Sarcoidosis and burn pit exposure in military deployers to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Southwest Asia.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Inhalational exposures have been hypothesized to play a role in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis. Herein, we describe a cohort of US Military personnel diagnosed with sarcoidosis during or after deployment to Southwest Asia and Afghanistan, who experienced complex inhalational exposures to burn-pits and desert dust. METHODS: Consecutive military personnel at four sub-specialty clinics across the United States were screened for deployment to Southwest Asia and Afghanistan and diagnosis of sarcoidosis based on 1999 ATS/ERS/WASOG Statement on Sarcoidosis. Detailed demographic, deployment and exposure data was collected. The data combined was analyzed after de-identification and local IRB approval. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients met our case definition. Seventeen patients were male and 62% had extrapulmonary involvement, including 38% with musculoskeletal involvement.  Conclusions: Our study suggests that the sarcoidosis in military personnel to Southwest Asia can be diagnosed many years after deployment. To our knowledge, this is the first case series to describe a group of military personnel diagnosed with sarcoidosis and exposures specific to military deployment to Southwest Asia.

Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis With and Without Autoimmune Features: A Clinical Comparative Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an interstitial lung disease (ILD) caused by an immunological reaction to repeated inhalational exposure to antigens. The etiology and exact immunopathology are poorly understood. Autoimmunity overlapping with HP has been described but the role of concomitant autoimmunity in the clinical course and outcome of the HP is not clearly established. In this study, we examined patients diagnosed with HP and compare them to patients with concomitant HP and autoimmunity. METHODS: Patients were retrospectively screened from a single-center ILD registry. Patients > 18 years with an established multidisciplinary diagnosis of HP were included in the study. Patients with HP without autoimmune features and patients with HP with autoimmune features (HPAF) were assessed. We compared the demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcomes between the two groups. We used a Cox proportional hazards model to compare lung transplant-free survival outcomes of patients with HPAF to those with non-HPAF HP patients. RESULTS: Of 73 patients with HP, 43 were diagnosed with HPAF. Patients with HPAF had a higher echocardiographic probability of pulmonary hypertension as compared to non-HPAF HP patients [48.8 vs 23.3%, p = 0.028, Crude odds ratio (cOR) = 3.14]. Symptomatically, those with HPAF reported a higher prevalence of arthritis as compared to non-HPAF HP (20.9 vs 3.3%, p = 0.040, cOR = 7.68). No significant differences between pulmonary function tests, oxygen requirements, mortality, and lung transplantation rates were found between the two groups. There was no statistically significant difference in transplant-free survival (p = 0.836). CONCLUSION: Patients with HPAF had a higher echocardiographic probability of pulmonary hypertension as compared to patients with non-HPAF HP. The clinical characteristics and outcomes did not differ between the two groups and concomitant autoimmunity among the HP group did not portend a poorer prognosis.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Hyperthyroidism Among Patients With Sarcoidosis in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of self-reported hyperthyroidism in patients with sarcoidosis. METHODS: A national registry-based study investigating 3836 respondents to the Sarcoidosis Advanced Registry for Cures questionnaire in the period between June 2014 and August 2019 was conducted. This registry is generated from a web-based questionnaire that is self-reported by patients with sarcoidosis. We compared patients with sarcoidosis who had hyperthyroidism with those who did not. We used multivariate logistic regression analysis to study the association between hyperthyroidism and different cardiac manifestations in patients with sarcoidosis. RESULTS: Three percent of the study respondents self-reported having hyperthyroidism and were generally middle-aged Caucasian women. Compared with patients without hyperthyroidism, patients with hyperthyroidism had more sarcoidosis-related comorbidities (59% vs 43%, P = .001) and more steroid-related comorbidities (56% vs 44%, P = .01), but there was no difference in the sarcoidosis-specific treatments they received, which included corticosteroids. Patients with hyperthyroidism reported sarcoidosis involvement of the heart (26.6% vs 14.9%, P = .005), kidneys (14.9% vs 8%, P = .033) and sinuses (17.7% vs 10.2%, P = .030) more frequently. Cardiac manifestations that were more frequently reported in patients with hyperthyroidism included atrial arrhythmias (11.3% vs 6.3%, P = .046), ventricular arrhythmias (17.2% vs 7.5%, P < .001), congestive heart failure (10.4% vs 5%, P = .017), and heart block (9.4% vs 4.7%, P = .036). CONCLUSION: Hyperthyroidism is infrequent in patients with sarcoidosis but is potentially associated with different cardiac manifestations. We suggest considering routine screening for hyperthyroidism in patients with sarcoidosis, especially in those with cardiac involvement. Further studies are needed to investigate the impact of identifying and treating hyperthyroidism in patients with sarcoidosis.

