Pulmonology

Medical advances related to the diagnosis and management of cystic fibrosis (CF) have allowed CF patients to live considerably longer. But with that greater life expectancy, new complications have emerged.

While annually screening a carefully selected population of current and former smokers will result in decreased lung cancer and all-cause mortality, the intervention will not lead to a decrease in smoking.

Revisit the articles from each medical specialty that attracted the most eyeballs in 2013.

The new flu vaccine that protects against 4 strains of influenza may be more effective than the traditional 3-strain vaccine, according to a study of approximately 200 children.

The FDA has approved Anoro Ellipta (umeclidinium and vilanterol inhalation powder) for the once-daily, long-term maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction in patients with COPD.

The statement that there is no rule without exception is arguably more true in cases of sarcoidosis than in almost any other condition.

One treatment-resistant depression patient's response to over-the-counter cough medicine led Steven P. Levine, MD, to study the mechanism and effects of dextromethorphan in depression.

Suma Jain, MD, a pulmonologist at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation, provides a clinical update on the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension (PH).

Primary prevention measures for upper GI bleeding should include NSAIDs, antiplatelet therapy, and anticoagulants appropriately, while secondary preventive measures should include testing and treating H. pylori and using long-term PPIs when appropriate.

In his "Venous Thromboembolism: New Evidence and Best Practice" presentation, Steven Deitelzweig, MD, a hospitalist at Ochsner Medical Center, reviewed new oral anticoagulants (NOACs) used to treat venous thromboembolism (VTE).

Research findings presented at the 2013 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons indicate that same-hospital readmission rates are poor predictors of all-hospital readmission rates.

The REDUCE randomized clinical trial determined that 40 mg prednisone administered daily for 5 days wasn't inferior to 14 days of treatment in a placebo-controlled, double-blind setting.

Results of a randomized controlled trial demonstrate that a long-term, supervised, moderate-intensity exercise training program for chronic heart failure patients can produce improvements in hospital readmission and survival rates.

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.

Presenters at CHEST 2013 reported that preliminary study results suggest that an accurate exhaled breath biomarker could be developed for use as a clinical test to detect lung cancer.

Study results presented at CHEST 2013 show that patients given beta-blockers may actually be at increased risk of having an adverse cardiac event during a noncardiac surgical procedure.

Study results presented at CHEST 2013 show that the use of ultrasound testing rather than x-rays or CT scans in the ICU reduces patient radiation exposure and lowers costs of care.

While the use of acute, high-dose systemic corticosteroids probably has no clinically significant effect on wound healing, chronic systemic corticosteroids may impair postoperative healing in susceptible patients.

Mechanical prophylaxis for pulmonary embolism (PE) in the form of an inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) is an option for surgical patients who can't undergo chemical venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis.

A systematic review of 14 randomized controlled trials found a probiotic Lactobacillus strain taken daily lowers the risk of acute upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) without increasing the risk of adverse events.

Examining data from the National Health and Nutrition Exam Survey tells physicians a great deal about childhood obesity and risk factors for high blood pressure.

New insurance protections, changes in how AIDS Drug Assistance Program benefits are counted, Medicaid expansion, and other provisions in the law will mean better care for many patients.