Current Status of Pulmonary Rehabilitation: Introductory Remarks on Pulmonary Rehabilitation, the Importance and the Practice.

In 1994, the Pulmonary Education and Research Foundation released a VHS tape, a program for the health-care professional, entitled "Essentials of Pulmonary Rehabilitation—Taking Control of Life Aga..

Observational Studies in COPD: Summary of Guidance for Authors.

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Development and Reporting of Prediction Models: Guidance for Authors From Editors of Respiratory, Sleep, and Critical Care Journals

Prediction models aim to use available data to predict a health state or outcome that has not yet been observed. Prediction is primarily relevant to clinical practice, but is also used in research, and administration. While prediction modeling involves estimating the relationship between patient factors and outcomes, it is distinct from casual inference. Prediction modeling thus requires unique considerations for development, validation, and updating. This document represents an effort from editors at 31 respiratory, sleep, and critical care medicine journals to consolidate contemporary best practices and recommendations related to prediction study design, conduct, and reporting. Herein, we address issues commonly encountered in submissions to our various journals. Key topics include considerations for selecting predictor variables, operationalizing variables, dealing with missing data, the importance of appropriate validation, model performance measures and their interpretation, and good reporting practices. Supplemental discussion covers emerging topics such as model fairness, competing risks, pitfalls of “modifiable risk factors”, measurement error, and risk for bias. This guidance is not meant to be overly prescriptive; we acknowledge that every study is different, and no set of rules will fit all cases. Additional best practices can be found in the Transparent Reporting of a multivariable prediction model for Individual Prognosis Or Diagnosis (TRIPOD) guidelines, to which we refer readers for further details

Pulmonary function studies, still a priority in COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a generic term encompassing different conditions characterized by non-completely reversible airflow obstruction. The morphological basis for airflow ..

Lung diffusing capacities for nitric oxide and carbon monoxide at rest and post-walking in long COVID

Background Approximately one-third of long coronavirus disease 2019 (long COVID) patients report breathlessness and fatigue even during activities of daily living. We hypothesised that abnormalities of combined diffusing capacity of the lung for nitric oxide (DLNO) and carbon monoxide (DLCO) at rest or after mild exercise are associated with breathlessness in patients with long COVID. Methods Single-breath combined DLNO and DLCO were measured at rest and immediately after a short bout of treadmill exercise simulating ordinary walking in 32 Caucasian patients with long COVID and dyspnoea at rest. 20 subjects served as a control group. Results At rest, combined DLNO, DLCO and alveolar volume (VA) were significantly lower in long COVID than in controls, with DLNO and DLCO being below the limits of normal in 69% and 41% of cases, respectively. Mean values of DLNO/VA and DLCO/VA in long COVID patients were less than controls, yet, in only 22% and 12% of long COVID patients were the values of DLNO/VA and DLCO/VA below the limits of normal. After treadmill exercise, DLNO, DLNO/DLCO, VA and heart rate increased significantly without differences between groups. DLNO remained below the limit of normal in 47% of long COVID patients. Conclusion These data suggest localised discrete loss of lung units in approximately half of long COVID patients, not completely explained by loss of VA or of alveolar–capillary recruitment during exercise