Successful bronchoscopy in a pregnant patient with plastic bronchitis.

Plastic bronchitis is a rare disorder, characterized by formation of thick fibrinous bronchial casts which can obstruct the airway and present as a life threatening emergency (1). It is more common in the pediatric population after corrective or palliative surgery for congenital heart disease like fontan procedure but has rarely been reported in adults as well (1). Pregnancy is a relative contraindication for bronchoscopy.

Delayed post-lobectomy pulmonary artery stump thrombosis.

We present a 67 year old male patient who underwent VATS right upper lobectomy with en bloc chest wall resection and right lower lobe superior segmentectomy for atypical Ewing Sarcoma. Serial chest CT scan done more than two years after the initial resection showed a new filling defect in the right upper pulmonary artery stump. A repeat chest CT scan after three months of oral anticoagulation showed complete resolution of the filling defect.

Hepatopulmonary syndrome and liver sarcoidosis: a tale of two diseases.

Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HSP) is characterized by the triad of advanced liver disease, arterial hypoxemia, and intrapulmonary vascular dilatation. Most cases of HSP are associated with cirrhotic portal hypertension; however, it has also been reported in acute liver failure patients. An estimated prevalence of HPS in patients with chronic liver disease is around 5-32%.

Central sleep apnea induced by acute ingestion of opioids.

Objectives: Three cases are presented in which patients were using opioids as required for nonmalignant pain management and significant central sleep apnea developed. Patients in the first two cases had no evidence of sleep-related breathing disorders on polysomnography until they ingested an opioid for treatment of chronic pain during the night and severe central sleep apnea developed. The patient in our third case had established obstructive sleep apnea but experienced a significant number of central events after the ingestion of an opioid analgesic, leading to worsening severity of his underlying sleep-related breathing disorder.

Association of depressive symptoms and disease activity in children with asthma: methodological and clinical implications.

Objective: This study was designed to assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms in children with asthma and the association between depression and asthma activity.

Method: Children ages 7 to 17 (n = 129) were recruited from a hospital emergency department after presenting for asthma symptoms. The majority of subjects were from disadvantaged, inner city families.