[Evaluation and symptomatic treatment of surinfectious exacerbations of COPD: preliminary study of antibiotic treatment combined with fenspiride (Pneumorel 80mg) versus placebo].

Unlabelled: Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have an inflammatory component in addition to the possible infectious component. The antiinflammatory properties of fenspiride (Pneumorel(R) 80 mg) should be evaluated in this frequent clinical situation.

Objectives: Assess the supplementary therapeutic benefit provided by fenspiride administered in combination with antibiotics in COPD patients presenting an episode of bronchial infection.

[Cardiopulmonary exercise test in cardiology].

In the cardiopneumologic exercise test, a concomitant analysis of respiratory gas exchange is conducted in addition to the usual cardiologic exercise test: After excluding patients with the habitual contraindications, the test must be conducted with a rigorous methodology, with particular care being given to standardizing the equipment settings before each test and in choosing an individualized protocol allowing a maximal test for a duration of no longer than 10 to 12 minutes. This cardiopneumologic exercise test allows a good assessment of the pneumological pathophysiological factors participating in limited exercise capacity of cardiac origin. It can also help the clinician distinguish cardiac from pulmonary dyspnea, particularly by measuring ventilatory reserves at maximum effort.

[What equipment to be chosen, with what criteria, and what requirements?].

The increasing precision of exercise testing modalities has contributing to making it an excellent means of evaluating functional impairment in dyspnea patients. It has become an indispensable diagnostic tool. Interpretation of data acquired during an exercise test depends on the reliability of data collection and the accuracy of the different calculations.