Severe Legionella pneumophila pneumonia and non-invasive ventilation: presentation of two cases and brief review of the literature

 Legionella pneumophila is an agent also well known to be frequently responsible for severe community acquired pneumonia. Recent studies regarding severe community-acquired pneumonia have shown that Legionella pneumophila is the second most common cause of admission to ICU, not far behind pneumococcal pneumonia. The mortality of severe Legionella pneumonia is high (30%). We report two cases of severe respiratory failure due to Legionella pneumophila type 1 treated with non-invasive ventilation in the Respiratory Intermediate Care Unit of a Department of Respiratory Medicine with good outcomes. Severe community-acquired pneumonia is the most common cause of ARDS, and it is the primary reason for Intensive Care Unit admission with invasive mechanical ventilation. Delay in ICU admission is probably associated with a poorer outcome. The use of non-invasive ventilation in severe community acquired pneumonia is controversial. However, after recent pandemics, the number of studies reporting good rates of success for NIV has increased. Both our patients were managed in a respiratory intermediate care unit, avoiding invasive ventilation and invasive monitoring, which lowered costs yet was equally effective in providing a good outcome when compared to intubation in the Intensive Care Unit. Legionella pneumophila is an agent also well known to be frequently responsible for severe community acquired pneumonia. Recent studies regarding severe community-acquired pneumonia have shown that Legionella pneumophila is the second most common cause of admission to ICU, not far behind pneumococcal pneumonia. The mortality of severe Legionella pneumonia is high (30%). We report two cases of severe respiratory failure due to Legionella pneumophila type 1 treated with non-invasive ventilation in the Respiratory Intermediate Care Unit of a Department of Respiratory Medicine with good outcomes. Severe community-acquired pneumonia is the most common cause of ARDS, and it is the primary reason for Intensive Care Unit admission with invasive mechanical ventilation. Delay in ICU admission is probably associated with a poorer outcome. The use of non-invasive ventilation in severe community acquired pneumonia is controversial. However, after recent pandemics, the number of studies reporting good rates of success for NIV has increased. Both our patients were managed in a respiratory intermediate care unit, avoiding invasive ventilation and invasive monitoring, which lowered costs yet was equally effective in providing a good outcome when compared to intubation in the Intensive Care Unit

Safety and effectiveness of the high-frequency chest wall oscillation vs intrapulmonary percussive ventilation in patients with severe COPD

n/

Lung abscess due to Streptococcus pneumoniae: a case series and brief review of the literature

Bakterie beztlenowe stanowiły w przeszłości najczęstszy czynnik etiologiczny pozaszpitalnego ropnia płuca, Streptococcus był na kolejnej pozycji pod względem częstości. W ostatnich latach obraz ten uległ zmianie. Wzrosła liczba przypadków pozaszpitalnego ropnia płuca spowodowanego przez Klebsiella pneumoniae, nadal kolejnym co do częstości jest Streptococcus species. Martwicze zapalenie płuc jest rzadkim powikłaniem infekcji pneumokokowej u dorosłych. W tych przypadkach najczęsciej izolowano serotyp 3 S. pneumoniae, jednak inne serotypy mogą również być przyczyną martwicy. Zakażenie serotypem 3 występuje głównie u dzieci, może być jednak zdiagnozowane również u dorosłych. Ropień płuca u dorosłych wywołany przez szczep S. pneumoniae nie jest powikłaniem częstym. Z tego powodu w obecnej pracy przedstawiono serię przypadków, w których stwierdzono naciek płuca z rozpadem i wyhodowano S. pneumoniae. Omówiono także możliwe patomechanizmy choroby.Anaerobes used to be the most common cause of community-acquired lung abscess, and Streptococcus species used to be the second most common cause. In recent years, this has been changing. Klebsiella pneumoniae is now an increasing cause of community- acquired lung abscess, but Streptococcus species continue to be major pathogens. Necrotizing pneumonia has generally been regarded as a rare complication of pneumococcal infection in adults. Type 3 Streptococcus pneumoniae was the single most common type implicated in necrosis; however, many other serotypes were implicated. This entity predominately infects children, but is present also in adults. Lung abscess in adults due to Streptococcus pneumoniae is not common. In this regard we present a case series of pulmonary cavitation due to Streptococcus pneumoniae and discuss the possible pathogenic mechanism of the disease

Predictors of noninvasive ventilation failure in critically ill obese patients: a brief narrative review

