Disseminated Scedosporium/Pseudallescheria Infection after Double-Lung Transplantation in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis▿

We report a case of disseminated Scedosporium/Pseudallescheria infection due to Pseudallescheria boydii sensu stricto after lung transplantation in a patient with cystic fibrosis. Dissemination occurred under voriconazole. Despite surgery and combination therapy with voriconazole, caspofungin, and terbinafine, the patient died 8 months after transplantation. Previously reported cases are reviewed

Evaluation of the Post-COVID-19 Functional Status (PCFS) Scale in a cohort of patients recovering from hypoxemic SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia.

International audienceCOVID-19 sequelae are numerous and multisystemic, and how to evaluate those symptomatic patients is a timely issue. Klok et al proposed the Post-COVID-19 Functional Status (PCFS) Scale as an easy tool to evaluate limitations related to persistent symptoms. Our aim was to analyse PCFS Scale ability to detect functional limitations and its correlation with quality of life in a cohort of patients, 2-9 months after hospitalisation for COVID-19 hypoxemic pneumonia

Evaluation of the Post-COVID-19 Functional Status (PCFS) Scale in a cohort of patients recovering from hypoxemic SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia

Introduction COVID-19 sequelae are numerous and multisystemic, and how to evaluate those symptomatic patients is a timely issue. Klok et al proposed the Post-COVID-19 Functional Status (PCFS) Scale as an easy tool to evaluate limitations related to persistent symptoms. Our aim was to analyse PCFS Scale ability to detect functional limitations and its correlation with quality of life in a cohort of patients, 2–9 months after hospitalisation for COVID-19 hypoxemic pneumonia.Methods PCFS Scale was evaluated in 121 patients together with quality of life and dyspnoea questionnaires, pulmonary function tests and CT scans.Results We observed a high correlation with multiple questionnaires (Short Form-36, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, modified Medical Research Council, end Borg Six-Minute Walk Test), making the PCFS Scale a quick and global tool to evaluate functional limitations related to various persistent symptoms following COVID-19 pneumonia.Discussion The PCFS Scale seems to be a suitable instrument to screen for patients who will require careful follow-up after COVID-19 hypoxemic pneumonia even in the absence of pulmonary sequelae

External validation of a refined 4-strata risk assessment score from the French pulmonary hypertension Registry

International audienceIntroduction Contemporary risk assessment tools categorise patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) as low, intermediate, or high-risk. A minority of patients achieve low-risk status with most remaining intermediate-risk. Our aim was to validate a 4-strata risk assessment approach categorising patients as low, intermediate-low, intermediate-high, or high risk, as proposed by the COMPERA Registry investigators. Methods We evaluated incident patients from the French PAH Registry and applied a 4-strata risk method at baseline and at first reassessment. We applied refined cut-points for 3 variables: World Health Organization functional class, 6-minute walk distance, and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide. We used Kaplan-Meier survival analyses and Cox proportional hazards regression to assess survival according to a 3-strata and 4-strata risk approach. Results At baseline (n=2879), the 4-strata approach identified 4 distinct risk groups and performed better than a 3-strata method for predicting mortality. The 4-strata model discrimination was higher than the 3-strata method when applied during follow-up and refined risk categories among subgroups with idiopathic PAH, connective tissue disease-associated PAH, congenital heart disease, and portopulmonary hypertension. Using the 4-strata approach, 53% of patients changed risk category from baseline compared to 39% of patients when applying the 3-strata approach. Those who achieved or maintained a low-risk status had the best survival, whereas there were more nuanced differences in survival for patients who were intermediate-low and intermediate-high. Conclusions The 4-strata risk assessment method refined risk prediction, especially within the intermediate risk category of patients, performed better at predicting survival and was more sensitive to change than the 3-strata approach

Incidence and risk factors of anastomotic complications after lung transplantation

