Non-invasive continuous positive airway pressure in monolateral lung transplant patient with pneumonia and IPF

Patients who undergo lung transplantation are prone to develop lower respiratory tract infections, leading to severe acute respiratory failure (ARF). Endotracheal intubation may not be indicated in these patients in light of a higher rate of mortality due to infections. The application of non-invasive ventilation could play a role in bridging these patients through the episode of ARF waiting for medical treatment to have effect. We report the evidence of morphological and physiological effects of the application of non-invasive continuous positive airway pressure during ARF sustained by pneumonia in a patient who underwent left lung transplantation because of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We studied the effects of the application of positive end-expiratory pressure on both the right native lung affected by IPF and the transplanted lung affected by pneumonia

DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING OF HYALINE MEMBRANE DISEASE

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Visual anatomical lung CT scan assessment of lung recruitability

PURPOSE: The computation of lung recruitability in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is advocated to set positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) for preventing lung collapse. The quantitative lung CT scan, obtained by manual image processing, is the reference method but it is time consuming. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of a visual anatomical analysis compared with a quantitative lung CT scan analysis in assessing lung recruitability. METHODS: Fifty sets of two complete lung CT scans of ALI/ARDS patients computing lung recruitment were analyzed. Lung recruitability computed at an airway pressure of 5 and 45\ua0cmH(2)O was defined as the percentage decrease in the collapsed/consolidated lung parenchyma assessed by two expert radiologists using a visual anatomical analysis and as the decrease in not aerated lung regions using a quantitative analysis computed by dedicated software. RESULTS: Lung recruitability was 11.3\ua0% (interquartile range 7.39-16.41) and 15.5\ua0% (interquartile range 8.18-21.43) with the visual anatomical and quantitative analysis, respectively. In the Bland-Altman analysis, the bias and agreement bands between the visual anatomical and quantitative analysis were -2.9\ua0% (-11.8 to +5.9\ua0%). The ROC curve showed that the optimal cutoff values for the visual anatomical analysis in predicting high versus low lung recruitability was 8.9\ua0% (area under the ROC curve 0.9248, 95\ua0% CI 0.8550-0.9946). Considering this cutoff, the sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy were 0.96, 0.76, and 0.86, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Visual anatomical analysis can classify patients into those with high and low lung recruitability allowing more intensivists to get access to lung recruitability assessmen

Early detection of deep vein thrombosis in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 : who to screen and who not to with Doppler ultrasound?

Purpose: Aim of the study is to evaluate the incidence of DVT in COVID-19 patients and its correlation with the severity of the disease and with clinical and laboratory findings. Methods: 234 symptomatic patients with COVID-19, diagnosed according to the World Health Organization guidelines, were included in the study. The severity of the disease was classified as moderate, severe and critical. Doppler ultrasound (DUS) was performed in all patients. DUS findings, clinical, laboratory\u2019s and therapeutic variables were investigated by contingency tables, Pearson chi square test and by Student t test and Fisher's exact test. ROC curve analysis was applied to study significant continuous variables. Results: Overall incidence of DVT was 10.7% (25/234): 1.6% (1/60) among moderate cases, 13.8% (24/174) in severely and critically ill patients. Prolonged bedrest and intensive care unit admission were significantly associated with the presence of DVT (19.7%). Fraction of inspired oxygen, P/F ratio, respiratory rate, heparin administration, D-dimer, IL-6, ferritin and CRP showed correlation with DVT. Conclusion: DUS may be considered a useful and valid tool for early identification of DVT. In less severely affected patients, DUS as screening of DVT might be unnecessary. High rate of DVT found in severe patients and its correlation with respiratory parameters and some significant laboratory findings suggests that these can be used as a screening tool for patients who should be getting DUS