   Non-invasive ventilation ( NIV ) has been used successfully for the management of acute respiratory failure (ARF) more often in the last two decades than previously. Unfortunately, NIV can have failure rates ranging from 5% to 50% and patient selection is the key to success. There are particular groups of patients that are more likely to benefit from NIV. For patients with hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) this treatment can be beneficial. This review seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of NIV in acute ARF and determine predictors of NIV failure in morbidly obese patients. Only a few studies have investigated NIV success or failure in these patients. NIV was most often effective when patients were carefully selected. Obese patients who exhibited early NIV failure had a high severity score at admission. In contrast, more than half of hypercapnic patients with decompensated OHS exhibited a delayed but successful response to NIV. Patients with decompensation of OHS had better prognosis and response to NIV than other hypercapnic patients. They required more aggressive NIV settings, a longer time to reduce paCO2 levels , and more frequently a delayed but successful response to NIV which should encourage the use of NIV rather than early intubation. Since clear predictors of NIV failure have not been identified, a strict and prolonged monitoring is mandatory.

Effectiveness of chest physiotherapy and pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis: a narrative review.

Respiratory physiotherapy and rehabilitation are important therapeutic options in non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB). The aims of this review of clinical trials were to evaluate the safety and the effects on physiologic and clinical outcomes of airway clearance techniques (ACTs) and rehabilitation in NCFB patients, in comparison to usual care. The search was performed on March 2018 by using PubMed and PeDro databases. 33 studies were selected. The use of ACTs for NCFB were effective in increasing sputum volume although no benefit in quality of life (QoL) or pulmonary exacerbations were observed. There were no differences in effectiveness between the several techniques used. Humidification and saline inhalation were able to aid airway clearance. Hypertonic solution (HS) was more effective than isotonic solutions (IS) in improving expectoration and sputum viscosity. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) was found to be associated with short term benefits in exercise capacity, dyspnea and fatigue. Exercise training seems to improve quality of life and lower exacerbation rate, but long-term data are not available. Further studies are necessary to identify the most feasible long-term outcomes such as QoL and exacerbation rate

Streptococcus pneumoniae-associated pneumonia complicated by purulent pericarditis : case series

In the antibiotic era, purulent pericarditis is a rare entity. However, there are still reports of cases of the disease, which is associated with high mortality, and most such cases are attributed to delayed diagnosis. Approximately 40-50% of all cases of purulent pericarditis are caused by Gram-positive bacteria, Streptococcus pneumoniae in particular. We report four cases of pneumococcal pneumonia complicated by pericarditis, with different clinical features and levels of severity. In three of the four cases, the main complication was cardiac tamponade. Microbiological screening (urinary antigen testing and pleural fluid culture) confirmed the diagnosis of severe pneumococcal pneumonia complicated by purulent pericarditis. In cases of pneumococcal pneumonia complicated by pericarditis, early diagnosis is of paramount importance to avoid severe hemodynamic compromise. The complications of acute pericarditis appear early in the clinical course of the infection. The most serious complications are cardiac tamponade and its consequences. Antibiotic therapy combined with pericardiocentesis drastically reduces the mortality associated with purulent pericarditis

Streptococcus pneumoniae-associated pneumonia complicated by purulent pericarditis: case series

Objective: In the antibiotic era, purulent pericarditis is a rare entity. However, there are still reports of cases of the disease, which is associated with high mortality, and most such cases are attributed to delayed diagnosis. Approximately 40-50% of all cases of purulent pericarditis are caused by Gram-positive bacteria, Streptococcus pneumoniae in particular. Methods: We report four cases of pneumococcal pneumonia complicated by pericarditis, with different clinical features and levels of severity. Results: In three of the four cases, the main complication was cardiac tamponade. Microbiological screening (urinary antigen testing and pleural fluid culture) confirmed the diagnosis of severe pneumococcal pneumonia complicated by purulent pericarditis. Conclusions: In cases of pneumococcal pneumonia complicated by pericarditis, early diagnosis is of paramount importance to avoid severe hemodynamic compromise. The complications of acute pericarditis appear early in the clinical course of the infection. The most serious complications are cardiac tamponade and its consequences. Antibiotic therapy combined with pericardiocentesis drastically reduces the mortality associated with purulent pericarditis

