Annals of the American Thoracic Society
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Readmission to the intensive care unit (ICU) is associated with poor clinical outcomes, increased length of ICU and hospital stay, and higher costs. Nevertheless, knowledge of epidemiology of ICU readmissions, risk factors, and attributable outcomes is restricted to developed countries. ⋯ Readmissions to the ICU were frequent and strongly related to poor outcomes. The degree to which ICU readmissions are preventable as well as the main causes of preventable ICU readmissions need to be further determined.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Pack-Year Cigarette Smoking History for Determination of Lung Cancer Screening Eligibility. Comparison of the Electronic Medical Record versus a Shared Decision-making Conversation.
Implementation of lung cancer screening programs is occurring across the United States. Programs vary in approaches to patient identification and shared decision-making. The eligibility of persons referred to screening programs, the outcomes of eligibility determination during shared decision-making, and the potential for the electronic medical record (EMR) to identify eligible individuals have not been well described. ⋯ Many individuals referred for lung cancer screening may be ineligible. Overreliance on the EMR for identification of individuals at risk may lead to missed opportunities for appropriate lung cancer screening.
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Autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (aPAP) is a rare disease characterized by the excessive accumulation of surfactant proteins within the alveolar spaces and by higher titers of autoantibodies to granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in the serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. The antibodies inhibit the maturation and phagocytosis of alveolar macrophages. ⋯ We evaluated five cases with remarkable improvement by using sequential GM-CSF inhalation therapy after WLL; however, the treatment failed when this therapy preceded WLL. Therefore, sequential GM-CSF inhalation after WLL may reinforce the efficiency of WLL in patients with severe aPAP.
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Review Meta Analysis
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living after Critical Illness: A Systematic Review.
Poor functional status is common after critical illness, and can adversely impact the abilities of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors to live independently. Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), which encompass complex tasks necessary for independent living, are a particularly important component of post-ICU functional outcome. ⋯ Survivors of critical illness commonly experience new or worsening IADL dependency that may improve over time. As part of ongoing efforts to understand and improve functional status in ICU survivors, future research must focus on risk factors for IADL dependencies and interventions to improve these cognitive and physical dependencies after critical illness.