Journal of thoracic disease
-
In December 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was discovered. Since its emergence, COVID-19 has been outbreaking rapidly worldwide, where the virus has so far caused the death of hundreds of thousands and infected more than a million, what has been called a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the WHO-Coronavirus disease 2019 Situation Report-142, by June 10, 2020, there are 7,145,539 confirmed cases and 408,025 deaths. ⋯ Some Western medicines including remdesivir, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, favipiravir, lopinavir/ritonavir, and arbidol, as well as some traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) such as Qingfei Paidu decoction, Yupingfeng, Lianhua Qingwen, and TCM injections have revealed a relative activity against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro, in observational studies, and in clinical trials. However, further extensive studies and clinical trials including double-blind and randomized clinical trials, with a higher number of patients, are necessary to confirm the activity of these medicines. There are several ongoing trials conducted on the drugs of COVID-19, and the results are urgently needed to make a suitable treatment recommendation.
-
Flail chest and severely displaced rib fractures due to blunt trauma can be associated with intrathoracic injuries. At our institution, two thoracic surgeons perform all surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF): one performs routine uniportal thoracoscopy (R-VATS) at the time of SSRF and the other for only select cases (S-VATS). In this pilot study, we hypothesized that R-VATS at the time of SSRF identifies and addresses intrathoracic injuries not seen on imaging and may impact patient outcomes. ⋯ R-VATS at the time of SSRF did not identify a statistically significant greater number of occult intrathoracic injuries compared to S-VATS. R-VATS was not associated with increased operative time, LOS, and mortality. Further study is needed to determine if there is benefit to R-VATS in patients meeting requirements for rib fracture repair.
-
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant changes in daily routines and lifestyle worldwide and mental health issues have emerged as a consequence. We aimed to assess the presence of sleep disturbances during the lockdown in the general population. ⋯ Sleep disturbances have affected a substantial proportion of the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. These are significantly associated with a self-assessed impact on mental health, but may also be related to suspected COVID-19 status, changes in habits and self-isolation.
-
The aim of this study was to investigate the chest CT manifestations of COVID-19 and its CT evolving process to explore its inherent outcomes. ⋯ COVID-19 has an acute onset, with main imaging manifestations of different types of GGO with or without lung consolidation in the subpleural regions of the bilateral lungs. The CT manifestations of lung lesions change rapidly. The lung lesions of mild and ordinary types of COVID-19 may improve significantly or disappear in a short period after active treatment, with good prognosis. Moreover, fibrosis-like stripes may be a sign of atelectasis of sub-segment lung tissue of COVID-19 and may be a specific sign for the diagnosis of COVID-19.
-
Despite the obvious benefits of aerobic exercise for asthmatic patients, controversies persist. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of continuous aerobic exercise on lung function and quality of life of asthmatic patients. ⋯ Our meta-analysis proved that regular continuous aerobic exercise benefits asthma patients on FEV1, PEF, FVC, FVC%pred, FEF25-75%, and quality of life, and was well tolerated, while there were no improvements in FEV1%pred and FEV1/FVC%. As such, swimming and treadmill training may be appropriate options.