Lung transplantation for acute exacerbation of interstitial lung disease.

BACKGROUND: Acute exacerbations of interstitial lung diseases (AE-ILD) have a high mortality rate with no effective medical therapies. Lung transplantation is a potentially life-saving option for patients with AE-ILD, but its role is not well established. The aim of this study is to determine if this therapy during AE-ILD significantly affects post-transplant outcomes in comparison to those transplanted with stable disease. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of consecutive patients with AE-ILD admitted to our institution from 2015 to 2018. The comparison group included patients with stable ILD listed for lung transplant during the same period. The primary end-points were in-hospital mortality for patients admitted with AE-ILD and 1-year survival for the transplanted patients. RESULTS: Of 53 patients admitted for AE-ILD, 28 were treated with medical therapy alone and 25 underwent transplantation. All patients with AE-ILD who underwent transplantation survived to hospital discharge, whereas only 43% of the AE-ILD medically treated did. During the same period, 67 patients with stable ILD underwent transplantation. Survival at 1 year for the transplanted patients was not different for the AE-ILD group versus stable ILD group (96% vs 92.5%). The rates of primary graft dysfunction, post-transplant hospital length-of-stay and acute cellular rejection were similar between the groups. CONCLUSION: Patients with ILD transplanted during AE-ILD had no meaningful difference in overall survival, rate of primary graft dysfunction or acute rejection compared with those transplanted with stable disease. Our results suggest that lung transplantation can be considered as a therapeutic option for selected patients with AE-ILD.

Sarcoidosis among US Hispanics in a Nationwide Registry.

BACKGROUND: Sarcoidosis has been well studied in multiple races and ethnic groups. However, there is a paucity of data that describes sarcoidosis in Hispanics. We aimed to determine the prevalence of Hispanic ethnicity, clinical characteristics and impact of sarcoidosis among Hispanics from a US based national registry. METHODS: We conducted a national registry-based study investigating 3835 respondents to the Sarcoidosis Advanced Registry for Cures questionnaire. This registry is a web-based, self-reported questionnaire that provides data related to demographics, diagnostics, organ involvement, treatment modalities, and the physical and psychosocial impact of sarcoidosis. We compared Hispanic patients to non-Hispanics. We performed multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusting for age, gender, education, income and insurance status and looked at the association between Hispanic ethnicity with depression, chronic pain syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, impact on family finances, employment-based disability and job termination. RESULTS: Nine percent of the patients reported a Hispanic ethnicity and the majority of these patients self-identified as white women. The most common organs involved were the lungs (74.9%), central lymph nodes (53.8%), and peripheral lymph nodes (37.1%). Hispanics reported more peripheral nerves and peripheral lymph nodes involvement than non-Hispanics. Hispanics experienced more depression, sleep apnea, and chronic pain syndrome than non-Hispanics. The use of mobility assistive devices was more common among Hispanics, as well as employment-based disability, and disease-related job termination compared to non-Hispanics. The majority of Hispanics reported significantly more pain that interfered with the enjoyment of life than non-Hispanics. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, Hispanic ethnicity was associated with depression (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.5; 95% CI: 1.01-2.2), chronic pain syndrome (aOR = 1.7; 1.1-2.6), job termination due to sarcoidosis (aOR = 1.7; 1.1-2.7) and higher impact on family finances (aOR = 1.7; 1.1-2.5). CONCLUSION: The clinical presentation of sarcoidosis in Hispanic patients differs from that in non-Hispanic patients living in the United States. These differences should be considered when managing Hispanic patients with sarcoidosis. We encourage more studies that investigate phenotyping among Hispanics with sarcoidosis.

