Pulmonology Month in Review: August 2024

The field of pulmonology has seen a number of recent news and advancements. This Month in Review coincides with the beginning of the back-to-school season as well, with parents of schoolchildren eager for information on lung health.

To highlight the latest pulmonology news, the HCPLive editorial team reviewed some of the most significant news covered in August 2024. The following stories will shed light on these recent developments:

Clinician Uncertainty in Pneumonia Diagnoses Leads to Misdiagnoses

A significant study covered in August suggested that diagnoses of pneumonia frequently come with uncertainty and can often be mistaken. These findings also suggested that patients may be admitted for pneumonia to hospitals only to be given a diagnosis with something else.

These data resulted from a retrospective nationwide study, with the research team looking at data drawn from a total of 118 US Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. The individuals assessed were aged ≥ 18 years and there were 2,383,899 such hospitalizations.

“Pneumonia can seem like a clear-cut diagnosis,” lead investigator Barbara Jones, MD, MSCI, pulmonary and critical care physician at University of Utah Health, said in a statement. “(But) there is actually quite a bit of overlap with other diagnoses that can mimic pneumonia.”

FDA Issues Warning for Certain Smelling Salts and Other Inhalants Marketed for Energy, Alertness

Another story featured in August coverage was a warning by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials to consumers to avoid the use or purchase of unapproved inhalant products that had been marketed for energy boosting. Examples included smelling salts and other products known to contain ammonia.

The FDA’s announcement added manufacturers are in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act, noting that officials issued warning letters to 7 companies for marketing these unapproved products.

The warning highlighted recent reports of adverse events seen among individuals using such products, with examples of such events including seizures, shortness of breath, vomiting, migraines, diarrhea, and fainting. To learn more about these 7 companies as well as the products mentioned, view the full story linked above.

FDA Approves Epinephrine Nasal Spray for Emergency Treatment of Allergic Reactions

An August 9 announcement was made by FDA officials that ‘neffy,’ an epinephrine nasal spray for severe allergic reaction emergencies like anaphylaxis, was approved for adults and children.

Administration is done in a single-dose through 1 nostril, but FDA officials noted that a second dose may be implemented in the same nostril provided that symptoms do not improve. This approval was noted as a milestone for those who suffer from anaphylaxis, given that the product is the first alternative option to injectable epinephrine products like the EpiPen.

“Today’s approval provides the first epinephrine product for the treatment of anaphylaxis that is not administered by injection,” Kelly Stone, MD, PhD, the associate director of the division of pulmonology, allergy and critical Care at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement. “Anaphylaxis is life-threatening and some people, particularly children, may delay or avoid treatment due to fear of injections.”

AI Tool Can Rule Out Unremarkable Pathology on Chest X-Ray

An additional study covered in August found that a commercial artificial intelligence (AI) tool showed potential in ruling out unremarkable pathology in between 24.5% and 52.7% of chest X-rays. With this tool, radiologists’ typically high volume of chest radiographs may not be necessary.

The study’s investigators conducted retrospective research assessing consecutive chest X-rays that had been developed in January 2020. They were developed at 4 hospitals in Denmark.

“Our group and others have previously shown that AI tools are capable of excluding pathology in chest X-rays with high confidence and thereby provide an autonomous normal report without a human-in-the-loop,” lead investigator Louis Lind Plesner, MD, from the department of radiology at Herlev and Gentofte Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark, said in a statement. “Such AI algorithms miss very few abnormal chest radiographs.”

Back-to-School Asthma and Lung Health with Juanita Mora, MD and S. Christy Sadreameli, MD

In the August 2024 episode of Lungcast, host Albert Rizzo, MD, spoke with a pair of allergic and pulmonary disease experts who highlighted several health strategies for children and their parents during the back-to-school season. These experts were Juanita Mora, MD, physician and chief executive officer of the Chicago Allergy Center, and S. Christy Sadreameli, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Sadreameli and Mora spoke about updates related to flu immunizations, pediatric asthma control, collaborative care with school nurses, and trends in pediatric health which may impact classrooms. Specifically, they highlighted ‘Asthma Peak Week’ and the growth of e-cigarette use among students.

Given the continual rise in pediatric allergy and asthma rates, Mora and Sadreameli noted that helpful information is needed for parents so that their children may avoid seasonal and environmental risks.