Published in Respiration
Background: Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) poses a considerable healthcare burden, but little is known about trends in directly attributable hospital utilization. Objective: We aimed to study national trends in healthcare utilization and outcomes among hospitalized MPE patients. Methods: We analyzed adult hospitalizations attributable to MPE usin...
Published in Respiration
Background: There is limited evidence regarding the impact of multidisciplinary pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) on exercise capacity and fatigue in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact on exercise capacity and fatigue following PR, and to examine whether baseline fatigue was related to change in peak o...
Published in Respiration
Background: Calcium metabolism alterations are quite common in sarcoidosis and have been correlated with disease activity. Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the clinical significance of calcium metabolism alterations in patients with chronic sarcoidosis. We paid particular attention to associations with specific disease phenotypes...
Published in Respiration
Image acquisition is the technique of correct placement, holding, and manipulation of the ultrasound probe in an ultrasound examination for the purpose of answering a specific clinical question. We review the literature and discuss the image acquisition protocols used for thoracic ultrasound, explaining, where possible, the associated advantages, d...
Published in Respiration
Background: Forceps biopsy (FB) is still the most popular procedure for the bronchoscopic sampling of lung tissue. However, it has limitations like inadequate sample size and crush artifacts. Cryobiopsy (CB) has been introduced to obtain bronchoscopic biopsies with improved diagnostic yield compared to FB. Limitations of CB are the need to retract ...
Published in Respiration
Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience dyspnea and hypoxemia during exercise. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of breathing oxygen-enriched air on exercise performance and associated physiological changes in patients with COPD. Methods: In a randomized, placebo-controlled, singl...
Published in Respiration
Background: In moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients the 6-min walk test (6MWT) is often exhaustive and correlates with the incremental cycle cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET). Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the agreement between oxygen uptake (VO2) measured during the 6MWT by portable equipmen...
Published in Respiration
Background: A thorough diagnostic process is essential with regard to prognosis and treatment of the more than 200 different types of interstitial lung diseases (ILD). Key to this complex process is a comprehensive medical history. For this, a template is recommended and questionnaires are increasingly used. Yet, the optimal questionnaire has not b...
Published in Respiration
Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and sleep apnea are common conditions and often coexist. The proper diagnosis of sleep apnea may affect the management and outcome of patients with COPD. Objective: To determine the accuracy of home nocturnal oximetry to distinguish between nocturnal oxygen desaturation related to COPD alone ...
Published in Respiration