Clinical Characteristics of Sarcoidosis Patients with Self-Reported Lymphoma: A US Nationwide Registry Study.

PURPOSE: Little is known about the association between sarcoidosis and lymphoma. We aim to determine the prevalence of lymphoma in US sarcoidosis patients and compare the clinical characteristics of patients with and without lymphoma. METHODS: Using a national registry-based study investigating 3560 respondents to the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research Sarcoidosis Advanced Registry for Cures Questionnaire (FSR-SARC) completed between June 2014 and August 2019, we identified patients who reported the diagnosis of lymphoma following sarcoidosis and randomly selected a computer-generated control sample of sarcoidosis patients with no reported lymphoma with a 2:1 ratio. RESULTS: Among 3560 patients with sarcoidosis, 43 (1.2%) reported developing lymphoma following their sarcoidosis diagnosis. Patients with lymphoma were more likely to be diagnosed with sarcoidosis at a younger age (median, IQR) 40 (27-50) vs 45 (34.8-56, p = 0.017) years, were more likely to be African-Americans OR 95% CI 3.9 (1.6-9.6, p = 0.002), and have low annual income (OR 2.7, 1.1-6.4 p = 0.026). The sarcoidosis-lymphoma group were more likely to have salivary gland (16% vs 5%, p = 0.026) (OR 4; 1.1-14.5) and cutaneous (46% vs 23%, p = 0.023) (OR 2.9; 1.1-7.3) sarcoidosis. They also reported more chronic fatigue (42% vs 23%, p = 0.029), chronic pain (37% vs 13%, p = 0.001), and depression (42% vs 22%, p = 0.019). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of lymphoma reported in sarcoidosis patients is higher than the general population which further supports the possible increased risk of lymphoma in sarcoidosis. Diagnosis of sarcoidosis at a younger age, African-American race, cutaneous, and salivary glands sarcoidosis were associated with lymphoma. Sarcoidosis patients who developed lymphoma reported higher disease burden and more non-organ-specific manifestations.

Macrophage activating syndrome causing decompensated right heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Macrophage activating syndrome (MAS) is a form of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare complication of autoimmune disease that is characterized by cytokine storm and multiorgan failure. CASE SUMMARY: A 32-year-old male presented with acutely decompensated pulmonary arterial hypertension and right heart failure secondary to MAS. The patient was immediately started on inhaled and intravenous epoprostenol, vasopressors and dexamethasone and anakinra were administered. Despite the therapies given, the patient's condition continued to decline, and he was placed on veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) support. Over a few days, his clinical condition improved, and he was decannulated from VA-ECMO and later transitioned oral treprositinil and was discharged home. Due to its non-specific clinical manifestations, the diagnosis of MAS depends on high clinical suspicion and initial laboratory work up such as thrombocytopenia, transaminitis, hyperferritinemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hypofibrinogenemia, etc. In our patient, MAS led to decompensated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) leading to right heart failure that was refractory to inhaled and intravenous epoprostenol and vasopressors and required VA-ECMO as a bridge to recovery while his MAS was managed by anakinra and dexamethasone. CONCLUSION: MAS can result in acute decompensation of PAH and right heart failure. Besides RV failure management, immunosuppressants such as anakinra, etoposide, etc. should be utilized early in the management of MAS. In refractory right heart failure, VA-ECMO can be considered as a bridge to recovery. There is a paucity of literature supporting the utilization of VA-ECMO in the management of refractory right heart failure caused by MAS in adults and much of the data stems from pediatric studies. This case serves as a fine example of successful use of VA-ECMO in adult population.