PES Pathogens in Severe Community-Acquired Pneumonia

Worldwide, there is growing concern about the burden of pneumonia. Severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is frequently complicated by pulmonary and extra-pulmonary complications, including sepsis, septic shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and acute cardiac events, resulting in significantly increased intensive care admission rates and mortality rates. Streptococcus pneumoniae (Pneumococcus) remains the most common causative pathogen in CAP. However, several bacteria and respiratory viruses are responsible, and approximately 6% of cases are due to the so-called PES (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, extended-spectrum β-lactamase Enterobacteriaceae, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) pathogens. Of these, P. aeruginosa and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus are the most frequently reported and require different antibiotic therapy to that for typical CAP. It is therefore important to recognize the risk factors for these pathogens to improve the outcomes in patients with CAP

Predyktory niepowodzenia wentylacji nieinwazyjnej u krytycznie chorych i otyłych pacjentów — krótki przegląd piśmiennictwa

W ciągu ostatnich dwóch dekad obserwuje się coraz częstsze stosowanie wentylacji nieinwazyjnej (NIV) w leczeniu ostrej niewydolności oddechowej (ARF). Wskaźnik niepowodzeń NIV waha się jednak od 5% do 50%, a warunkiem powodzenia jest dobór pacjentów. Istnieją jednak grupy pacjentów, w których jest większe prawdopodobieństwo skuteczności NIV. Jedna z nich to chorzy na zespół hipowentylacji osób otyłych (OHS). W niniejszym przeglądzie podjęto próbę oceny skuteczności stosowania NIV u chorych z ostrą niewydolnością oddechową i określenia predyktorów niepowodzenia NIV u pacjentów z otyłością patologiczną. Zaledwie w kilku badaniach podjęto problem oceny skuteczności NIV w tej grupie chorych. Metoda ta okazywała się skuteczniejsza przy bardziej restrykcyjnej selekcji pacjentów. Otyli, u których niepowodzenie NIV było zauważalne wcześnie, charakteryzowali się wysokim stopniem ciężkości choroby przy przyjęciu do szpitala. Natomiast u więcej niż połowy pacjentów z hiperkapnią i zdekompensowanym zespołem OHS występowała opóźniona, aczkolwiek pozytywna odpowiedź na NIV. U pacjentów z dekompensacją OHS zaobserwowano korzystniejsze rokowanie i lepszą reakcję na NIV niż u innych chorych z hiperkapnią. Potrzebowali oni wyższych nastawień aparatu, dłuższego czasu do obniżenia PaCO2, częściej występowała u nich opóźniona, ale pozytywna odpowiedź na zastosowane leczenie, co powinno raczej przekonywać do stosowania NIV zamiast wczesnej intubacji. Ponieważ nie odnotowano wyraźnych predyktorów niepowodzenia stosowania NIV, konieczna jest dalsza uważna i długookresowa obserwacja.W ciągu ostatnich dwóch dekad obserwuje się coraz częstsze stosowanie wentylacji nieinwazyjnej (NIV) w leczeniu ostrej niewydolności oddechowej (ARF). Wskaźnik niepowodzeń NIV waha się jednak od 5% do 50%, a warunkiem powodzenia jest dobór pacjentów. Istnieją jednak grupy pacjentów, w których jest większe prawdopodobieństwo skuteczności NIV. Jedna z nich to chorzy na zespół hipowentylacji osób otyłych (OHS). W niniejszym przeglądzie podjęto próbę oceny skuteczności stosowania NIV u chorych z ostrą niewydolnością oddechową i określenia predyktorów niepowodzenia NIV u pacjentów z otyłością patologiczną. Zaledwie w kilku badaniach podjęto problem oceny skuteczności NIV w tej grupie chorych. Metoda ta okazywała się skuteczniejsza przy bardziej restrykcyjnej selekcji pacjentów. Otyli, u których niepowodzenie NIV było zauważalne wcześnie, charakteryzowali się wysokim stopniem ciężkości choroby przy przyjęciu do szpitala. Natomiast u więcej niż połowy pacjentów z hiperkapnią i zdekompensowanym zespołem OHS występowała opóźniona, aczkolwiek pozytywna odpowiedź na NIV. U pacjentów z dekompensacją OHS zaobserwowano korzystniejsze rokowanie i lepszą reakcję na NIV niż u innych chorych z hiperkapnią. Potrzebowali oni wyższych nastawień aparatu, dłuższego czasu do obniżenia PaCO2, częściej występowała u nich opóźniona, ale pozytywna odpowiedź na zastosowane leczenie, co powinno raczej przekonywać do stosowania NIV zamiast wczesnej intubacji. Ponieważ nie odnotowano wyraźnych predyktorów niepowodzenia stosowania NIV, konieczna jest dalsza uważna i długookresowa obserwacja