Therapeutic bronchoscopy for malignant central airway obstruction: Introduction to the EpiGETIF registry.

Background And Objective: EpiGETIF is a web-based, multicentre clinical database created in 2019 aiming for prospective collection of data regarding therapeutic rigid bronchoscopy (TB) for malignant central airway obstruction (MCAO).

Methods: Patients were enrolled into the registry from January 2019 to November 2022. Data were prospectively entered through a web-interface, using standardized definitions for each item.

Treating Acute Severe Eosinophilic Asthma with IL-5 Inhibitors in ICU.

Introduction: About 10% of the 300 million people worldwide who suffer from asthma have a severe disease that is uncontrolled despite treatment with inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta agonists. The eosinophilic inflammation pathway in the respiratory tract and blood is involved and interleukin-5 (IL-5) has recently been identified as a major promotor of this pathway. The anti-IL-5 antibodies reduce the incidence of exacerbation and allowed steroid sparing in severe asthma patients but only two case reports have been published on their use in critical care.

[Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis].

Alveolar proteinosis (AP) is a rare disease characterized by alveolar accumulation of surfactant components, which impairs gas exchange. AP is classified into three groups: auto-immune AP defined by the presence of plasma autoantibodies anti-GM-CSF, the most frequent form (90% of all AP); secondary AP, mainly occurring as a consequence of haematological diseases, or following on from toxic inhalation or infections, and genetic AP, which affects almost exclusively children. AP diagnosis is suspected where chest CT-scan demonstrates interstitial lung disease with a crazy paving aspect; and confirmed by bronchoalveolar lavage, which has a milky appearance and contains periodic acid Schiff positive proteinaceous alveolar deposits.

[Pulmonary alveolar phospholipoproteinosis].

Pulmonary alveolar phospholipoproteinosis is a rare lung disease of unknown cause characterized by surfactant plugging of the alveoli. At the present time, surgical lung biopsy, long considered as the gold standard, is not necessary for positive diagnosis of pulmonary alveolar phospholipoproteinosis when computed tomography anomalies and analysis of bronchial lavage fluids present a typical pattern. Treatment requires abundant lavage, but the demonstration of anti-GM-CSF antibodies in primary forms opens new therapeutic perspectives.