Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), especially sleep-related hypercapnic hypoventilation, is common in patients with neuromuscular disorders (NMD). Whether the NMD is acute and reversible or indolent and progressive, the accompanied respiratory muscle weakness predisposes to hypoventilation. Probably the 3 most common NMD referred to sleep medicine specialists are Duchenne muscular dystrophy, myotonic dystrophy type 1, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Symptoms-based and physiologic predictors of sleep hypoventilation have been described for patients with NMD. Nocturnal polysomnography remains the gold standard for diagnosis of SDB in NMD and for titration of nocturnal positive pressure ventilation. (Source: Sleep Medicine Clinics)

In this single-center, prospective cohort analysis, the authors investigated the link between corticosteroid administration and patient outcome (including 28-day mortality, hospital length of stay, intensive care unit [ICU] length of stay, and ventilator-free days) among patients with ICU-acquired pneumonia. Three hundred sixteen consecutive patients with ICU-acquired pneumonia were included in this study. Of this population, 125 (40%) had received corticosteroids within 48 h of being diagnosed with pneumonia. Indication for steroid usage included acute exacerbation of chronic respiratory disease, neurologic disease or trauma, septic shock, or prior chronic steroid usage. Steroid usage was associated with an overall increase in 28-day mortality (39% mortality in steroid use group compared ...

Young children have cold symptoms multiple times per year, which are usually part of a viral upper respiratory illness. Fever is commonly associated with these viral upper respiratory infections and is one of the most frequent chief complaints for children presenting to an emergency department. Cold and cough medications (CCMs) are widely marketed and used for the relief of cold symptoms. Studies have not found the ingredients in CCM to be beneficial for symptom relief. Both the Food and Drug Administration and American Academy of Pediatrics have recommended against the use of CCM in young children younger than 2 years, citing a lack of efficacy and potential for harmful side effects. Clinical toxicity and death have been reported both with therapeutic use, misuse, and overdose. In additio...

(MedPage Today) -- Local ablation may allow patients with non-small cell lung cancer who experience limited progression on tyrosine kinase inhibitors to continue to derive benefit from the drugs, a small study suggested. (Source: MedPage Today Pulmonary)