Chest
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Predictors of Response to Endobronchial Coil Therapy in Patients with Advanced Emphysema.
The Lung Volume Reduction Coil Treatment in Patients With Emphysema (RENEW) trial reported improvements in quality of life, pulmonary function, and exercise performance following endobronchial coil treatment. ⋯ This post hoc analysis found that both significant hyperinflation (residual volume ≥ 200% predicted) and CT analysis are critical for patient selection and treatment planning for endobronchial coil therapy. Quantitative CT analysis is important to identify optimal lobar treatment and to exclude patients with insufficient emphysema (< 20% low attenuation area), whereas visual assessment identifies patients with signs of airway disease associated with worse outcomes.
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This review of sleep-related violence reports the nature of the underlying sleep-suspected conditions enountered and helps establish the spectrum of sleep-related behaviors resulting in forensic consequences. This information may begin to bridge the gap between the differing medical and legal concepts of automatisms (complex motor behaviors occurring in the absence of conscious awareness and therefore without culpability). Sleep medicine professionals are increasingly asked by legal professionals whether a sleep-related condition could have played a role in a forensic-related event. ⋯ In general, cases not accepted were declined on the basis of little or no merit or contamination by alcohol intoxication. Of those cases accepted, the proposed initial claim that a sleep phenomenon was operant was supported in approximately 50%, which were mostly non-rapid eye movement disorders of arousal. No cases were felt to be due to rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder.
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Flexible bronchoscopy has evolved over the last few decades, allowing chest physicians to use advanced high-definition scopes to inspect the airways and perform various sampling techniques. Although the techniques of basic bronchoscopic sampling have not changed dramatically, documentation requirements, coding, and billing have become more complex and require a better understanding on the part of the proceduralists and practice administrators. Areas in need of attention include learning about the multiple endoscopy rule, appropriate use of modifiers, and recent changes to the Current Procedural Terminology codes, associated work relative value units for moderate sedation, and therapeutic aspiration of secretions. This article describes basic bronchoscopic procedures and the principles needed for their coding and billing.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Accuracy of high-speed video analysis to diagnose primary ciliary dyskinesia.
Diagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) relies on a combination of tests. High-speed video microscopy analysis (HSVA) is widely used to contribute to the diagnosis. It can be analyzed on the day of diagnostic consultation, but the qualitative analyses are subjective. Diagnostic accuracy and reliability of assessing ciliary function have not been robustly evaluated. We aimed to establish the accuracy of HSVA to diagnose PCD compared with a combination of tests, and to assess the interobserver reliability of HSVA analysis. ⋯ Specialist scientists accurately diagnosed PCD using HSVA, with high interobserver agreement. HSVA can be reliably used to counsel patients and commence treatment on the day of testing while awaiting confirmatory investigations.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Rapid detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in bronchoalveolar lavage: A pilot randomized controlled trial.
Guidelines recommend empirical vancomycin or linezolid for patients with suspected pneumonia at risk for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Unneeded vancomycin or linezolid use may unnecessarily alter host flora and expose patients to toxicity. We therefore sought to determine if rapid testing for MRSA in BAL can safely decrease use of vancomycin or linezolid for suspected MRSA pneumonia. ⋯ A highly sensitive BAL RDT for MRSA significantly reduced use of vancomycin and linezolid in ventilated patients with suspected pneumonia. Management made on the basis of RDT had no adverse effects, with a trend to lower hospital mortality.