John Otrompke

One of the most important tasks for physicians treating a patient who has experienced a first unprovoked pulmonary embolism is determining how long the patient must remain on oral anticoagulants.

Guidelines to be released later this year by the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) suggest that bronchial thermoplasty may be an effective treatment for moderate to severe asthma patients, for whom inhaled corticosteroids have provided unsatisfactory results.

Plenary session at CHEST 2013 focused on the impact of early warning scores, medical response teams, availability of critical care attending intensivists, and other quality measures in intensive care.

Providers should perform mediastinal biopsy in order to properly stage lung cancer, after diagnosis, and before surgery.

Case study presented at CHEST 2013 details the experience of a patient with hepatitis C who, after undergoing liver transplant, died after developing a serious lung infection and other complications.

A "service learning" collaboration that matches respiratory therapy students with elementary schools improves kids' and caregivers' awareness of asthma triggers and reduces unscheduled inhaler use.

Doctors treating patients for COPD exacerbations may have recourse to a variety of treatments, including some off-label applications of existing drugs, and smoking cessation may result in a reduction of repeat occurrences.

Presentation at CHEST 2013 reviewed key considerations surrounding the treatment of pulmonary embolism and other venous thromboembolic events with the newer class of oral anticoagulant agents.

Providers who don't use social media are missing valuable opportunities to learn from and educate their peers, recruit patients, and repudiate misinformation.

By adopting a comprehensive set of case management policies for the care of diabetic and hyperglycemic patients, Johns Hopkins Hospital improved in-hospital mortality rate, reduced length of stay, and reduced hyperglycemia.

Exposure to insulin glargine and metformin did not cause increased risk of cancer or worse cancer outcomes.

Results of a three-year trial of the experimental GLP-1 receptor agonist albiglutide showed that it had a better effect on HbA1c, fasting blood glucose, and body weight than two comparator drugs.

Prescription-strength doses of vitamin D improve highly prevalent comorbidities among diabetic women, such as depression and pain, and also improve risk factors such as excess weight and high blood pressure.

While the current ADA guidelines recommend targeting HbA1c levels to below 8% for high-risk patients with diabetes, reducing the level to 5.7% dose not raise CVD or overall mortality risk, according to a recent study.

A novel algorithm for patient self-adjustment of prandial insulin dose could make it easier for patients who are poorly-controlled on basal insulin to add meal-time insulin.

In patients with type 2 diabetes currently taking metformin, treatment with combination exenatide plus insulin glargine decreased fasting glucose and resulted in greater weight loss compared to treatment with insulin lispro plus insulin glargine.

Study shows dulaglutide improved glycemic control in patients at 52 weeks compared to sitagliptin, but with a higher rate of adverse events.

Study shows a combination of liraglutide and the genetically modified insulin analog degludec was safe and improved HbA1c levels, weight loss, and hypoglycemia outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes.