Fentanyl nasal spray in a patient with end-stage COPD and severe chronic breathlessness.

http://bit.ly/2YdOjJ1.

Cluster-randomised trial of a nurse-led advance care planning session in patients with COPD and their loved ones.

Rationale: Advance care planning (ACP) is uncommon in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Objectives: To assess whether a nurse-led ACP-intervention can improve quality of patient-physician end-of-life care communication in patients with COPD. Furthermore, the influence of an ACP-intervention on symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients and loved ones was studied.

Prediction and course of symptoms and lung function around an exacerbation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Frequent exacerbations induce a high burden to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). We investigated the course of exacerbations in the published COSMIC study that investigated the effects of 1-year withdrawal of fluticasone after a 3-month run-in treatment period with salmeterol/fluticasone in patients with COPD.

Methods: In 373 patients, we evaluated diary cards for symptoms, Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF), and salbutamol use and assessed their course during exacerbations.

Efficacy of formoterol Turbuhaler in the emergency treatment of patients with obstructive airway diseases.

Dry powder devices are rarely used in the emergency room (ER) treatment of acute and severe bronchoconstriction due to hesitations with respect to clinical efficacy. This study investigated the effects of two inhalers with formoterol in patients visiting the ER Department for acute and severe dyspnoea, mainly exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Two doses of 12mug formoterol were given at enrolment, either via Turbuhaler or via pressurised metered dose inhaler, connected to a spacer device (pMDI+S) in a double-blind way and parallel design.

Clinically important improvements in asthma-specific quality of life, but no difference in conventional clinical indexes in patients changed from conventional beclomethasone dipropionate to approximately half the dose of extrafine beclomethasone dipropionate.

Study Objective: Clinical trials of asthma treatments usually use measures of asthma control to assess efficacy. However, it is also important to determine whether patients themselves benefit from interventions. The aim of this study was to evaluate health-related quality of life in patients with asthma switched from conventional chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) to hydrofluroalkane-134a (HFA) BDP extrafine aerosol at half the daily dose.