Background: Anastomotic complications are common after lung transplantation (1.4–33% of cases) and still associated with a high morbi-mortality. Methods: The current study is a monocenter retrospective analysis of symptomatic anastomotic complications (SAC) occurring after lung transplantation between 2010 and 2016, using the macroscopic, diameter, and suture (M-D-S) classification from consensus of French experts in bronchoscopy. The objectives were to determine incidence from surgery, risk factors, and impact of survival of SAC. We defined SAC as M-D-S abnormalities (stenosis ⩾ 50% or dehiscence) requiring bronchoscopic or surgical interventions. Results: A total of 121 patients were included. SAC occurred in 26.5% of patients ( n  = 32), divided in symptomatic stenosis for 23.7% ( n  = 29), and symptomatic dehiscence in 2.5% ( n  = 3). In multivariate analysis, donor bacterial lung infection [HR 2.08 (1.04–4.17), p  = 0.04] and age above 50 years [HR 3.26 (1.04–10.26), p  = 0.04] were associated with SAC occurrence. Cystic fibrosis etiology was associated with better survival on Kaplan–Meier curve ( p  < 0.001). SAC [HR 2.15 (1.07–4.32), p  = 0.03] was independently associated with worst survival. The 29 symptomatic patients because of stenosis required endoscopic procedure, of whom 16 patients needed bronchial stent placement. Four patients underwent surgery: three patients because of dehiscence and one because of severe bilateral stenosis (re-transplantation). Discussion: SAC occurred in 26.5% of patients. Donor lung infection was the only alterable identified factors. The increase rate of SAC in older patients above 50 years of age encourages in regular endoscopic monitoring

Management and long-term outcomes of sarcoidosis-associated pulmonary hypertension

International audienceStudies reporting the effects of modern strategies with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)-targeted therapies in sarcoidosis-associated pulmonary hypertension (S-APH) are limited.Clinical and haemodynamic data from newly diagnosed patients with severe S-APH (mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) >35 mmHg or mPAP 25-35 mmHg with cardiac index <2.5 L·min-1·m-2) were collected from the French Pulmonary Hypertension Registry between 2004 and 2015.Data from 126 patients with severe S-APH were analysed (mean±sd age 57.5±11.6 years, 74% radiological stage IV). 97 patients (77%) received PAH-targeted therapy and immunosuppressive therapy was initiated or escalated in 33 patients at the time of pulmonary hypertension diagnosis. Four months after PAH-targeted therapy initiation, mean±sd pulmonary vascular resistance decreased from 9.7±4.4 to 6.9±3.0 Wood units (p<0.001), without significant improvement in exercise capacity. Among the 11 patients treated only with immunosuppressive therapy, a haemodynamic improvement was observed in four patients, including two with compressive lymph nodes. After a median follow-up of 28 months, 39 patients needed PAH-targeted therapy escalation, nine underwent lung transplantation and 42 had died. Survival at 1, 3 and 5 years was 93%, 74% and 55%, respectively.PAH-targeted therapy improved short-term pulmonary haemodynamics in severe S-APH without change in exercise capacity. Immunosuppressive therapy improved haemodynamics in selected patients. Pulmonary hypertension in sarcoidosis remains associated with a poor prognosis

Balloon pulmonary angioplasty versus riociguat for the treatment of inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (RACE): a multicentre, phase 3, open-label, randomised controlled trial and ancillary follow-up study

