The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry. Rationale, Design, and Methods.

Detailed understanding of longitudinal behavior, response to therapy, and applicable biomarkers for interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) is lacking. There is a need for a large multicenter registry that provides researchers and clinicians access to well-characterized data not limited to patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry (PFF-PR) is a database that collects baseline and longitudinal demographic and clinical information about patients with ILDs in the United States.

Cardiogenic Auto-Triggering as a Consequence of Hemoperitoneum.

A 70-year-old woman presented with hemorrhagic shock secondary to hemoperitoneum following a paracentesis. On hospital day 3, she developed respiratory alkalosis and increased respiratory rates observed on the ventilator despite no spontaneous inspiratory effort. Converting to pressure support mode uncovered a cardiogenic oscillatory flow that had been auto-triggering the ventilator.

The Effects of Obesity in Asthma.

Purpose Of Review: Rising costs and increasing morbidity makes the identification and treatment of high-risk asthma phenotypes important. In this review, we outline the complex relationship between obesity and asthma.

Recent Findings: Studies have confirmed a bi-directional relationship between obesity and asthma.

Introduction of Procalcitonin Testing and Antibiotic Utilization for Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Background: The majority of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) are triggered by nonbacterial causes, yet most patients receive antibiotics. Treatment guided by procalcitonin (PCT), a sensitive biomarker of bacterial infection, safely decreases antibiotic use in many controlled trials. We evaluated PCT implementation for inpatients with AECOPD at a large academic hospital.

A prospective clinical evaluation of the effects of intraoperative systemic anticoagulation in patients undergoing arteriovenous fistula surgery.

No standard presently exists for the use of systemic heparin during angioaccess surgery to decrease the incidence of postoperative thrombotic complications. Our objective was to study the effects of intraoperatively administered heparin on 30-day patency and postoperative bleeding complications in patients undergoing autogenous arteriovenous (AV) fistula surgery. A prospective, double-blinded, randomized controlled study was performed on 48 patients undergoing AV fistula creation from April 2007 through November 2009.

Late outcomes of endovascular and open revascularization for nonatherosclerotic renal artery disease.

Objective: To evaluate the long-term outcome of endovascular and open treatment for nonatherosclerotic renal artery disease (NARAD).

Design: Retrospective review.

Setting: Academic institution.