO2 of 13.8 +/- 0.7 ml/min/kg (p less than 0.01). Mortality in the NT less than 4.5 group was 74 percent as compared with 40 percent in the OT greater than 4.5 group (p less than 0.05).
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There are several bronchiolar diseases with different pathologic and clinical findings. Idiopathic BOOP is a distinct entity consisting of a flu-like illness, late inspiratory crackles, patchy infiltrates roentgenographically, and physiologically decreased vital capacity and diffusing capacity. Response to corticosteroid therapy is good and relapse does not occur if sufficient therapy is given. ⋯ Furthermore, the entity can be described to clinicians and pathologists throughout the world in such a fashion that patient care and research can be standardized. Researchers from different centers studying the cause or utilizing treatment protocols are able to discuss a single BOOP entity rather than comparing results of a heterogeneous group of many different types of interstitial lung disorders. This will lead to breakthroughs in discovery of etiologic causes and new effective therapeutic regimens.