American Thoracic Society International Conference

Severity and survival outcomes improve with increased admittance.

Acute exacerbations of COPD dramatically increased the risk of CVD events.

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who use inhaled corticosteroids have a decreased risk of dying from pneumonia, but face an increased risk of contracting the infection.

Researchers at ATS 2015 reported chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but was not independently linked to risk of stroke or systemic embolism.

Reducing unnecessary lab tests in the intensive care unit is possible, a team of researchers from New York reported at the 2015 American Thoracic Society meeting in Denver, CO.

Excessive daytime sleepiness related to severe obstructive sleep apnea is also linked to depression in men, reported a team of researchers from Australia.

Music can be relaxing, even for patients in a high-stress situation like learning to breath without mechanical ventilation, researchers reported at the 2015 American Thoracic Society meeting in Denver, CO.

Hospitals have been paying Medicare penalties when patients are readmitted too soon after discharge. So far the focus has been on patients with heart failure and pneumonia but a study from NYU finds sepsis readmissions are also common.

Patients whose genetic risk of getting lung cancer was assessed became more likely to follow through with CT lung scans, a California study of smokers found. That was most true for patients who learned they were at high risk, but learning they were at lower risk did not reduce these patients' rates of complying with screening.

Children who get lung transplants face a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease. New research looks at risk assessment and prevention.

Just one e-cigarette exposure makes people less likely to cough, a dampening of a protective reflex. Researchers are not sure what the implications of the finding might be.

Peanut allergy is a much-publicized pediatric concern, as is asthma. In a new study, a team of researchers from Ohio reported that many asthma patients were found to have a documented peanut allergy but were not aware of that fact.

Study results show that, despite being promoted by manufacturers as a healthier alternative to smoking tobacco, electronic cigarettes emit hazardous substances.

Even though their hospital is close to an international airport identified as a likely entry point for travelers from West African countries with Ebola, physicians at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in Queens, NY, did not know as much as they should have about the virus, a study shows.

A Chicago team surveyed medical residents and found harrowing tales of mishaps and near-misses due to botched handoffs when patients are stepped down from ICU care.

Holding family meetings when patients are in intensive care can benefit patients, family, and caregivers. A research team reports on the electronic templates it is developing to keep records of what happens in those meetings.

Critically ill patients benefit from sleep, but noise levels in intensive care units may interfere, a study from the Universitgy of Iowa shows.

Study results showed treatment with N-acetylcysteine did not slow the decline in lung function, reduce acute exacerbations, or improve survival compared with placebo in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Results from two studies show that treatment with the novel kinase inhibitor nintedanib significantly slowed disease progression in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, only one study showed nintedanib had any effect on slowing deterioration in quality of life or reducing the risk of a first acute exacerbation compared with placebo.

Recently published study results, when combined with results from previous clinical trials, show treatment with the antifibrotic drug pirfenidone slows disease progression and improves survival in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). These findings, if they lead the FDA to reevaluate and approve this drug, could be a game changer for patients with IPF, a disease marked by a high mortality rate and few treatment options.

Combination treatment with a fixed dose of indacaterol and glycopyrronium bromide was associated with significant improvements in several measures of lung function and health status compared to placebo and tiotropium in treatment-naïve patients with COPD.

Subgroup analysis from four studies reveals treatment with a once-daily, fixed-dose combination of umeclidinium vilanterol improves lung function at 24 weeks for a broad range of patients with moderate to severe COPD.

Treatment with a fixed-dose combination of aclidinium 400 µg and formoterol 12 µg significantly improved bronchodilation in patients with moderate to severe COPD compared with aclidinium or formoterol monotherapy alone.

Study results presented at the 2014 American Thoracic Society International Conference show that treatment with rosuvastatin reduces markers of inflammation in patients with COPD after 12 weeks, but is not associated with improvements in measures of lung function.

Study results presented at the 2014 American Thoracic Society International Conference show that treatment with simvastatin did not decrease exacerbation rates or time to first exacerbation in patients with COPD.

Researchers reported no treatment effects after 12 weeks in a population of patients with persistent moderate to severe allergic asthma.