Chest
-
Air pollution poses a risk to the respiratory health of individuals with COPD. Long- and short-term exposures to higher levels of particulate-rich air pollution are associated with increased COPD exacerbation, hospitalization, and mortality, collectively implicating air pollution as a cause of adverse COPD-related outcomes. ⋯ Regulatory efforts must continue to broadly lower emission standards to protect this susceptible population from the negative health impacts of air pollution.
-
Long COVID may occur in at least 10% of patients recovering from SARS-CoV-2 infection and often is associated with debilitating symptoms. Among the organ systems that might be involved in its pathogenesis, the respiratory and cardiovascular systems may be central to common symptoms seen in survivors of COVID-19, including fatigue, dyspnea, chest pain, cough, and exercise intolerance. Understand the exact symptomatology, causes, and effects of long COVID on the heart and lungs may help us to discover new therapies. To that end, the National Institutes of Health is sponsoring a national study population of diverse volunteers to support large-scale studies on the long-term effects of COVID-19. ⋯ Data generated from the RECOVER initiative will provide guidance about missing gaps in our knowledge about long COVID and how they might be filled by data gathered through the RECOVER initiative.
-
A better understanding of the relative contributions of various factors to patient outcomes is essential for optimal patient selection for extracorporeal CPR (ECPR) therapy for patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). However, evidence on the prognostic comparison based on the etiologies of cardiac arrest is limited. ⋯ In this retrospective multicenter cohort study, although most patients with OHCA underwent ECPR for cardiac causes, accidental hypothermia was associated with favorable neurologic outcome and survival; in contrast, acute aortic dissection/aneurysm and primary cerebral disorders were associated with nonsurvival compared with cardiac causes.
-
Given the recently expanded approval of antifibrotics for various fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), early and correct recognition of these diseases is imperative for physicians. Because high-resolution chest CT scan forms the backbone of diagnosis for ILD, this review will discuss evidence-based imaging findings of key fibrotic ILDs and an approach for differentiating these diseases. ⋯ Fibrotic ILD on high-resolution chest CT scan is a complex topic, but with use of an evidence-based analysis and algorithm as provided in this article, the probability of a correct imaging diagnosis increases.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Therapeutic Heparin in non-ICU patients Hospitalized for COVID-19 in the ACTIV-4a Trial: Effect on 3 Month Symptoms and Quality of Life.
Therapeutic-dose heparin decreased days requiring organ support in noncritically ill patients hospitalized for COVID-19, but its impact on persistent symptoms or quality of life (QOL) is unclear. ⋯ gov.