Evaluation of the pulmonary function of patients with severe coronavirus 2019 disease three months after diagnosis.

There are few data regarding the repercussion in the pulmonary function of patients who had severe or critical COVID-19 pneumonia. The objective was to describe these patients' pulmonary function and establish an association with the severity of the disease (patients with severe or critical pneumonia), the presence of comorbidities, the tomographic involvement and the persistence of dyspnoea. Fifty-five patients were included, 40 (73%) male, media of age 54.

[Diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide, guidelines for interpretation].

The diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) is, after spirometry the standard and noninvasive pulmonary function test of greater clinical use. However, there are substantial errors in the interpretation of the physiological significance of the DLCO, its derived measures and, therefore the clinical significance of its alterations. In addition to the use of different nomenclatures, other sources of confusion have contributed to some negative view of the test.

Spirometry reference values for an andean high-altitude population.

Unlabelled: We compared the spirometric values of people living at High Altitude at the Andean Plateau with those predicted for lowland population.

Rationale: Spirometry reference values are not yet available for the millions of people living at high altitude in the Andean High Plateau.

Objective: To obtain spirometric prediction equations from a healthy subset of adults living in Argentina at 3440m above sea level.

Supramaximal flows: comparison between asthmatics and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: The major motive that prompted this study was to investigate whether or not the differences in supramaximal flow (SF) behavior between patients suffering from asthma and patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) might aid in clarifying the differences in the physiopathology of the two diseases.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was therefore to compare SFs in asthma and COPD patients with similar degrees of air-flow limitation.

Methods: Twelve asthmatic patients were individually matched with 12 COPD patients by forced expiratory volume during the first second (FEV(1)) as a percent (±5%) of the reference value (ΔFEV(1)) and by age (±4 years).

Initial clinical management of symptomatic adult patients during influenza A (H1N1) epidemics.

Background: Pandemic influenza A (H1N1) has emerged rapidly in Argentina since May 2009. Preliminary comparisons with seasonal influenza suggest that H1N1 disproportionately affects younger patients, generally causing mild disease, but in a minority of cases can be lethal.

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a clinical tool for the initial management of patients with influenza-like syndrome, within the context of the novel H1N1 virus epidemic, to detect patients who need further investigation (e.

Transient expiratory flow interruptions (TEFI) increase expiratory flow in acute asthma exacerbation.

We have shown that expiratory flows increase when expirations are rapidly interrupted in stable asthmatic patients. We hypothesized that a similar increase could be obtained in patients with acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma treated in the Emergency Room. A total of 30 asthmatic patients were randomly allocated into two groups, the study and the control groups.