International audienceBackground: Riociguat and balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) are treatment options for inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). However, randomised controlled trials comparing these treatments are lacking. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of BPA versus riociguat in patients with inoperable CTEPH. Methods: In this phase 3, multicentre, open-label, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial done in 23 French centres of expertise for pulmonary hypertension, we enrolled treatment-naive patients aged 18–80 years with newly diagnosed, inoperable CTEPH and pulmonary vascular resistance of more than 320 dyn·s/cm5. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to BPA or riociguat via a web-based randomisation system, with block randomisation (block sizes of two or four patients) without stratification. The primary endpoint was change in pulmonary vascular resistance at week 26, expressed as percentage of baseline pulmonary vascular resistance in the intention-to-treat population. Safety analyses were done in all patients who received at least one dose of riociguat or had at least one BPA session. Patients who completed the RACE trial continued into an ancillary 26-week follow-up during which symptomatic patients with pulmonary vascular resistance of more than 320 dyn·s/cm5 benefited from add-on riociguat after BPA or add-on BPA after riociguat. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02634203, and is completed. Findings: Between Jan 19, 2016, and Jan 18, 2019, 105 patients were randomly assigned to riociguat (n=53) or BPA (n=52). At week 26, the geometric mean pulmonary vascular resistance decreased to 39·9% (95% CI 36·2–44·0) of baseline pulmonary vascular resistance in the BPA group and 66·7% (60·5–73·5) of baseline pulmonary vascular resistance in the riociguat group (ratio of geometric means 0·60, 95% CI 0·52–0·69; p&lt;0·0001). Treatment-related serious adverse events occurred in 22 (42%) of 52 patients in the BPA group and five (9%) of 53 patients in the riociguat group. The most frequent treatment-related serious adverse events were lung injury (18 [35%] of 52 patients) in the BPA group and severe hypotension with syncope (two [4%] of 53 patients) in the riociguat group. There were no treatment-related deaths. At week 52, a similar reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance was observed in patients treated with first-line riociguat or first-line BPA (ratio of geometric means 0·91, 95% CI 0·79–1·04). The incidence of BPA-related serious adverse events was lower in patients who were pretreated with riociguat (five [14%] of 36 patients vs 22 [42%] of 52 patients). Interpretation: At week 26, pulmonary vascular resistance reduction was more pronounced with BPA than with riociguat, but treatment-related serious adverse events were more common with BPA. The finding of fewer BPA-related serious adverse events among patients who were pretreated with riociguat in the follow-up study compared with those who received BPA as first-line treatment points to the potential benefits of a multimodality approach to treatment in patients with inoperable CTEPH. Further studies are needed to explore the effects of sequential treatment combining one or two medications and BPA in patients with inoperable CTEPH. Funding: Programme Hospitalier de Recherche Clinique of the French Ministry of Health and Bayer HealthCare. Translation: For the French translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section

Association between Leflunomide and Pulmonary Hypertension

International audienceRationale: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) has been described in patients treated with leflunomide. Objectives: To assess the association between leflunomide and PH. Methods: We identified incident cases of PH in patients treated with leflunomide from the French PH Registry and through the pharmacoVIGIlAnce in Pulmonary ArTerial Hypertension (VIGIAPATH) program between September 1999 to December 2019. PH etiology, clinical, functional, radiologic, and hemodynamic characteristics were reviewed at baseline and follow-up. A pharmacovigilance disproportionality analysis using the World Health Organization's global database was conducted. We then investigated the effect of leflunomide on human pulmonary endothelial cells. Data are expressed as median (min-max). Results: Twenty-eight patients treated with leflunomide before PH diagnosis was identified. A total of 21 (75%) had another risk factor for PH and 2 had two risk factors. The median time between leflunomide initiation and PH diagnosis was 32 months (1-120). Right heart catheterization confirmed precapillary PH with a cardiac index of 2.37 L⋅min-1 ⋅m-2 (1.19-3.1) and elevated pulmonary vascular resistance at 9.63 Wood Units (3.6-22.1) without nitric oxide reversibility. Five patients (17.9%) had no other risk factor for PH besides exposure to leflunomide. No significant hemodynamic improvement was observed after leflunomide withdrawal. The pharmacovigilance disproportionality analysis using the World Health Organization's database revealed a significant overrepresentation of leflunomide among reported pulmonary arterial hypertension-adverse drug reactions. In vitro studies showed the dose-dependent toxicity of leflunomide on human pulmonary endothelial cells. Conclusions: PH associated with leflunomide is rare and usually associated with other risk factors. The pharmacovigilance analysis suggests an association reinforced by experimental data