Computed Tomography During Bronchoscopic Lung Splinting for Atelectasis.

A 64-year-old man experienced persistent atelectasis of the right lung after right upper lobectomy. To simultaneously visualize the airways and lung parenchyma in real time, chest computed tomography was performed while pneumatically splinting the lung open via insufflation through the working channel of a bronchoscope. The bronchi were patent but peripheral consolidations within the remaining right lung were visualized, representative of pneumonia. The patient fully recovered with antimicrobial therapy. Computed tomography during bronchoscopic pneumatic lung splinting is an advanced diagnostic for the investigation of persistent atelectasis.

Same-Day Computed Tomographic Chest Imaging for Pulmonary Nodule Targeting with Electromagnetic Navigation Bronchoscopy May Decrease Unnecessary Procedures.

RATIONALE: Bronchoscopy is commonly used for the diagnosis of suspicious pulmonary nodules discovered on computed tomographic (CT) imaging of the chest. Procedural CT imaging for bronchoscopy planning is often completed weeks to months before the date of a scheduled bronchoscopy, which may not allow discovery of a decrease in nodule size or resolution before the bronchoscopic procedure. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether same-day CT imaging of the chest discovers partial or total resolution of some lung nodules and thereby reduces unnecessary bronchoscopic procedures. METHODS: We performed a prospective case series study of patients undergoing navigational bronchoscopy using a new technology requiring same-day preprocedural CT imaging at one university teaching hospital. Patients scheduled to undergo bronchoscopy who were found to have partial or complete resolution of their lesion on the same-day CT exam leading to the cancellation of their procedure were identified and further characterized. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: From January 2015 to June 2016, 116 patients were scheduled for navigational bronchoscopy for the diagnosis of a pulmonary lesion. Of the 116 patients scheduled, 8 (6.9%) had a decrease in size or resolution of their lesion, leading to the cancellation of their procedure. The number needed to screen to prevent one unnecessary procedure was 15. For cancelled cases, the average time from initial CT prompting referral for bronchoscopy to the day of procedure scan was 53 days. CONCLUSIONS: Time from initial imaging to day of procedure is variable, occasionally allowing enough time for lesions to resolve, thereby obviating the need for biopsy. Same-day imaging may decrease unnecessary procedural risk.

Academic Productivity of Interventional Pulmonology Training Programs.

RATIONALE: The Hirsch index (h-index) has been validated as a measure of academic productivity and may be an appropriate tool to assess the scholarly activity of interventional pulmonology (IP). OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to elucidate the factors associated with increasing h-index scores among IP training programs. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted of IP training programs across the United States and Canada. Data, including their respective h-index, number of publications, academic rank, geographic location, and possession of an advanced degree, were collected on IP faculty and fellows from 23 teaching institutions. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Ninety-three IP physicians (48 faculty, 45 fellows) in all were included in the study from 23 institutions with a total of 101 data points. The faculty h-index mean was 3.88. The proportion of faculty with an h-index greater than the mean value was increased significantly with higher academic rank (P < 0.0001). In addition, physicians holding an advanced degree beyond an M.D./D.O. had a significantly higher h-index than did those without (P = 0.0062). CONCLUSIONS: For academic interventional pulmonologists, the h-index rises with increasing academic rank and possession of an advanced degree. The h-index for IP is roughly comparable to that for other surgical and procedural-based specialties.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Novel Sheath Cryoprobe for Bronchoscopic Lung Biopsy in a Porcine Model.

BACKGROUND: Transbronchial forceps biopsy (FBx) has been the preferred method for obtaining bronchoscopic lung biopsy specimens. Cryoprobe biopsy (CBx) has been shown to obtain larger and higher quality samples, but is limited by its inability to retrieve the sample through the working channel of the bronchoscope, requiring the bronchoscope to leave the airway for sample retrieval. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated a novel device using a sheath cryobiopsy (SCBx). This method allows for specimen retrieval through the working channel of the bronchoscope, with the scope remaining inside the airway. METHODS: This prospective, randomized controlled, single-blinded porcine study compared a 1.1-mm SCBx probe, a 1.9-mm CBx probe, and 2.0-mm FBx forceps. Assessment of histologic accessibility, sample quantity and quality, number of attempts to acquire and retrieve samples, cryoprobe activation time, fluoroscopy activation time, technical feasibility, and complications were compared. RESULTS: Samples adequate for standard pathologic processing were retrieved with 82.1% of the SCBx specimens, 82.9%% of the CBx specimens, and 30% of the FBx specimens. The histologic accessibility of both SCBx (P = .0002) and CBx (P = .0003) was superior to FBx. Procedure time for FBx was faster than for both SCBx and CBx, but SCBx was significantly faster than CBx (P < .0001). Fluoroscopy time was lower for both SCBx and CBx compared with FBx. There were no significant bleeding events. CONCLUSIONS: SCBx is a feasible technique providing a higher quality lung biopsy specimen compared with FBx and can successfully be retrieved through the working channel. Human studies are needed to further assess this technique with additional safety data.

Dipyridamole-associated shock and pulmonary edema.

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of fulminant shock and noncardiogenic pulmonary edema induced by intravenously administered dipyridamole. CASE SUMMARY: A 73-year-old woman presented to the office of her cardiologist for dipyridamole myocardial scintigraphy. Several minutes after administration of intravenous dipyridamole 0.57 mg/kg over 4 minutes she developed wheezing, followed by cardiovascular collapse and pulmonary edema requiring 100% oxygen and endotracheal intubation. She had never received dipyridamole before this, and no other medications or exposures were documented proximate to the collapse. On transfer to the hospital, she developed shock refractory to multiple vasopressors, which responded to continuous infusions of epinephrine. She also had severe pulmonary edema requiring invasive ventilation, 100% inspired oxygen, and 24 cm H2O positive end-expiratory pressure. An echocardiogram did not show new left-ventricular dysfunction and there were signs of right-heart underfilling, supporting a diagnosis of noncardiogenic pulmonary edema. Both shock and pulmonary edema resolved within 12 hours. DISCUSSION: Dipyridamole-associated hypotension has been reported in a number of case series and registries. Detailed case descriptions, however, are not available in the literature to permit understanding of the mechanism of shock following hypotension resulting from dipyridamole myocardial scintigraphy. Our case is exceptional in that echocardiography results support a diagnosis of hypovolemic (rather than cardiogenic) shock. To our knowledge, this is the first case of severe (most likely noncardiogenic) pulmonary edema associated with intravenous infusion of dipyridamole. An objective causality assessment suggested that this patient's cardiopulmonary collapse was probably related to dipyridamole. CONCLUSIONS: While hypotension has been previously associated with intravenous use of dipyridamole, ours is the first report to suggest a noncardiogenic mechanism for shock. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of noncardiogenic pulmonary edema following dipyridamole infusion.