COPD exacerbations -- a comparison of Irish data with European data from the ERS COPD Audit.

The European Respiratory Society COPD audit was a cross-sectional, multicentre study that analysed outcomes for COPD patients admitted to hospital with an exacerbation across Europe. We present the data on patients admitted to 11 Irish hospitals that participated in the audit. Among 237 patients (123 Male), the median age was 71 years and 79 (33%) patients were current smokers. 82 (35%) patients received high-flow oxygen before admission and 43 (18%) were cared for in a dedicated respiratory ward. 54 (23%) patients required ventilatory support. Median length of stay was 7 days, 98 (41%) patients were readmitted and 211 (89%) patients were alive at the 90 day follow up point. Irish patients were more likely to receive high-flow oxygen before admission, less likely to be managed in a dedicated respiratory ward and had a higher likelihood of readmission or death within 90 days than the European average.

The intensity of QuantiFERON TB-gold response does not differentiate active from latent tuberculosis.

We analyzed positive QuantiFERON (QFT) assays, performed between July 2009 and April 2011 in the Mercy University Hospital, Cork, Ireland, which included, 94 patients with latent tuberculosis (LTBI) and 35 patients with active tuberculosis. There was no difference in the intensity of response between patients with LTBI and active tuberculosis (p = 0.1589). In patients with LTBI, there were no correlations between age (p = 0.353), sex (p = 0.476), smoking (p = 0.323), contact (p = 0.612), Mantoux response (p = 0.055), Irish nationality (p=0.768), previous BCG vaccination (p = 0.504), WCC (p = 0.187), lymphocyte count (p = 0.786), neutrophil count (p = 0.157) and the intensity of QFT response. Similarly in patients with active TB, there were no correlations between these variables and QFT response. The intensity of QFT response does not help to differentiate active from LTBI. The intensity of QFT response is not influenced by age, sex, smoking, remoteness of contact history, Mantoux response, nationality, CXR abnormalities, BCG vaccination and peripheral lymphocyte count.

A patient with a rare leukodystrophy related to lamin B1 duplication.

The hereditary leukodystrophies are rare disorders caused by molecular abnormalities leading to destruction of or failure of development of central white matter. For almost 30 years there has been increasing recognition of later onset Autosomal Dominant Leukodystrophy (ADLD). We report the first genetically confirmed case of lamin B1 duplication causing ADLD from Ireland.

The management of acute heart failure.

Hospitalization for acute heart failure (AHF) is one of the burdensome aspects of 21st century medicine, leading to significant debilitating symptoms, high morbidity and mortality and consuming significant portion of the health care budget. Management of AHF is thought-provoking given the heterogeneity of the patient population, absence of a universally accepted definition, incomplete understanding of the pathophysiology and the beneficial and adverse effects of currently used therapies and lack of robust evidence-based guidelines. The article will discuss the clinical approach to the patients admitted with AHF, reviewing types of intervention (both approved and investigational) and will delineate their role and timing in specific AHF presentations. One of the challenges of AHF management is to effectively treat the subsets of patients with slow improvement or those with refractory AHF or early recurrence (worsening HF) during their initial admission. Unfortunately, the majority of these patients are at increased risk for subsequent complications and adverse outcomes. Therefore, considerable efforts in AHF management should be directed towards this population. Regretfully, to date no specific targeted therapy was proven beneficial for these patients, being one of the leading reasons for the lack of improvement in AHF outcomes over the last 30 years.