Respirology : official journal of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology
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Observational Study
Prognostic value of plasma N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide levels in pneumonia patients requiring intensive care unit admission.
Correct and early risk stratification for critically ill pneumonia patients remains an unmet medical need. This study aimed to test whether N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) can serve as a prognostic marker in this setting. ⋯ For pneumonia patients admitted to intensive care unit, NT-proBNP strongly and independently predicts mortality, and its prognostic accuracy is comparable with APACHE II and IDSA/ATS 2007 minor criteria.
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For patients with end-stage lung diseases, lung transplantation is the only available therapeutic option. However, the number of suitable donor lungs is insufficient and lung transplants are complicated by significant graft failure and complications of immunosuppressive regimens. An alternative to classic organ replacement is desperately needed. ⋯ Whole lung cell suspensions, endogenous progenitor cells, embryonic and adult stem cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have been investigated for their applicability to repopulate acellular lung matrices. Ideally, patient-derived autologous cells would be used for lung recellularization as they have the potential to reduce the need for post-transplant immunosuppression. Several studies have performed transplantation of rudimentary bioengineered lung scaffolds in animal models with limited, short-term functionality but much further study is needed.
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Comparative Study
Physician-performed ultrasound can accurately screen for a vulnerable intercostal artery prior to chest drainage procedures.
Laceration of the intercostal artery during pleural procedures is a rare but serious complication. This study evaluates the utility of thoracic ultrasound (US) to screen for a vulnerable vessel compared with the gold standard computed tomography (CT). ⋯ US can be used to screen for a vulnerable vessel prior to pleural procedures, in a time amenable to use in clinical practice. Further, it is achievable by a pulmonologist using a portable US machine. If thoracentesis or chest tube insertion is being performed on a patient at increased risk of bleeding, screening for a vulnerable vessel with US prior to beginning the procedure is recommended.
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Infection is as an important trigger for acute asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of this article was to determine the prevalence and impact of virus and bacterial infections in acute asthma and COPD. ⋯ Virus infection, especially in the presence of chronic bacterial infection, is an important determinant of more severe acute exacerbations in both asthma and COPD, and patients with co-infections are more likely to be readmitted to hospital following their exacerbation.
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Comparative Study
Response of the COPD Assessment Test to pulmonary rehabilitation in unselected chronic respiratory disease.
The COPD Assessment Test (CAT) is a recently introduced, simple-to-use health status instrument that takes less time to complete than better-established health status instruments. In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, the CAT improves with pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), and changes correlate with improvements in longer-established health status instruments such as the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ). Increasing numbers of non-COPD patients are referred for PR, but it is not known whether the CAT is responsive to PR in these populations. ⋯ As in COPD patients, the CAT is immediately responsive to PR in non-COPD patients. Even in unselected chronic respiratory disease patients undergoing PR, the CAT is a practical alternative to longer-established health status questionnaires.