Chest
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Review
Management of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in the Elderly Patient: Addressing Key Questions.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is strongly associated with advanced age. Making an accurate diagnosis of IPF is critical, as it remains only one of many potential diagnoses for an elderly patient with newly recognized interstitial lung disease. Optimal management of IPF, especially in older-aged patients, hinges on such factors as balancing the application of standard-of-care measures with the patient's overall health status (robustness vs frailty) and considering the patient's wishes, desires, and expectations. ⋯ However, the antifibrotic agents pirfenidone and nintedanib have now become commercially available in the United States for the treatment of IPF. The monitoring and treatment of patients with IPF, especially elderly patients with comorbid medical conditions, require consideration of adverse side effects, the avoidance of potential drug-drug interactions, treatment of comorbidities, and the timely implementation of supportive and palliative measures. Individualized counseling to guide decision-making and enhance quality of life is also integral to optimal management of the elderly patient with IPF.
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The knowledge of airway anatomy is the most fundamental requirement of every bronchoscopist. There are numerous and frequent anatomic variations of the central airways making the examination unique for every individual. It is imperative for every bronchoscopist to be fully cognizant of the common congenital anomalies involving the central airways. ⋯ This article focuses on the congenital anomalies of central airway encountered among adults. Each of these anatomic variations has a characteristic appearance, yet requires bronchoscopic acumen for their identification. This review provides a comprehensive description of these anomalies and highlights their clinical implications.
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The central disorders of hypersomnolence are characterized by severe daytime sleepiness, which is present despite normal quality and timing of nocturnal sleep. Recent reclassification distinguishes three main subtypes: narcolepsy type 1, narcolepsy type 2, and idiopathic hypersomnia (IH), which are the focus of this review. Narcolepsy type 1 results from loss of hypothalamic hypocretin neurons, while the pathophysiology underlying narcolepsy type 2 and IH remains to be fully elucidated. ⋯ In those patients with narcolepsy type 1, sodium oxybate is effective for the treatment of both sleepiness and cataplexy. Despite these treatments, there remains a subset of hypersomnolent patients with persistent sleepiness, in whom alternate therapies are needed. Emerging treatments for sleepiness include histamine H3 antagonists (eg, pitolisant) and possibly negative allosteric modulators of the gamma-aminobutyric acid-A receptor (eg, clarithromycin and flumazenil).
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We conducted a systematic review on the management of psychogenic cough, habit cough, and tic cough to update the recommendations and suggestions of the 2006 guideline on this topic. ⋯ Compared with the 2006 CHEST Cough Guidelines, the major change in suggestions is that the terms psychogenic and habit cough be abandoned in favor of somatic cough syndrome and tic cough, respectively, even though the evidence to do so at this time is of low quality.
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Review Meta Analysis
The volume-outcome relationship in critical care: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
The purpose of this study was to systematically review the research on volume and outcome relationships in critical care. ⋯ Critically ill patients generally benefit from care in high-volume centers, with more substantial benefits in selected high-risk conditions. This relationship may in part be mediated by specific ICU and hospital organizational factors.