Endobronchial Ultrasound Bronchoscopy to the Heart of the Matter.

Endobronchial ultrasound has been one of the success stories of the last decade, and the utility of the procedure continues to expand. Originally, it was developed for the staging and diagnosis of lung cancer, but its use rapidly expanded to other malignancies and even benign disease. We present the case of a patient originally referred with suspected endocarditis who was found to have a mass involving the right ventricle and the pulmonary outflow tract.

Impact of hemodialysis on dyspnea and lung function in end stage kidney disease patients.

Background: Respiratory symptoms are usually underestimated in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing maintenance hemodialysis. Therefore, we set out to investigate the prevalence of patients chronic dyspnea and the relationship of the symptom to lung function indices.

Methods: Twenty-five clinically stable hemodialysis patients were included.

Dyspnea and respiratory muscle strength in end-stage liver disease.

Aim: To investigate the prevalence of chronic dyspnea and its relationship to respiratory muscle function in end-stage liver disease.

Methods: Sixty-eight consecutive, ambulatory, Caucasian patients with end-stage liver disease, candidates for liver transplantation, were referred for preoperative respiratory function assessment. Forty of these (29 men) were included in this preliminary study after applying strict inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Driving-Related Neuropsychological Performance in Stable COPD Patients.

Background. Cognitive deterioration may impair COPD patient's ability to perform tasks like driving vehicles. We investigated: (a) whether subclinical neuropsychological deficits occur in stable COPD patients with mild hypoxemia (PaO(2) > 55 mmHg), and (b) whether these deficits affect their driving performance.

Methods for Assessing Expiratory Flow Limitation during Tidal Breathing in COPD Patients.

Patients with severe COPD often exhale along the same flow-volume curve during quite breathing as during forced expiratory vital capacity manoeuvre, and this has been taken as indicating expiratory flow limitation at rest (EFL(T)). Therefore, EFL(T), namely, attainment of maximal expiratory flow during tidal expiration, occurs when an increase in transpulmonary pressure causes no increase in expiratory flow. EFL(T) leads to small airway injury and promotes dynamic pulmonary hyperinflation with concurrent dyspnoea and exercise limitation.