Chest
-
Review Practice Guideline
"Management of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Immunocompromised Adults: A Consensus Statement Regarding Initial Strategies".
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) guidelines have improved the treatment and outcomes of patients with CAP, primarily by standardization of initial empirical therapy. But current society-published guidelines exclude immunocompromised patients. ⋯ This document offers general suggestions for the initial treatment of the immunocompromised patient who arrives at the hospital with pneumonia.
-
Meta Analysis
High flow nasal cannula in the immediate post-operative period: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Studies have demonstrated that high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) prevents intubation in acute hypoxic respiratory failure when compared with conventional oxygen therapy (COT). However, the data examining routine HFNC use in the immediate postoperative period are less clear. ⋯ With evidence of moderate certainty, prophylactic HFNC reduces reintubation and escalation of respiratory support compared with COT in the immediate postoperative period after cardiothoracic surgery. This effect is likely driven by patients who are at high risk and/or obese. These findings support postoperative prophylactic HFNC use in the patients who are at high risk and/or obese undergoing cardiothoracic surgery.
-
OSA is common among commercial vehicle operators (CVOs) in all modes of transportation, including truck, bus, air, rail, and maritime operations. OSA is highly prevalent and increases the risk of drowsiness-related crashes in CVOs. Internationally, specific regulations regarding its identification and management vary widely or do not exist; medical examiners and sleep medicine specialists are urged to use available guidance documents in their absence. Education, screening, prompt identification and treatment, and ongoing surveillance to ensure effective therapy can lower the risk of fatigue-related crashes.
-
Transthoracic echocardiography is the standard of care in anatomic and functional cardiovascular assessment; however, focused cardiac ultrasound (FoCUS) performed with portable ultrasound equipment is increasingly being used as an adjunct to comprehensive history and physical examination. FoCUS assessments, unlike formal echocardiography, are intended to assist physicians in answering explicit clinical questions with a narrow differential diagnosis in real time. Over the past decade, a growing body of literature has repeatedly shown the value that FoCUS adds to clinical evaluation. ⋯ Although less robust, there is also evidence showing improvement in clinical outcomes. Based on this evidence, clinicians, training programs, and clinical societies have embraced FoCUS as a tool to complement bedside patient evaluation. Herein, we review the evidence for FoCUS in clinical practice, specifically evaluating the diagnostic accuracy, the impact on clinical decision-making, and the effect on clinical outcomes.
-
Meta Analysis
Chest CT imaging signature of COVID-19 infection: in pursuit of the scientific evidence.
Chest CT may be used for the diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but clear scientific evidence is lacking. Therefore, we systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed the chest CT imaging signature of COVID-19. ⋯ Studies on chest CT imaging findings in COVID-19 suffer from methodologic quality concerns. More high-quality research is necessary to establish diagnostic CT criteria for COVID-19. Based on the available evidence that requires cautious interpretation, several chest CT imaging findings appear to be suggestive of COVID-19, but normal chest CT imaging findings do not exclude COVID-19, not even in symptomatic patients.