Evaluation Of Pulmonary Function Research Articles

Lymphocyte-Directed Immunomodulation Remits Thymoma-Associated Autoimmune Pneumonitis

BackgroundThymoma presents with several autoimmune manifestations and is associated with secondary autoimmune regulator (AIRE) deficiency. Pneumonitis has recently been described as an autoimmune manifestation associated with thymoma presenting with similar clinical, radiographic, histological, and autoantibody features as seen in patients with inherited AIRE deficiency who suffer from Autoimmune PolyEndocrinopathy-Candidiasis-Ectodermal Dystrophy (APECED) syndrome.ObjectivesTo treat two patients with biopsy-proven thymoma-associated pneumonitis with lymphocyte-directed immunomodulation.MethodsTwo patients with thymoma were enrolled on IRB-approved protocols at the NIH Clinical Center. We performed history and physical examination; laboratory, radiographic, histologic and pulmonary function evaluations; and measurement of the lung-directed autoantibodies KCNRG and BPIFB1 prior to and at 1- and 6-months following initiation of lymphocyte-directed immunomodulation with azathioprine with or without rituximab.ResultsCombination T- and B-lymphocyte-directed immunomodulation resulted in improvement of clinical, functional, and radiographic parameters at 6-month follow-up evaluations in both patients with sustained remission up to 12–36 months following treatment initiation.ConclusionLymphocyte-directed immunomodulation remitted autoimmune pneumonitis in two patients with thymoma.

Proposed Clinical Algorithm for Pleuroparenchymal Fibroelastosis (PPFE).

Pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis (PPFE) is characterized by fibrosis involving the pleura and subpleural lung parenchyma, predominantly in the upper lobes. As PPFE appears to occur in patients with heterogeneous etiologies, the disease course is thus also heterogenous, with some patients showing rapid progression while others have slow progression. Therefore, it is very difficult to predict prognosis with PPFE. Needless to say, this problematic matter has influenced the treatment strategy of PPFE patients. In fact, until now no evidence has been shown for use in creating an appropriate management algorithm for PPFE. We speculate that "uncoordinated breathing" is the most important reason for dyspnea in PPFE patients. Because monitoring of physique and not just pulmonary function and radiological evaluation is also very important, particularly in PPFE patients, this review focused on the characteristics of PPFE through an overview of previous studies in this field, and we proposed an algorithm as precision medicine based on the current evidence. Multiple views by the pulmonologist are needed to standardize a clinical algorithm that is necessary to correctly assess PPFE patients under the premise of maintenance of physique by providing appropriate nutritional care and pulmonary rehabilitation.

Evaluation of Pulmonary Function in Post-convalescent COVID-19 Adults: A Comparative Insight

Evaluation of Pulmonary Function in Post-convalescent COVID-19 Adults: A Comparative Insight

Relationship between pulmonary, cough, and swallowing functions in individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Evaluations of pulmonary, cough, and swallow function are frequently performed to assess disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), yet the relationship between these functions remains unknown. We therefore aimed to determine relationships between these measures in individuals with ALS. One hundred individuals with ALS underwent standardized tests: forced vital capacity (FVC), maximum expiratory/inspiratory pressure (MEP, MIP), voluntary cough peak expiratory flow (PEF), and videofluoroscopic swallow evaluation (VF). Duplicate raters completed independent, blinded ratings using the Dynamic Imaging Grade of Swallowing Toxicity (DIGEST) scale. Descriptives, Spearman's Rho correlations, Kruskal-Wallis analyses, and Pearson's chi-squared tests were completed. Mean and standard deviation across pulmonary and cough measures were FVC: 74.2% predicted (± 22.6), MEP: 91.6 cmH2O (± 46.4), MIP cmH2O: 61.1 (± 28.9), voluntary PEF: 352.7 L/min (± 141.6). DIGEST grades included: 0 (normal swallowing): 31%, 1 (mild dysphagia): 48%, 2 (moderate dysphagia): 10%, 3 (severe dysphagia): 10%, and 4 (life-threatening dysphagia): 1%. Positive correlations were observed: MEP-MIP: r = .76, MIP-PEF: r = .68, MEP-PEF: r = .61, MIP-FVC: r = .60, PEF-FVC: r = .49, and MEP-FVC: r = .46, p < .0001. MEP (p = .009) and PEF (p = .04) differed across DIGEST safety grades. Post hoc analyses revealed significant between group differences in MEP and PEF across DIGEST safety grades 0 versus 1 and grades 0 versus 3, (p < .05). In this cohort of individuals with ALS, pulmonary function, and voluntary cough were associated. Expiratory metrics (MEP, PEF) were diminished in individuals with unsafe swallowing, increasing their risk for effectively defending the airway.

