Respirology : official journal of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology
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There is relatively little data regarding pulmonary function test (PFT) findings and impact of treatment on PFT in pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial (pNTM) disease. ⋯ Patients with pNTM have abnormal PFT, and treatment was not associated with substantial changes therein. Asthmatics may experience some improvements in gas trapping after NTM therapy, but because the sample size and the observed change were both small, this requires further investigation.
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The definition of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) based on a fixed forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1 )/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio or on the lower limits of FEV1 /FVC of a healthy reference population is the subject of continuous debate. We explored whether dynamics of forced expiratory flow decline on spirometry can identify subjects with and without COPD when the two key diagnostic criteria are discordant. ⋯ Expiratory flow dynamics can detect airflow limitation and indicate the presence of COPD. In discordant subjects, our methodology allows a better identification of subjects with or without characteristics of COPD.
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Short telomere is a crucial risk factor for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, little is known about the association between baseline telomere length and survival in IPF. We aimed to determine whether telomere length is associated with survival of IPF. ⋯ Short telomere length is independently associated with worse survival in IPF. Future research should focus on the molecular mechanism underlying the shortening of telomere length in IPF.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Accuracy of PaO2 /FiO2 calculated from SpO2 for severity assessment in ED patients with pneumonia.
Assessment of oxygenation in patients with community-acquired pneumonia is critical for treatment. The accuracy of percutaneous oxygen saturation (SpO2 ) determined by pulse oximetry is uncertain, and it has limited value in patients receiving supplemental oxygen. We hypothesized that calculation of partial arterial oxygen concentration/inspired oxygen faction (PaO2 /FiO2 ) from SpO2 by the Ellis or Rice equations might adequately correlate with PaO2 /FiO2 measured by arterial blood gases. ⋯ The Ellis equation was more accurate than the Rice equation for estimating PaO2 /FiO2 , especially at higher levels of P/F ratio. Estimation of PaO2 /FiO2 from SpO2 is accurate enough for initial oxygenation assessment. Ellis and Rice equations could misclassify 20% and 30% of patients, respectively, at higher levels of PaO2 /FiO2 . For patients with abnormal oxygenation falling near thresholds for clinical decision making, arterial blood gas measurement preferably on room air is more accurate.
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This study aimed to evaluate the involvement of airway cross-sectional area and shape, and functional residual capacity (FRC), in the genesis of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in patients with supine-predominant OSA. ⋯ A fall in FRC when moving lateral to supine in supine OSA patients may be an important triggering factor in the generation of OSA in this patient group.