The objective of our review was to compare antibiotic treatment to no antibiotic treatment, or to ... (Source: NeLM - Disease Focused Reviews)

ConclusionFactors other than those deemed most important in guidelines appear to have an inappropriate influence on the choice between NIV and immediate intubation in AECOPD in the ICU. These factors must be identified to further increase the appropriate use of NIV. (Source: Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica)

Severe asthma is difficult to manage for a wide variety of reasons. Get the latest information on how to address a multitude of problems in this thorough review. Seminars in Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

Source: Thorax Area: News Severe asthma has been shown to be a risk factor for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI), including pneumonia. Macrolides have immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects in addition to their antibacterial effects. Maintenance treatment with has been shown to be effective in chronic neutrophilic airway diseases including cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis and diffuse panbronchiolitis. In an observational study, the benefits of short-term macrolide treatment were demonstrated in patients with severe asthma. Recently, erythromycin and azithromycin, added to usual therapy, have been shown to prevent exacerbations in patients with COPD, a predominantly neutrophilic airway disease.   Researchers conducted a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled tri...