Articles related to Pulmonology

The Organ Transplant and Procurement Network (OTPN) is set to undergo modernization and improvement after being criticized for lack of transparency, long waits, mishandling of organs, and the number of people who die on the waitlist each year. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has launched the OTPN modernization project, which will focus on accountability. The current system is outdated and has been responsible for 70 deaths between 2010 and 2020, according to a 2022 senate report. The HRSA plans to take steps, such as creating a new dashboard, to provide transparency and better serve patients and their families. Additional modernization will focus on overhauling the operations of the OTPN system to ensure higher compliance and a greater focus on patient safety. Organ transplants and the OTPN disproportionately affect the Black community in the US. About 30% of the ONTP waitlist is Black Americans, and about 90% are waiting for kidney transplants. The HRSA’s plan hopes to address the inequality by improving accountability, transparency, and systems of organ retrieval and matching. The changes will benefit patients, and physicians might be able to see more of their patients receive the life-saving transplants they need.

Chest CT in this young woman with a history of smoking and chronic hypoxemia of unknown cause shows diffuse ground-glass opacities and some areas of peripheral consolidation with no basilar reticulations or honeycombing. Biopsy showed extensive alveolar filling with pigment-laden macrophages. What’s your diagnosis?

Risks for ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, MI, and pulmonary embolism were all lower for older patients receiving a bivalent vaccine booster versus the monovalent vaccine. The results “provide reassurance regarding the continued use of this bivalent vaccine.”

Getting a handle on the biochemical processes that govern how food is broken down and used within the body can be a daunting task for many, and even for those who understand it, monitoring with technology isn’t always possible. This is where Levels come into play. An instant metabolic analysis just a few hours after eating is only the beginning of the Levels experience; the app focuses on four major blood glucose levers in a gamified experience: diet, exercise, stress, and sleep. Dr. Lauren Kelley-Chew, Levels’ Head of Clinical Product, discusses all of this and more.

In a study of nearly 100,000 individuals aged 30 to 95 without any prior evidence of CVD, decline in peak metabolic equivalent of task score (METS) of greater than 1.0 was inversely proportionate to changes in mortality risk. METS were determined using symptom-limited exercise treadmill tests.

In this study, 800 patients admitted to ICU for severe CAP were andomized to 200mg IV hydrocortisone daily for 4 to 8 days or to placebo. By day 28, mortality rate was 6.2% versus 11.9% for the steroid and placebo groups, respectively. Rates for intubation and vasopressors were both approximately 40% lower in the test group as well.