Stereotactic body radiation therapy and thermal ablation for treatment of NSCLC: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

Rationale: Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is the standard of care for inoperable early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Use of image guided thermal ablation (IGTA; including microwave ablation [MWA] and radiofrequency ablation [RFA]) has increased in NSCLC, however there are no studies comparing all three.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of IGTA (including MWA and RFA) and SBRT for the treatment of NSCLC.

The Effect of Definitions and Cancer Prevalence on Diagnostic Yield Estimates of Bronchoscopy: A Simulation-based Analysis.

Studies of bronchoscopy have reported diagnostic yield (DY) using different calculation methods, which has hindered comparisons across studies. To quantify the effect of the variability of four methods on DY estimates of bronchoscopy. We performed a simulation-based analysis of patients undergoing bronchoscopy using variations around base case assumptions for cancer prevalence (60%), distribution of nonmalignant findings, and degree of follow-up information at a fixed sensitivity of bronchoscopy for malignancy (80%).

Evaluation of Safety and Short-term Outcomes of Therapeutic Rigid Bronchoscopy Using Total Intravenous Anesthesia and Spontaneous Assisted Ventilation.

Background: There is a paucity of published data regarding the optimal type of anesthesia and ventilation strategies during rigid bronchoscopy.

Objective: The aim of our study is to report the procedural and anesthesia-related complications with rigid bronchoscopy using total intravenous anesthesia and spontaneous assisted ventilation.

Methods: A retrospective review of patients undergoing therapeutic rigid bronchoscopy at the University of Chicago between October 2012 and December 2014 was performed.

Tunneled Pleural Catheter: Treatment for Recurrent Pleural Effusion.

Recurrent pleural effusion is a symptom of several end-stage diseases and is associated with limited life expectancy. Patients with this condition have disabling symptoms resulting in reduced quality of life and often receive inconsistent treatment due to delayed recognition of pleural effusion, repeat procedures, and lengthy hospitalizations. Placement of a tunneled pleural catheter allows the patient to manage his or her symptoms at home, yet this treatment remains underused because of provider misconceptions and unfamiliarity with the intervention.

Management of Persistent Air Leaks.

Alveolar-pleural fistulas causing persistent air leaks (PALs) are associated with prolonged hospital stays and high morbidity. Prior guidelines recommend surgical repair as the gold standard for treatment, albeit it is a solution with limited success. In patients who have recently undergone thoracic surgery or in whom surgery would be contraindicated based on the severity of illness, there has been a lack of treatment options.

Advances in Bronchial Thermoplasty.

Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) is a therapeutic intervention that delivers targeted thermal energy to the airway walls with the goal of ablating the smooth muscle in patients with severe persistent asthma. Since the publication of the original preclinical studies, three large randomized clinical trials evaluating its impact on asthma control have been performed. These trials have shown improvements in asthma-related quality of life and a reduction in asthma exacerbations following treatment with BT.

Central Airway Obstruction: Benign Strictures, Tracheobronchomalacia, and Malignancy-related Obstruction.

The purpose of this article is to provide an update on methods for palliating symptoms in patients with histologically benign and malignant central airway obstruction. We review the published literature within the past decade on postintubation, posttracheostomy, and TB- and transplant-related airway strictures; tracheobronchomalacia; and malignant airway obstruction. We review terminology, classification systems, and parameters that impact treatment decisions.

Bronchial thermoplasty in asthma: current perspectives.

Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) is a novel therapy for patients with severe asthma. Using radio frequency thermal energy, it aims to reduce the airway smooth muscle mass. Several clinical trials have demonstrated improvements in asthma-related quality of life and a reduction in the number of exacerbations following treatment with BT.

Toll-like receptor 1 polymorphisms and associated outcomes in sepsis after traumatic injury: a candidate gene association study.

Objective: To determine whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TLR1 are associated with mortality, specifically sepsis-associated mortality, in a traumatically injured population.

Background: Innate immune responses mediated by toll-like receptors (TLRs) induce early inflammatory responses to pathogen and damage-associated molecular patterns. Genetic variation in TLRs has been associated with susceptibility and outcomes in a number of infectious and noninfectious disease states.