Preoperative pulmonary function is associated with left ventricular assist device outcomes

IntroductionAlthough left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation is associated with improved survival in patients with end-stage heart failure, the impact of preoperative pulmonary function on short-term outcomes is unclear. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective review of all primary LVAD implants at a single institution. Common measures of preoperative pulmonary function were evaluated. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. ResultsFrom 2017–2022, 107 patients underwent primary LVAD implantation. Prior to implantation, 68 (63.6 %) were on room air, 28 (26.4 %) were on nasal cannula, 2 (1.9 %) were on noninvasive positive pressure ventilation, and 9 (8.5 %) were on the ventilator. The average preoperative fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) was 25.3 ± 8.2 % while the mean percentage predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) was 71.4 ± 20.9 %. Overall, 1-year survival was 86.8 %, the median postoperative ventilator time was 20.4 [4.2-77.7] h, and 18 (16.8 %) patients required postoperative tracheostomy. When stratified by pulmonary function, lower FEV1 and increased preoperative FiO2 were associated with decreased 1-year survival ConclusionsIn conclusion, preoperative pulmonary function is associated with short-term LVAD survival, postoperative ventilatory time, and need for tracheostomy. Therefore, rigorous pulmonary function evaluation may help in appropriate preoperative risk stratification.

A study on the outcome of preoperative pulmonary function tests on a patient undergoing rheumatic mitral valve surgery

Abstract Background and Aims: Evaluation of pulmonary function by spirometer in adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery is a simple test to assess pulmonary reserve that has important implications in operative morbidity. However, there is no established consensus regarding which patients should undergo preoperative pulmonary function tests (PFTs), including forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC). The primary aim was to evaluate the outcome of preoperative PFTs on patients undergoing rheumatic mitral valve surgery. Material and Methods: One hundred patients undergoing rheumatic mitral valve surgery, meeting the inclusion criteria, were included in this prospective observational study. The pulmonary function of the patients was assessed using a spirometer before surgery. Preoperative pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) and arterial blood gas (ABG) analyses were also performed. The correlation of PFTs with early postsurgical outcome, comprising mortality within 30 days of surgery and morbidity defined as the existence of at least one of the postoperative complications, such as low cardiac output state indicated by increased requirement of inotropes, prolonged ventilation (&gt;24 hours), postoperative new-onset hemodynamically significant arrhythmias, renal dysfunction, and post-op infection, was assessed. Results: With the increasing New York Heart Association (NYHA) class of the patient, there was a decline of FEV1% and FVC%, which was statistically significant (P &lt; 0.0001). There was a significant positive correlation of FVC% with preoperative saturation of peripheral oxygen (SpO2) and preoperative saturation of peripheral carbon dioxide (PaO2) and FEV1% with preoperative SpO2 and preoperative PaO2. Patients who had postoperative prolonged ventilation had lower values of FVC% and FEV1%, which was statistically significant (P &lt; 0.001). The patients who expired had significantly lower values of FVC% and FEV1%. Conclusions: Preoperative lung function has an implication on intraoperative morbidity during cardiac surgery although a common consensus on its application is lacking. Preoperative spirometry can be one of the parameters for predicting postoperative morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing rheumatic mitral valve surgery. Spirometry might have a role to play in predicting patient outcomes in rheumatic mitral valve surgeries; however, larger well-powered studies are needed.

Efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab as first-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer complicated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: protocol for a prospective, single-arm, single-center, phase II clinical trial.

The first-line standard treatment option for patients with NSCLC complicated with Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is still unclear and relies on the treatment option of NSCLC alone. To date, a limited number of retrospective studies have explored the efficacy and safety of immunotherapy in patients with NSCLC complicated with COPD. We therefore designed this study to further explore the efficacy and safety of first-line immunotherapy in patients with NSCLC complicated with COPD. This study was designed as a single-armed, single-center, prospective, phase II clinical study. It will include 30 advanced (stage IV) NSCLC combined with COPD primary treatment subjects. Each subject's diagnosis will be confirmed by clinical, radiographic, pathologic, and pulmonary function evaluation. A fixed dose of 200 mg pembrolizumab will be administered by intravenous infusion on day1 every 3 weeks (Q3W). The management of stable and acute exacerbations of COPD include home oxygen therapy, and the use of conventional medications are also administered. Imaging evaluation will be performed every 6 weeks for 6 months from the first pembrolizumab dose and approximately every 12 weeks thereafter until disease progression or early withdrawal. COPD status will be evaluated every 3 months by pulmonary function, GOLD grading, mMRC score, CAT score, ABCD grouping, and AECOPD severity. The primary outcome is Progression-free survival. The secondary outcome measures include objective response rate, overall survival, rate of acute exacerbations of COPD (times/year), lung function, mMRC score, CAT score, impact of treatment on patient's health-related quality of life, antibiotic use (including duration and classes), and adverse events associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Exploratory endpoint is to explore the association between COPD grade and the degree of immune cell (CD4+ T lymphocytes and CD8+ T lymphocytes) infiltration, as well as the association between COPD grade and the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors. ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT05578222.

A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Nintedanib and Pirfenidone in Treating Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Systematic Review.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), which shares a radiographic pattern with the usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP), is a specific form of chronic and progressive interstitial lung disorder resulting in persistent fibrosis and impaired lung function. Most of the patients suffer from dyspnea which adversely affects health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The underlying etiology of the disease is not yet understood, but research done on the subject reveals that aberrant repair mechanisms and dysregulated immune responses may be the cause.It can affect any age group but predominantly affects patients who are above 50 years of age. It has been observed that in addition to age, the reasons are also related to smoking, pollution, and inhalation of harmful elements. As the cause of IPF is still unknown and there is no cure yet, presently, it is treated to delay lung function loss with antifibrotic medications, nintedanib, and pirfenidone. However, both nintedanib and perfenidone have side effects which affect different patients in different ways and with different levels of severity, thereby making the treatment even more challenging for medical practitioners. The present systematic review aims at studying the efficacy of pirfenidone and nintedanib in relieving symptoms and in extending survival in patients. A detailed search was done in relevant articles listed in PubMed, ScienceDirect, and the New England Journal of Medicine between 2018 and 2023. It was observed that the most accepted way of measuring the progression of IPF is the evaluation of pulmonary function by assessing the forced vital capacity (FVC). Several studies have shown that the decline in FVC over a period of 6-12 months is directly associated with a higher mortality rate. The outcomes were similar in both male and female irrespective of age, gender, and ethnicity. However, some patients being treated with pirfenidone and nintedanib experienced various side-effects which were mainly gastrointestinal like diarrhea, dyspepsia, and vomiting. In the case of pirfenidone, some patients also experienced photosensitivity and skin rashes. In cases where the side-effects are extremely severe and are more threatening than the disease itself, the treatment has to be discontinued. The survival rate in patients with IPF is marked by a median of 3-5 yearsthat is even lower than many cancers; hence, the treatment should be started as soon as the disease is detected. However, further research is needed to establish the etiology of IPF and to establish treatments that can stop its progression.

Impact of continuous care on cardiac function in patients with lung cancer complicated by coronary heart disease.

