Highlights from the Respiratory Failure and Mechanical Ventilation Conference 2024.

The Respiratory Intensive Care Assembly of the European Respiratory Society gathered in Berlin to organise the third Respiratory Failure and Mechanical Ventilation Conference in February 2024. The conference covered key points of acute and chronic respiratory failure in adults. During the 3-day conference ventilatory strategies, patient selection, diagnostic approaches, treatment and health-related quality of life topics were addressed by a panel of international experts.

Infection image: cystic pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia - forgotten?

A 43-year-old male patient presented to the emergency department with progressive dyspnea. CT scan showed pronounced cystic lesions and ground glass opacitiy in both lungs and diagnosis of HIV infection was established. Bronchoscopy confirmed diagnosis of pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP).

Nocturnal Cardiac Arrhythmias in Heart Failure With Obstructive and Central Sleep Apnea.

Background: Both obstructive and central sleep apnea (CSA) may contribute to nocturnal cardiac arrhythmias (NCAs). Data are scarce regarding the prevalence of clinically important nocturnal atrial and ventricular arrythmias in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and OSA or CSA.

Research Question: In a cohort of patients with HFrEF, how does the prevalence of NCA compare among those with OSA, CSA, and those with no to mild sleep apnea? Is the severity of OSA or CSA associated with atrial and ventricular NCAs?

Study Design And Methods: This cross-sectional analysis is an ancillary study of the Effect of Adaptive Servo Ventilation on Survival and Hospital Admissions in Heart Failure (ADVENT-HF) trial.

Comparison of transbronchial biopsy techniques using needle and forceps biopsies in lung cancer for molecular diagnostics: a prospective, randomized crossover trial.

Background: In lung cancer, molecular testing and next-generation sequencing (NGS) are needed to identify therapeutic targets and are increasingly being used in earlier stages of the disease. Despite its longstanding use, it remains unclear whether transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) of peripheral lung lesions provides as adequate material for genetic testing as transbronchial forceps biopsies (TBFBs). In this study, we aim to analyze the use of TBNA using median viable cell area (MVCA) as a surrogate parameter to analyze sample quality.

Real-World Data on Tezepelumab in Patients With Severe Asthma in Germany.

Background: Tezepelumab is a novel biologic blocking thymic stromal lymphopoetin, approved for severe asthma irrespective of biomarker levels or phenotype.

Objective: To characterize a real-world tezepelumab patient cohort and the efficacy among various asthma phenotypes.

Methods: We performed a retrospective, multicenter study on patients with severe asthma initiating tezepelumab.