Chest
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Pain and physical function are similar following axillary, muscle-sparing vs posterolateral thoracotomy.
We set out to determine whether there is a difference in postoperative pain and recovery after the patient undergoes the axillary muscle-sparing incision (ie, muscle-sparing thoracotomy [MT]) vs the modified posterolateral incision (ie, posterolateral thoracotomy [PT]). ⋯ When comparing patients who had undergone vertical, axillary, wholly MT to those who had undergone modified serratus muscle-sparing PT, postoperative differences in pain were not apparent. One should not anticipate reduced pain or more rapid overall recovery following MT, at least when epidural analgesia is used aggressively for perioperative pain control.
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Multicenter Study
Development and validation of The Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire in the United States: a health-related quality-of-life measure for cystic fibrosis.
The Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire (CFQ) is a disease-specific instrument that measures health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for adolescents and adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) > or = 14 years, consisting of 44 items on 12 generic and disease-specific scales. Versions of the CFQ are also available for children with CF and their parents. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the CFQ in a national study at 18 CF centers in the United States. ⋯ The results demonstrated that the CFQ-teen/adult is a reliable and valid measure of HRQOL for individuals with CF. It may be utilized in clinical trials to assess the effects of new therapies, to document the progression of disease, and to inform clinical practice.
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Multicenter Study
Use of the pulmonary artery catheter is not associated with worse outcome in the ICU.
In critically ill patients, the impact of pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) use on outcome is debatable. We investigated the epidemiology of PAC use in European ICUs and its relation to outcome. ⋯ This observational study suggests that PAC use is not associated with increased mortality in this heterogeneous population.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Effects of 24 weeks of lansoprazole therapy on asthma symptoms, exacerbations, quality of life, and pulmonary function in adult asthmatic patients with acid reflux symptoms.
Difficult-to-control asthma has been associated with gastroesophageal acid reflux. Acid-suppressive treatment has been inconsistent in improving asthma control. ⋯ In adult patients with moderate-to-severe persistent asthma and symptoms of acid reflux, treatment with 30 mg of lansoprazole bid for 24 weeks did not improve asthma symptoms or pulmonary function, or reduce albuterol use. However, this dose significantly reduced asthma exacerbations and improved asthma quality of life, particularly in those patients receiving more than one asthma-control medication.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Anticoagulant therapy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
To evaluate the effect of anticoagulant therapy on the survival of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). ⋯ Our data suggested that plasma d-dimer levels are associated with mortality in patients with an acute exacerbation of IPF, and that anticoagulant therapy has a beneficial effect on survival in patients with IPF.