Despite sharing similar pathogenic factors, cancer and coronary heart disease (CHD) occur in comparable populations at similar ages and possess similar susceptibility factors. Consequently, it is increasingly commonplace for patients to experience the simultaneous occurrence of cancer and CHD, a trend that is steadily rising. To determine the impacts of continuing care on lung cancer patients with CHD following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). There were 94 lung cancer patients with CHD following PCI who were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 38) and the control group (n = 41). In the intervention group, continuing care was provided, while in the control group, routine care was provided. An evaluation of cardiac and pulmonary function, medication compliance, a 6-min walk test, and patient quality of life was performed. Differences between the two groups were significant in left ventricular ejection fraction, 6-min walk test, oxygen uptake, quality of life and medication compliance (P < 0.05). In comparison with the control group, the enhancement in the intervention group was more significant. The intervention group had more patients with high medication compliance than the control group, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05). After undergoing PCI, lung patients with CHD could benefit from continued care in terms of cardiac and pulmonary function, medications compliance, and quality of life.

A noval pulmonary function evaluation method based on ResNet50 + SVR model and cough

Traditionally, the clinical evaluation of respiratory diseases was pulmonary function testing, which can be used for the detection of severity and prognosis through pulmonary function parameters. However, this method is limited by the complex process, which is impossible for patients to monitor daily. In order to evaluate pulmonary function parameters conveniently with less time and location restrictions, cough sound is the substitute parameter. In this paper, 371 cough sounds segments from 150 individuals were separated into 309 and 62 as the training and test samples. Short-time Fourier transform (STFT) was applied to transform cough sound into spectrogram, and ResNet50 model was used to extract 2048-dimensional features. Through support vector regression (SVR) model with biological attributes, the data were regressed with pulmonary function parameters, FEV1, FEV1%, FEV1/FVC, FVC, FVC%, and the performance of this models was evaluated with fivefold cross-validation. Combines with deep learning and machine learning technologies, the better results in the case of small samples were achieved. Using the coefficient of determination (R2), the ResNet50 + SVR model shows best performance in five basic pulmonary function parameters evaluation as FEV1(0.94), FEV1%(0.84), FEV1/FVC(0.68), FVC(0.92), and FVC%(0.72). This ResNet50 + SVR hybrid model shows excellent evaluation of pulmonary function parameters during coughing, making it possible to realize a simple and rapid evaluation for pneumonia patients. The technology implemented in this paper is beneficial in judge the patient's condition, realize early screening of respiratory diseases, evaluate postoperative disease changes and detect respiratory infectious diseases without time and location restrictions.

Characterization of pulmonary arterial stiffness using cardiac MRI.

Pulmonary arterial stiffness (PAS) is a pathologic hallmark of all types of pulmonary hypertension (PH). Cardiac MRI (CMR), a gold-standard imaging modality for the evaluation of pulmonary flow, biventricular morphology and function has been historically reserved for the longitudinal clinical follow-up, PH phenotyping purposes, right ventricular evaluation, and research purposes. Over the last two decades, numerous indices combining invasive catheterization and non-invasive CMR have been utilized to phenotype the character and severity of PAS in different types of PH and to assess its clinically prognostic potential with encouraging results. Many recent studies have demonstrated a strong role of CMR derived PAS markers in predicting long-term clinical outcomes and improving currently gold standard risk assessment provided by the REVEAL calculator. With the utilization of a machine learning strategies, strong diagnostic and prognostic performance of CMR reported in multicenter studies, and ability to detect PH at early stages, the non-invasive assessment of PAS is on verge of routine clinical utilization. In this review, we focus on appraising important CMR studies interrogating PAS over the last 20 years, describing the benefits and limitations of different PAS indices, and their pathophysiologic relevance to pulmonary vascular remodeling. We also discuss the role of CMR and PAS in clinical surveillance and phenotyping of PH, and the long-term future goal to utilize PAS as a biomarker to aid with more targeted therapeutic management.

