Chest
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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is common among patients with COPD. However, it is not clear whether this is due to shared risk factors or if COPD increases the risk for CVD independently. This study aimed to provide a systematic review of studies that investigated the association between COPD and CVD outcomes, assessing any effect of confounding by common risk factors. ⋯ Available observational data support the hypothesis that COPD is associated with an increased risk of CVD.
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The success of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is established, but how to sustain benefits over the long term is less clear. The aim of this systematic review was to determine the effect of supervised exercise programs after primary PR on exercise capacity and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in individuals with COPD. ⋯ Supervised exercise programs after primary PR appear to be more effective than usual care for preserving exercise capacity in the medium term but not in the long term. In this review, there was no effect on HRQL. The small number of studies precludes a definitive conclusion as to the impact of postrehabilitation exercise maintenance on longer-term benefits in individuals with COPD.
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Solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) frequently require transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) or biopsy to determine malignant potential, but have variable diagnostic yields. Confirming needle placement within SPNs during TBNA could significantly increase diagnostic yield. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) provides nondestructive, high-resolution, microstructural imaging with potential to distinguish SPN from parenchyma. We have developed needle-based OCT probes compatible with TBNA. Before OCT can play any significant role in guiding clinical TBNA, OCT interpretation criteria for differentiating SPN from lung parenchyma must be developed and validated. ⋯ We have developed and validated OCT criteria for lung parenchyma and SPN with sensitivity and specificity > 95% in this ex vivo study. We anticipate that OCT could be a useful complementary imaging modality to confirm needle placement during TBNA to potentially increase diagnostic yield.
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The goals of management of COPD include reducing exposure to risk factors; improving lung function, exercise tolerance, and quality of life; and decreasing exacerbations and mortality. Pharmacologic treatments, such as inhaled β2-agonists, anticholinergics, and inhaled corticosteroids, are widely used to help achieve these goals. In addition to efficacy, medication safety is an important consideration in selecting COPD treatments. ⋯ Understanding medication safety requires assessment of the quality and appropriateness of study design, as well as knowledge of study findings, and is of paramount importance in making sound clinical judgments in the treatment of patients with COPD. In recent years, a wealth of data on COPD medications has been published from different sources, including randomized clinical trials, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and observational studies. This review discusses important considerations in interpreting data from different types of studies, summarizes the tolerability profile of COPD medications established in preapproval studies, and discusses new findings from more recent postapproval data.
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Air travel is a common mode of transportation in today's society, particularly for individuals traveling long distances. Sleep disturbances associated with air travel frequently result in cognitive and physiologic impairments that may be detrimental to the traveler's experience and intent. A primary consequence of air travel is the development of acute sleep deprivation, which may result in reduced attention/vigilance, alteration in mood states, diminished memory processing, and alteration in executive function. ⋯ JLD is characterized by insomnia or excessive daytime sleepiness associated with physical or mental impairment associated with travel. This review focuses on the neurocognitive manifestations of acute sleep deprivation and the pathophysiology and treatment of JLD to provide the practicing clinician a greater understanding of the sleep abnormalities manifest in air travelers. Treatment recommendations for the traveler, including the use of light/melatonin therapy, sleep scheduling, and pharmacologic aids for both sleep and alertness, are provided.