A Rare Evolution to Pneumopericardium in Patient with COVID-19 Pneumonia Treated with High Flow Nasal Cannula.

Infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) which was revealed an official pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020. The current pandemic, the third of this decade, is the worst in terms of suffering and deaths related. COVID-19 represents an unprecedented challenge for medical communities and patients around the world.

Acute Pancreatitis and COVID-19: A Single-Center Experience.

Gastrointestinal involvement in SARS-CoV-2 disease (COVID-19) can occur and evolve fatally. Reports are emerging that SARS-CoV-2 virus attacks the pancreatic cells, causing the boost of amylase and lipase serum activity and rarely frank pancreatitis. We retrospectively assessed all the patients admitted to the respiratory sub-intensive care and evaluated pancreatitis cases and their course.

Effectiveness of corticosteroids on chest high-resolution computed tomography features of COVID-19 pneumonia.

Objective: The aim of our study was to assess the effect of a short-term treatment with low-moderate corticosteroid (CS) doses by both a quantitative and qualitative assessment of chest HRCT of COVID-19 pneumonia.

Methods: CORTICOVID is a single-center, cross-sectional, retrospective study involving severe/critical COVID-19 patients with mild/moderate ARDS. Lung total severity score was obtained according to Chung and colleagues.

Intermittent Abdominal Pressure Ventilation: An Alternative for Respiratory Support.

Intermittent abdominal pressure ventilation is a positive pressure ventilation technique that works with abdominal compressions. It has been known since 1938; however, for many years, it was out of production. In recent years, a new device has been produced that has captured the attention to this old respiratory support technique.

Combined high flow nasal cannula and negative pressure ventilation as a novel respiratory approach in a patient with acute respiratory failure and limb-girdle muscular dystrophy.

We describe the case of a 56-year-old-man with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy affected by acute hypercapnic failure secondary to pneumonia treated with high flow nasal cannula, intermittent abdominal ventilation, and negative pressure ventilation. The patient did not tolerate noninvasive positive pressure ventilation and refused invasive ventilation and tracheostomy. We successfully experienced a novel approach combining high flow nasal cannula with cycles of intermittent abdominal pressure ventilation and negative pressure ventilation.

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency in the elderly: a case report.

Background: Generally, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is suspected in young patients with pulmonary emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Patients often suffer from diagnostic gaps and are misdiagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), as AATD may present with nonspecific respiratory symptoms. It is never too late to suspect AATD, especially in a patient with an unusual medical history.

Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency: Home Therapy.

While available in only a few countries, home therapy is a possible strategy for the treatment of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. We want to describe our experience in the management of human alpha-1 antitrypsin using home care intravenous augmentation therapy during this emergency period caused by SARS-CoV2 infection. We assessed the safety of the home treatment and the quality of life of patients enrolled in the program.

Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Screening in a Selected Cohort of Patients Affected by Chronic Pulmonary Diseases in Naples, Italy.

Introduction: Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a genetic condition associated with several respiratory diseases in patients with severe protein deficiency. AATD is often late diagnosed or underdiagnosed. Diagnosis frequently occurs in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema characterized by frequent exacerbations and over ten years' duration.

Home Management of Patients with Moderate or Severe Respiratory Failure Secondary to COVID-19, Using Remote Monitoring and Oxygen with or without HFNC.

Background: Home treatment of patients affected by COVID-19 is still a matter of daily debate. During the clinical evolution of the disease, there are high risks of lung failure, which requires oxygen therapy. Here, we report our clinical experience with at-home treatment using high-flow nasal cannula in non-hospitalised patients with confirmed COVID-19.

Daytime alternatives for non-invasive mechanical ventilation in neuromuscular disorders.

Mechanical ventilation in recent years has benefited from the development of new techniques and interfaces. These developments allowed clinicians to offer increasingly personalised therapies with the combination of different complementary techniques for treating respiratory insufficiency in patients with neuromuscular diseases. The mouthpiece ventilation, intermittent abdominal pressure ventilator and the negative pressure ventilation can offer many patients alternative therapy options when ventilation is required for many hours a day.

