Improving Referral Patterns for Bronchoscopic Lung Volume Reduction: A Quality Improvement Initiative.

Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) is a minimally invasive treatment option for patients with severe emphysema and hyperinflation refractory to optimal medical care. This therapy is effective in improving functional status and quality of life, underscoring the importance of identifying potential procedure candidates. To our knowledge, scalable strategies to improve the referral of advanced lung disease patients are lacking.

Hepatic Sarcoidosis: An Uncommon Cause of Cirrhosis.

Sarcoidosis is a multi-organ inflammatory disease of unclear etiology. The hallmark of the disease is the formation of non-caseating granulomas. The prevalence of sarcoidosis is 5-30% in the general population and up to 80% in autopsy series.

Which chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients will be likely to attend consistently a pulmonary rehabilitation program?

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, and millions of COPD patients are disabled and unable to work. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programs are available to assist with disability, but it is not clear who is likely to consistently participate in them. The purpose of this study was to determine which participants were likely to consistently attend a PR program.