American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
-
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 2011
Editorial Biography Historical ArticleInnate and adaptive immunity: the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
-
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 2011
New Mexican Hispanic smokers have lower odds of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and less decline in lung function than non-Hispanic whites.
The epidemiology of cigarette smoking-related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is not well characterized in Hispanics in the United States. Understanding how ethnicity influences COPD is important for a number of reasons, from informing public health policies to dissecting the genetic and environmental effects that contribute to disease. ⋯ Hispanic ethnicity is inversely associated with cross-sectional and longitudinal spirometric COPD phenotypes even after adjustment for smoking. Native American genetic ancestry may account for this "Hispanic protection."
-
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 2011
The societal impact of single versus bilateral lung transplantation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Bilateral lung transplantation (BLT) improves survival compared with single lung transplantation (SLT) for some individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, it is unclear which strategy optimally uses this scarce societal resource. ⋯ In most circumstances, a policy of SLT for COPD improves access to organs for other potential recipients without significant reductions in total post-transplant survival. However, there may be substantial geographic variations in the effect of such a policy on the balance between these outcomes.
-
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 2011
Screening and prevention of venous thromboembolism in critically ill patients: a decision analysis and economic evaluation.
Venous thromboembolism is difficult to diagnose in critically ill patients and may increase morbidity and mortality. ⋯ Appropriate prophylaxis provides better value in terms of costs and health gains than routine screening for DVT. Resources should be targeted at optimizing thromboprophylaxis.