Atopy and Elevation of IgE, IgG3, and IgG4 May Be Risk Factors for Post COVID-19 Condition in Children and Adolescents.

SARS-CoV-2 infection causes transient cardiorespiratory and neurological disorders, and severe acute illness is rare among children. Post COVID-19 condition (PCC) may cause profound, persistent phenotypes with increasing prevalence. Its manifestation and risk factors remain elusive. In this monocentric study, we hypothesized that atopy, the tendency to produce an exaggerated immunoglobulin E (IgE) immune response, is a risk factor for the manifestation of pediatric PCC. We present a patient cohort (n = 28) from an early pandemic period (2021-2022) with comprehensive evaluations of phenotypes, pulmonary function, and molecular investigations. PCC predominantly affected adolescents and presented with fatigue, dyspnea, and post-exertional malaise. Sensitizations to aeroallergens were found in 93% of cases. We observed elevated IgE levels (mean 174.2 kU/L, reference < 100 kU/L) regardless of disease severity. Concurrent Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) was found in 29% of patients that also faced challenges in school attendance. ME/CFS manifestation was significantly associated with elevated immunoglobulin G subclasses IgG3 (p < 0.05) and IgG4 (p < 0.05). A total of 57% of patients showed self-limiting disease courses with mean recovery at 12.7 months (range 5-25 months), 29% at 19.2 months (range 12-30 months), and the rest demonstrated overall improvement. These findings offer additional insights into immune dysregulation as a risk factor for pediatric PCC.

Evaluation of Pulmonary Function After Halo-Pelvic Traction for Severe and Rigid Kyphoscoliosis Utilizing CT with 3D Reconstruction.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate changes in pulmonary function, caused by preoperative halo-pelvic traction (HPT) for the treatment of extremely severe and rigid kyphoscoliosis, with use of 3-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) reconstruction and pulmonary function tests (PFTs). Twenty-eight patients with severe and rigid scoliosis (Cobb angle, >100°) underwent preoperative HPT and staged posterior spinal fusion. CT, radiographic assessment, and PFT were performed during pre-traction and post-traction visits. The changes in total lung volume were evaluated with use of 3D-CT reconstruction, and the changes in pulmonary function were evaluated with PFTs at each time point. Differences were analyzed with use of 2-tailed paired Student t tests, and correlations were analyzed with use of Spearman rank tests. None of the patients had pulmonary complications during traction, and all radiographic spinal measurements improved significantly after HPT. The main Cobb angle was corrected from 143.30° ± 20.85° to 62.97° ± 10.83° between the pre-traction and post-traction evaluations. Additionally, the C7-S1 distance was lengthened from 280.48 ± 39.99 to 421.26 ± 32.08 mm between the pre-traction and post-traction evaluations. Furthermore, 3D lung reconstruction demonstrated a notable increase in total lung volume (TLV) (from 1.30 ± 0.25 to 1.83 ± 0.37 L) and maximum lung height (from 176.96 ± 27.44 to 202.31 ± 32.45 mm) between the pre-traction and post-traction evaluations. Moreover, PFTs showed that total lung capacity (TLC) improved between the pre-traction and post-traction evaluations (from 2.06 ± 0.32 to 2.98 ± 0.82 L) and that the changes in T1-T12 distance and maximum lung height were correlated with changes in TLV (p = 0.0288 and p = 0.0007, respectively). The application of HPT is a safe and effective method for improving pulmonary function in patients with extremely severe and rigid scoliosis before fusion surgery. The TLV as measured with CT-based reconstruction was greatly increased after HPT, mainly because of the changes in thoracic height. Therapeutic Level IV . See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Continuous thoracic epidural versus continuous paravertebral analgesia in patients undergoing open renal surgery: Evaluation of pulmonary function; randomized double-blinded clinical trial

