Thoughtful prescription of inhaled medication has the potential to reduce inhaler-related greenhouse gas emissions by 85.

Introduction: Both physicians and patients are increasingly aware of the environmental impacts of medication. The shift of treatment paradigm towards MART-treatment (Maintenance and Reliever Therapy) in asthma affects the treatment-related emissions. The carbon footprint of inhaled medication is also tied to the type of the device used.

Mental health conditions and use of rhythm control therapies in patients with atrial fibrillation: a nationwide cohort study.

Objectives: Mental health conditions (MHCs) have been associated with undertreatment of unrelated medical conditions, but whether patients with MHCs face disparities in receiving rhythm control therapies for atrial fibrillation (AF) is currently unknown. We assessed the hypothesis that MHCs are associated with a lower use of antiarrhythmic therapies (AATs).

Design: A nationwide retrospective registry-based cohort study.

Evaluation of CPAP mask performance during 3 years of mask usage: time for reconsideration of renewal policies?

Background: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask renewal policies vary inside and between countries. There are no independent studies on the optimal mask renewal frequency. We aimed to evaluate CPAP mask function over time in a real-life clinical setting, and to compare the results against current renewal policies.

Occupations and exposure events in acute and subacute irritant-induced asthma.

Background: Exposures leading to irritant-induced asthma (IIA) are poorly documented.

Methods: We retrospectively screened the medical records of patients with IIA diagnosed in an occupational medicine clinic during 2000-2018. We classified the cases into acute (onset after single exposure) and subacute (onset after multiple exposures) IIA.

Cholesterol lowering with EVOLocumab to prevent cardiac allograft Vasculopathy in De-novo heart transplant recipients: Design of the randomized controlled EVOLVD trial.

Background: Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is characterized by diffuse thickening of the arterial intima. Statins reduce the incidence of CAV, but despite the use of statins, CAV remains one of the leading causes of long-term death after heart transplant. Inhibitors of proprotein convertase subtilisin-kexin type 9 (PCSK9) substantially reduce cholesterol levels but have not been tested in heart transplant recipients.

Type 1 long QT syndrome and psychological stress in a laboratory setting.

Trait-like sensitivity to stress in long QT syndrome patients has been documented previously. In addition, mental stress has been associated with symptomatic status of long QT syndrome. We examined whether the symptomatic type 1 long QT syndrome patients would be more sensitive to mental stress compared to asymptomatic patients and whether there would be differences in task-related physiological stress reactions between type 1 long QT syndrome patients and healthy individuals.

Estimating the effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation for COPD exacerbations: reduction of hospital inpatient days during the following year.

Aims: To study the short- and long-term results of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) given in the Helsinki University Heart and Lung Center and to understand the hospital resources used to treat severe COPD exacerbations in the city of Helsinki.

Materials And Methods: Seventy-eight inactive patients with severe COPD were recruited for a PR course; three of them did not finish the course. The course took 6-8 weeks and included 11-16 supervised exercise sessions.

Patient features predicting long-term survival and health-related quality of life after radical surgery for non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: This study presents a retrospective evaluation of patient, disease, and treatment features predicting long-term survival and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among patients who underwent surgery for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: Between January 2000 and June 2009, 586 patients underwent surgery at the Helsinki University Hospital. The 276 patients still alive in June 2011 received two validated quality of life questionnaires (QLQ): the generic 15D and the cancer-specific EORTC QLQ-C30 + QLQ-LC13.