ABSTRACT
From January 1, 1992, to December 31, 1995, we studied 52 bronchoalveolar lavages in 45 HIV-infected patients. All patients with pulmonary symptoms and/or new pulmonary infiltrates underwent bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) when the results of blood cultures and mycobacterial smears of sputum and urine were negative. Lavage fluid was investigated for the presence of P. carinii, bacteria, mycobacteria, fungi and virus. BAL was diagnostic in 39 (75%) cases. The organisms more frequently isolated were P. carinii and M. tuberculosis. Only one pathogen was identified in 28 cases (54%); two in ten (19%); and three in one patient (2%). BAL was, generally, well tolerated by the patient and had a high diagnostic yield in the evaluation of patients with HIV infection and respiratory symptoms.
Subject(s)
Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid , HIV Infections/complications , Respiratory Tract Infections/diagnosis , Adolescent , Adult , Aspergillosis/complications , Aspergillosis/diagnosis , Aspergillosis/diagnostic imaging , Candidiasis/complications , Candidiasis/diagnosis , Candidiasis/diagnostic imaging , Evaluation Studies as Topic , Female , Humans , Lung Diseases, Fungal/complications , Lung Diseases, Fungal/diagnosis , Lung Diseases, Fungal/diagnostic imaging , Male , Middle Aged , Pneumonia, Bacterial/complications , Pneumonia, Bacterial/diagnosis , Pneumonia, Bacterial/diagnostic imaging , Pneumonia, Pneumocystis/complications , Pneumonia, Pneumocystis/diagnosis , Pneumonia, Pneumocystis/diagnostic imaging , Radiography , Respiratory Tract Infections/complications , Respiratory Tract Infections/diagnostic imaging , Respiratory Tract Infections/microbiology , Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/complications , Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/diagnosis , Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/diagnostic imagingABSTRACT
We evaluated the efficacy of a smoking cessation program using 16-hours nicotine patches offered by mail to physicians belonging to the Spanish Pneumological and Thoracic Surgery Society. Fifty-five subjects (21 women) with a mean age of 40 underwent treatment with 16-hours nicotine patches with different dose-time applications dependent on Fagerstrom test scores. Abstinence, which was verified by measuring carbon monoxide in expired air, was 23.6% after 6 months of follow-up. We observed a low rate of mild side effects.