ABSTRACT Background This study aimed to assess pulmonary functions after either continuous thoracic paravertebral block (cTPVB) or thoracic epidural block (cTEB) in open renal surgeries. Methodsː The double-blinded, randomized clinical trial included 40 patients scheduled for open renal surgeries at Urology Hospital-Assiut University, equally assigned into group E (n = 20) and group P (n = 20), both at the level of 7th-8th thoracic vertebra. Initially, 7.5–12 mL of bupivacaine 0.25% was started before the induction of general anesthesia, followed by bupivacaine 0.125% continuously at a rate of 5–15 ml/h. Forced vital capacity (FVC) measured every 6 hours postoperatively within the first 24 hours was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), diaphragmatic excursion (DE), postoperative analgesia, total opioid consumption, total local anesthetic dose, hemodynamics and complications. Resultsː FVC, FEV1 and DE were better preserved in cTPVB where the lowest postoperative readings as a fraction of preoperative control were 0.7 ± 0.11 vs 0.65 ± 0.11 L, 0.74 ± 0.11 vs 0.64 ± 0.10 L and 0.73 ± 0.1 vs 0.58 ± 0.1 cm, respectively. The lowest postoperative PEFR was reported in cTEB (p-value = 0.128). Analysis of numeric rating pain scale, total opioid consumption and time of first rescue analgesic request revealed a statistical nonsignificant difference. The total infused dose of local anesthetic was significantly higher in cTPVB group. Incidence of sympatholytic complications was higher in cTEB. Conclusion cTEB and cTPVB had convergent effect on respiratory function and diaphragmatic motility and equivalent analgesic efficacy after open renal surgeries. Although cTPVB was technically easier and less time-consuming than cTEB, higher dose of local anaesthetic was required in cTPVB.

Effects of penehyclidine hydrochloride combined with dexmedetomidine on pulmonary function in patients undergoing heart valve surgery: a double-blind, randomized trial

AimTo investigate the effects of penehyclidine hydrochloride combined with dexmedetomidine on pulmonary function in patients undergoing heart valve surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).MethodsA total of 180 patients undergoing elective heart valve surgery with CPB were randomly divided into four groups: 45 in group P (intravenous penehyclidine hydrochloride 0.02 mg/kg 10 min before anesthesia induction and at the beginning of CPB, total 0.04 mg/kg); 43 in group D (dexmedetomidine 0.5 μg/kg/h after induction of anesthesia until the end of anesthesia); 44 in group PD ( penehyclidine hydrochloride 0.04 mg/kg combined with dexmedetomidine 0.5 μg/kg/h intravenously during anesthesia); and 43 in group C (same amount of normal saline 10 min before and after anesthesia induction, to the end of anesthesia, and at the beginning of CPB). The main outcomes were the incidence and severity of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). The secondary outcomes were: (1) extubation time, length of stay in intensive care, and postoperative hospital stay, and adverse events; and (2) pulmonary function evaluation indices (oxygenation index and respiratory index) and plasma inflammatory factor concentrations (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, C-reactive protein and procalcitonin) during the perioperative period.ResultsThe incidence of PPCs in groups P, D and PD after CPB was lower than that in group C (P < 0.05), and the incidence in group PD was significantly lower than that in groups P and D (P < 0.05). The scores for PPCs in groups P, D and PD were lower than those in group C (P < 0.05).ConclusionCombined use of penehyclidine hydrochloride and dexmedetomidine during anesthesia reduced the occurrence of postoperative pulmonary dysfunction, and improved the prognosis of patients undergoing heart valve surgery with CPB.Trial registrationThe trial was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry on 3/11/2020 (Registration No.: ChiCTR2000039610).

Staged definitive repair for pulmonary atresia and ventricular septal defect 40 years after palliative surgery: a case report

We present a very rare case of pulmonary atresia and ventricular septal defect with staged definitive repair more than 40 years after palliative surgery. The patient, a 43-year-old male, had undergone a Waterston operation at the age of one and had been untreated since then. Two years ago, he underwent an urgent surgery for impending rupture of a huge pulmonary artery aneurysm. Then, after evaluation of cardiac and pulmonary functions, a definitive repair was performed concomitantly with aortic root replacement for the dilated aortic root. He was discharged uneventfully and received ambulatory care 5 years after surgery.

