Prospective evaluation of the relationship between acute exacerbations of COPD and gastroesophageal reflux disease diagnosed by questionnaire.

Background: Little is known about the relationship between acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects on AECOPD of GERD diagnosed by a questionnaire.

Methods: The subjects were 221 consecutive patients with stable COPD who were evaluated using the Frequency Scale for Symptoms of GERD (FSSG) and a prospective survey of AECOPD for one year.

[A case of fulminant community-acquired Acinetobacter pneumonia in a healthy woman].

We describe a case of fulminant community-acquired Acinetobacter baumannii pneumonia. A 68-year-old woman, who had no past medical history, was admitted with septic shock and pneumonia of left lower lobe. Despite intensive treatment she died on day 3 after admission.

[Relationship between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and gastroesophageal reflux disease defined by the Frequency Scale for the Symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease].

Little is known about gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence, clinical characteristics and risk factors for GERD in COPD patients, based on the Frequency Scale for the Symptoms of GERD (FSSG). In 228 COPD patients, the prevalence of GERD was 26.

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum: an algorithm for diagnosis and management.

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) is a rare disorder most often affecting young males which is generally self-limiting. Despite the benign prognosis with few complications and little morbidity, it frequently confuses clinicians in primary settings, who may have difficulty differentiating SPM from other serious organ ruptures, especially oesophageal rupture (the so-called Boerhaave syndrome), which may lead to mediastinitis and may be fatal, even with appropriate interventions. An overview of adult SPM is provided, reviewing 17 studies (414 patients), including our clinical experience, and finally an algorithm for diagnosis and management of SPM is proposed, based on the characteristics of SPM.

[Predictors of survival in patients with chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure receiving domiciliary NPPV].

Fifty-four cases (36 men) with chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure were prescribed domiciliary NPPV during 9 years. COPD (26 patients) and sequelae of tuberclosis (16 patients) were the major primary diseases. At the initiation of NPPV, the age was 71.

Management of spontaneous pneumomediastinum based on clinical experience of 25 cases.

Study Objectives: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) is a rare disorder that usually occurs in young individuals and has a self-limiting course and no recurrence in most cases. But actually in many cases, patients are undergo some examinations or some limitations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics and recommend appropriate management of SPM.