Chest
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Comparative Study
Comparison of two demand oxygen delivery devices for administration of oxygen in COPD.
Demand oxygen delivery systems (DODSs) were developed to secure the mobility of patients requiring oxygen therapy. The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of two currently available DODS with continuous oxygen administration (CONT). ⋯ P(O2) did not reach equilibrium after 15 min of treatment with the DODSs. The titration of a patient to a DODS is recommended, since simply accepting the manufacturer's information on oxygen equivalent does not guarantee an adequate supply of oxygen.
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COPD and cardiovascular disease (CVD) share common risk factors. We undertook to estimate rates of hospitalization and death from CVD in COPD patients relative to the general population. ⋯ CVD is more frequent in COPD patients than in the general population and may represent a burden greater than that of lung disease itself.
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Interest in airways inflammatory disease has increasingly focused on innate immunity. We investigated several components of innate immunity in induced sputum of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), COPD, and asthma, and healthy control subjects. ⋯ Induced-sputum innate immune factor levels discriminate inflammatory changes in CF, COPD, and asthma, suggesting potential roles in pathophysiology and as well as providing disease-specific biomarker patterns.
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To evaluate the usefulness of procalcitonin serum levels as a predictor of etiology and prognosis in adult patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) when they are stratified according to severity. ⋯ Procalcitonin contribution to the evaluation of CAP varies according to severity. While procalcitonin may have a role to predict the microbial etiology in patients with a low PSI score, in patients classified within high PSI risk classes, it is a prognostic marker rather than a predictor of etiology.
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Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) has a potential role in the pathogenesis of congestive heart failure (CHF). High rates of central sleep apnea (CSA) are found in patients with severe CHF, and equal proportions of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and CSA in are found CHF patients referred to sleep clinics. The prevalence, type, and severity of SDB in unselected stable outpatients with CHF are unknown. ⋯ SDB is very common in stable outpatients with CHF, and in our sample OSA predominates. Atrial fibrillation and severe left ventricular impairment increased the likelihood of SDB (particularly CSA), whereas symptom severity, subjective daytime sleepiness, exercise capacity, and NT-BNP levels did not. If specific therapy for SDB such as continuous positive airway pressure can be shown to improve major cardiovascular end points, these results support screening of clinically stable CHF patients.