Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome following SARS-CoV-2 infection in an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell recipient.

Peripheral allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients are the most vulnerable patients to community-acquired respiratory viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus, influenza virus, or others. These patients are likely to develop severe acute viral infections; community-acquired respiratory viruses have also been identified as triggers of bronchiolitis obliterans (BO). BO is a manifestation of pulmonary graft-versus-host disease, most often leading to irreversible ventilatory impairment. To date, there are no data on whether Severe acute respiratory syndrome â€‹coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) could be a trigger for BO. Here, we report the first report of a case of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome following SARS-CoV-2 infection occurring 10 months after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant with a flare of underlying extra thoracic graft-versus-host disease. This observation provides a new perspective and should be of particular interest to clinicians, suggesting the need for close monitoring of pulmonary function test (PFTs) after SARS-CoV-2 infection. The mechanisms leading to bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome after SARS-CoV-2 infection require further investigation.

Initiation of extracorporeal photopheresis in lung transplant patients with mild to moderate refractory BOS: A single-center real-life experience.

BACKGROUND: Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) is the main limitation to long-term survival following lung transplantation. Several studies generated promising results regarding the efficacy of extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) in BOS management. We aimed to compare FEV1 evolution in ECP-treated versus non-ECP treated patients among BOS recipients. METHODS: Overall, 25 BOS patients were included after receiving optimized treatment. Data were collected retrospectively. Twelve patients with moderate and refractory BOS received ECP treatment. RESULTS: Among non-ECP treated control patients (n = 13), six experienced persistent decline without undergoing ECP for various reasons. ECP stabilized pre-ECP lung function during the subsequent 6 to 24 months (repeated measures one-way Anova, p = 0.002), without any significant impact observed by either FEV1 decline speed prior to ECP or time between BOS diagnosis and ECP onset. ECP-treated patients displayed a similar risk of an additional permanent 20% or higher drop in FEV1 after BOS onset compared to controls, but a lower risk compared to control decliners (p = 0.05). ECP quickly stabilized FEV1 decline in refractory BOS patients compared to non-treated decliners. CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed that this therapeutic option against refractory BOS can be managed in a medium-size LTx center, with a satisfactory efficacy and an acceptable tolerance.

A Case Report of Postinfectious Bronchiolitis Obliterans After Coronavirus Disease 2019 in a 10-Year-Old Child.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is usually less severe in children and adolescents than in adults. However, it can cause severe respiratory illness in a small proportion of children with risk factors. Here, we report a rare case of a 10-year-old boy with postinfectious bronchiolitis obliterans that developed after pneumonia caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). This patient was previously healthy apart from a high body mass index (BMI, 30.13; 99.6th percentile for the age bracket), history of preterm birth (35 weeks), and low birth weight (1,850 g). He had persistent exertional dyspnea after recovering from SARS-CoV-2-related pneumonia. Spirometry revealed obstructive lung disease with the following results: predicted forced vital capacity (FVC%pred), 71%; forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1%pred), 63%; FEV1/FVC, 0.81; and forced expiratory flow25-75%pred, 55%. Chest computed tomography showed multifocal areas of parenchymal hyperlucency and mosaic attenuation in both lungs. This case suggests that careful observation of children with obesity and low birth weight is necessary after recovery from SARS-CoV-2-related pneumonia.

A Strategy for Field Evaluations of Exposures and Respiratory Health of Workers at Small- to Medium-Sized Coffee Facilities.

Coffee production is a global industry with roasteries throughout the world. Workers in this industry are exposed to complex mixtures of gases, dusts, and vapors including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, coffee dust, allergens, alpha-diketones, and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Adverse respiratory health outcomes such as respiratory symptoms, reduced pulmonary function, asthma, and obliterative bronchiolitis can occur among exposed workers. In response to health hazard evaluations requests received from 17 small- to medium-sized coffee facilities across the United States, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health conducted investigations during 2016-2017 to understand the burden of respiratory abnormalities, exposure characteristics, relationships between exposures and respiratory effects, and opportunities for exposure mitigation. Full-shift, task-based, and instantaneous personal and area air samples for diacetyl, 2,3-pentanedione and other VOCs were collected, and engineering controls were evaluated. Medical evaluations included questionnaire, spirometry, impulse oscillometry, and fractional exhaled nitric oxide. Exposure and health assessments were conducted using standardized tools and approaches, which enabled pooling data for aggregate analysis. The pooled data provided a larger population to better address the requestors' concern of the effect of exposure to alpha-diketones on the respiratory heath of coffee workers. This paper describes the rationale for the exposure and health assessment strategy, the approach used to achieve the study objectives, and its advantages and limitations.