Different presentation of pulmonary parenchymal disruption in COVID-19 pneumonia. Case series of Sub-Intensive Care Unit in Naples, Italy.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recent pandemic that affected more than 5 million people worldwide. Chest high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is an essential tool in diagnosis and management of the disease. Pulmonary parenchymal opacity is a typical sign of the disease, but not the only one.

Successful intravenous immunoglobulin treatment in severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

We describe a 42-year old woman, admitted to our Department after 15 days of persistence of respiratory failure and treated with infusion of intravenous immunoglobulin with a successful outcome.

Continuous noninvasive ventilation for respiratory failure in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: current perspectives.

Respiratory failure is a recognized late complication of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It is related to the neurological progression of the diseases with the impairment of the respiratory musculature. Survival and quality of life of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients is improved by using noninvasive mechanical ventilation.

Anticholinergic drugs in asthma therapy.

Purpose Of Review: Current guidelines recommend a stepwise approach for pharmacological therapy aimed to achieve and maintain asthma control. Despite these recommendations, at least 50% of patients continue to be uncontrolled with risk of asthma exacerbations that can often be serious and are associated with deterioration of quality of life. In recent years, the interest in anticholinergic bronchodilators, which have been primarily used in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, has increased patients with uncontrolled asthma.

Asthma-related deaths.

Despite major advances in the treatment of asthma and the development of several asthma guidelines, people still die of asthma currently. According to WHO estimates, approximately 250,000 people die prematurely each year from asthma. Trends of asthma mortality rates vary very widely across countries, age and ethnic groups.

Climate change, air pollution, and allergic respiratory diseases: an update.

Purpose Of Review: The rising trend in prevalence of allergic respiratory disease and bronchial asthma, observed over the last decades, can be explained by changes occurring in the environment, with increasing presence of biologic, such as allergens, and chemical atmospheric trigger factors able to stimulate the sensitization and symptoms of these diseases.

Recent Findings: Many studies have shown changes in production, dispersion, and allergen content of pollen and spores because of climate change with an increasing effect of aeroallergens on allergic patients.

Summary: Over the last 50 years, global earth's temperature has markedly risen likely because of growing emission of anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations.

Climate Change and Air Pollution: Effects on Respiratory Allergy.

A body of evidence suggests that major changes involving the atmosphere and the climate, including global warming induced by anthropogenic factors, have impact on the biosphere and human environment. Studies on the effects of climate change on respiratory allergy are still lacking and current knowledge is provided by epidemiological and experimental studies on the relationship between allergic respiratory diseases, asthma and environmental factors, such as meteorological variables, airborne allergens, and air pollution. Urbanization with its high levels of vehicle emissions, and a westernized lifestyle are linked to the rising frequency of respiratory allergic diseases and bronchial asthma observed over recent decades in most industrialized countries.

Effects on asthma and respiratory allergy of Climate change and air pollution.

The major changes to our world are those involving the atmosphere and the climate, including global warming induced by anthropogenic factors, with impact on the biosphere and human environment. Studies on the effects of climate changes on respiratory allergy are still lacking and current knowledge is provided by epidemiological and experimental studies on the relationship between allergic respiratory diseases, asthma and environmental factors, like meteorological variables, airborne allergens and air pollution. Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that urbanization, high levels of vehicle emissions and westernized lifestyle are correlated with an increased frequency of respiratory allergy, mainly in people who live in urban areas in comparison with people living in rural areas.

Right Ventricular Structure and Function in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis with or without Pulmonary Hypertension.

Aims: To elucidate right ventricular (RV) function in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) with and without pulmonary hypertension (PH) and its relation to other features of the disease.

Methods And Results: Clinical evaluation, standard Doppler echo, Doppler myocardial imaging (DMI), and 2D strain echocardiography (STE) of RV septal and lateral walls were performed in 52 IPF patients (66.5 ± 8.