Conclusion PSI and CURB-65 are useful for identification of patients with less severe NHAP. (Source: Emergency Medicine Journal)

Conclusion  A simple prediction tool using routine office-based parameters can be used to identify COPD patients at high risk for elevated PAP and initiate the first step in screening for PH with echocardiography. It is important that right heart catheterization be performed to confirm the diagnosis and guide treatment decisions. Content Type Journal ArticlePages 1-7DOI 10.1007/s00408-011-9346-8Authors Eric J. Gartman, Divisions of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 111 Brewster Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860, USAMichael Blundin, Divisions of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 111 Brewster Stree...

The upper and lower respiratory tracts function as an interdependent physiologic mechanism, and stimuli that trigger pathophysiologic changes in one portion of the airway can provoke similar changes throughout the airway. The unified airway model acknowledges these shared airway features, suggesting the importance of comprehensive evaluation of patients with any respiratory symptoms. Two areas are of specific importance to the septoplasty/rhinoplasty surgeon: (1) preoperative evaluation of the patient with rhinitis undergoing nasal surgery, and (2) perioperative and postoperative management of the nose. Management of potential cardiopulmonary risks among susceptible individuals is vital in the perioperative management of these patients. (Source: Facial Plastic Surgery Clinics of North Amer...

This study investigated the effects of diaphragmatic breathing (DB) on ventilation and breathing pattern, seeking to identify predictors of its efficacy in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Twenty-nine patients with moderate and severe COPD were monitored using respiratory inductance plethysmography and metabolic gas analysis. After 4 minutes of natural breathing, subjects completed 2 minutes of DB followed by 4 minutes of natural breathing. Dyspnea was measured using a visual analogue scale. Diaphragmatic mobility was assessed using chest radiography. DB was associated with a significant increase in tidal volume and reduction in breathing frequency, leading to higher ventilation and oxygen saturation, with a reduction in dead space ventilation and ventilatory equ...