Authors: Haruki Y, Hagiya H, Sakuma A, Haruki M, Oka Y, Sugiyama T, Kawakami Y, Kondo S Abstract   Intravenous azithromycin (AZM) was approved for use in December 2011 in Japan. In general, intravenous AZM injections are diluted to 1 mg/mL, with a total infusion volume of 500 mL to avoid phlebitis. Patients in intensive care units (ICUs) require small infusion volumes. We retrospectively evaluated the total AZM infusion volume in 65 ICU patients receiving AZM treatment from December 2011 to August 2014. Thirteen patients (20.0%) received a reduced volume [100 mL (5 mg/mL) or 250 mL (2 mg/mL)] using an infusion pump over 2 h. No peripheral phlebitis was observed in any patient. Based on this result, it is assumed that AZM can be safely administered to ICU patients even though the ...

Physically inactive patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exhibit higher rates of exacerbations and symptoms of dyspnoea than active patients. Whether the use of COPD medication explains these differences is not known. (Source: Respiratory Medicine CME)

Publication date: Available online 5 August 2015 Source:The Lancet Respiratory Medicine Author(s): Eric D Bateman, Helen K Reddel, Richard N van Zyl-Smit, Alvar Agusti Most research of treatments for airways diseases has been restricted to patients who meet standard definitions of either chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma, yet to distinguish COPD from asthma in adult patients who have clinical features of both can be challenging. Treatment guidelines provide scant advice on how such patients should be managed. With increasing recognition that asthma and COPD are heterogeneous diseases, attention has been directed to the needs of a group of patients with what is now termed asthma–COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS), particularly in view of the high morbidity in this pop...

Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine, Ahead of Print. (Source: Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine)