Chest
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Multicenter Study
Risk factors for extubation failure in patients following a successful spontaneous breathing trial.
To assess the factors associated with reintubation in patients who had successfully passed a spontaneous breathing trial. ⋯ Among routinely measured clinical variables, RSBI, positive fluid balance 24 h prior to extubation, and pneumonia at the initiation of ventilation were the best predictors of extubation failure. However, the combined predictive ability of these variables was weak.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Conversion to bosentan from prostacyclin infusion therapy in pulmonary arterial hypertension: a pilot study.
We assessed the efficacy of bosentan in transitioning from prostacyclin infusions in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). ⋯ Transitioning from therapy with prostacyclin to bosentan is possible in some PAH patients, mainly in those receiving lower prostacyclin doses and having less pulmonary hypertension at baseline. Careful patient selection and close interim monitoring is needed because the conditions of patients can deteriorate, and they may not respond to the resumption of therapy with prostacyclin.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Does quality of life of COPD patients as measured by the generic EuroQol five-dimension questionnaire differentiate between COPD severity stages?
To assess the discriminative properties of the EuroQol five-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D) with respect to COPD severity according to Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) criteria in a large multinational study. ⋯ Increasing severity of COPD was associated with a significant decline in EQ-5D VAS scores and utility scores. These results demonstrate that a generic instrument can assess COPD impact on quality of life and that the scores discriminate between patient groups of known severity. These utility scores will be useful in cost-effectiveness assessments.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Effect of fluticasone propionate/salmeterol on lung hyperinflation and exercise endurance in COPD.
To examine the effect of fluticasone propionate, 250 microg/salmeterol, 50 microg combination (FSC 250/50) twice daily on lung hyperinflation and associated measures of exercise performance in patients with COPD. ⋯ We conclude that FSC 250/50 decreases lung hyperinflation at rest and during exercise with an associated increase in exercise endurance time when compared with placebo.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Technical and functional assessment of 10 office spirometers: A multicenter comparative study.
To investigate the technical properties and user friendliness of 10 office spirometers devoted for use in general practice, and to compare the results with standard diagnostic spirometers. ⋯ The global quality and user friendliness of several office spirometers make them acceptable for the detection of COPD, although differences between the laboratory and some of the office spirometers values suggest that the misclassification rates may be increased when using some models of office spirometers.