Evaluation of Peripheral Capillary Oxygen Saturation and Pulmonary Functions of Subjects Exposed to Soot in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State Nigeria

The present study reports for the first time, the effects of soot exposure on peripheral capillary oxygen saturation and pulmonary functions among residents of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. In the present study, peripheral capillary oxygen saturation level and respiratory indices ie pulmonary functions were evaluated among soot exposed residents in Yenagoa, Nigeria and the values compared with apparently healthy residents of a less polluted region in the same city. A total of 300 subjects within the ages of 18 to 65 consisting of 200 subjects living within soot exposed areas and 100 subjects who live 2km away from the polluted environment. Using questionnaires, personal data of each participant were collected. The questionnaire focused on sex, age, height and weight, duration of stay in Yenagoa, oxygen saturation level, respiratory indices, pulse rate, smoking habit, pregnancy and lung conditions. Hospital scale balance and calibrated metre rule were used to collect their anthropometric data while oxygen saturation, pulse rate and respiratory indices were measured using Sp-10 pocket spirometer and Pulse oximeter.The results from the study population shows a significant decrease in PEFR, FEF and pulse rates of exposed subjects compared with the control. Meanwhile no statistical differences were observed in BMI, FVC, FEV1and oxygen saturation level between the exposed and the control subjects except the BMI of the exposed subjects across their various age groups. There was a negative correlation observed in the plot against age and BMI versus respiratory indices. This study shows that the subjects living within soot polluted environment possess lower lung function indices compared with those living two kilometres away from the polluted environment, in Yenagoa, Nigeria.

Evaluation of Peripheral Capillary Oxygen Saturation and Pulmonary Functions of Subjects Exposed to Soot in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State Nigeria

Evaluation of Peripheral Capillary Oxygen Saturation and Pulmonary Functions of Subjects Exposed to Soot in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State Nigeria

Evaluation of Peripheral Capillary Oxygen Saturation and Pulmonary Functions of Subjects Exposed to Soot in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State Nigeria

Evaluation of Peripheral Capillary Oxygen Saturation and Pulmonary Functions of Subjects Exposed to Soot in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State Nigeria

Thoracoscopic lobectomy for congenital pulmonary airway malformations before or after 5 months of age: evaluation of pulmonary function.

Congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM) is the most common pulmonary malformation. It can be managed via thoracoscopic lobectomy, which is safe and advantageous over thoracotomy. Some authors advocate the need for early resection to get an advantage over lung growth. Our study aimed to evaluate and compare the pulmonary function in patients who underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy for CPAM before and after 5 months of age. This retrospective study was conducted between 2007 and 2014. Patients younger than 5 months were assigned to group 1 and those over 5 months of age were assigned to group 2. Pulmonary function tests (PFT) were requested for all the included patients. For patients who could not undergo full PFT, the function residual capacity (FRC) was evaluated by the helium dilution technique. The parameters evaluated in full PFT were forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), total lung capacity (TLC), and FEV1 to FVC ratio (FEV1/FVC). The Mann Whitney U test was used to compare both groups of patients. Seventy patients underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy during this period, 40 of which had CPAM. Twenty-seven patients tolerated and underwent PFT (group 1: 12 patients; group 2: 15 patients). Among them, 16 patients underwent full PFT and 11 patients had FRC measurement. FRC was similar in both groups (91% vs. 88.2%). FEV1 (83.9% vs. 86.4%), FVC (86.8% vs. 92.6%) and TLC (86.5% vs. 87.8%) were also similar between both groups. FEV1/FVC was slightly higher in group 1 (97.9% vs. 89.4%) but the difference was not statistically significant. PFT for patients who underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy for CPAM before or after 5 months of age is normal and comparable between both groups. Surgical resection of CPAM can be performed safely early in life without any consequences for pulmonary function or more complications when older children undergo surgery.