A 57-Year-Old Man With Stridor and Critical Tracheal Narrowing.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 57-year-old man with a history of polysubstance use presented with shortness of breath, wheezing, productive cough, subjective fever, and chills of 3-day duration. Additionally, he reported worsening shortness of breath for the last 3 months. Of note, the patient was reported to have had, in the previous 6 months, two episodes of pneumonia that was treated with antibiotics and steroids. He was also diagnosed several years prior with adult-onset asthma due to intermittent wheezing and was prescribed an albuterol inhaler. The albuterol did not help relieve his wheezing, and he stopped refilling it.

Prevalence and characteristics of self-reported hypothyroidism and its association with nonorgan-specific manifestations in US sarcoidosis patients: a nationwide registry study.

Little is known about the prevalence, clinical characteristics and impact of hypothyroidism in patients with sarcoidosis. We aimed to determine the prevalence and clinical features of hypothyroidism and its relation to organ involvement and other clinical manifestations in patients with sarcoidosis. We conducted a national registry-based study investigating 3835 respondents to the Sarcoidosis Advanced Registry for Cures Questionnaire between June 2014 and August 2019. This registry is based on a self-reported, web-based questionnaire that provides data related to demographics, diagnostics, sarcoidosis manifestations and treatment. We compared sarcoidosis patients with and without self-reported hypothyroidism. We used multivariable logistic regression and adjusted for potential confounders to determine the association of hypothyroidism with nonorgan-specific manifestations. 14% of the sarcoidosis patients self-reported hypothyroidism and were generally middle-aged white women. Hypothyroid patients had more comorbid conditions and were more likely to have multiorgan sarcoidosis involvement, especially with cutaneous, ocular, joints, liver and lacrimal gland involvement. Self-reported hypothyroidism was associated with depression (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.3, 95% CI 1.01-1.6), antidepressant use (aOR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.7), obesity (aOR 1.7, 95% CI 1.4-2.1), sleep apnoea (aOR 1.7, 95% CI 1.3-2.2), chronic fatigue syndrome (aOR 1.5, 95% CI 1.2-2) and was borderline associated with fibromyalgia (aOR 1.3, 95% CI 1-1.8). Physical impairment was more common in patients with hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is a frequent comorbidity in sarcoidosis patients that might be a potentially reversible contributor to fatigue, depression and physical impairment in this population. We recommend considering routine screening for hypothyroidism in sarcoidosis patients especially in those with multiorgan sarcoidosis, fatigue and depression.

Cyclophosphamide for the treatment of Acute Exacerbation of Interstitial Lung Disease: A Review of the Literature.

Acute exacerbation of interstitial lung disease is a serious and life-threatening event but little is known about its treatment. Cyclophosphamide has been proposed in randomized clinic trials as a treatment option in progressive cases of systemic sclerosis related interstitial lung disease. However, in acute exacerbation of interstitial lung disease, we found only small case series, and retrospective studies, mostly with no comparative groups which described the role of cyclophosphamide. Results of these studies showed mixed outcomes, with no robust evidence that cyclophosphamide adds any benefit in treating acute exacerbations of interstitial lung disease. More well-designed studies including randomized clinical trials are needed to better understand the role of cyclophosphamide during exacerbations of interstitial lung disease. In this review article, we summarize the current evidence on the use of cyclophosphamide in interstitial lung disease with a focus on the acute exacerbation events.

Rasmussen's aneurysm: a rare and potentially fatal cause of hemoptysis.

Rasmussen's aneurysm is a rare and fatal cause of hemoptysis secondary to infection with pulmonary tuberculosis. The most commonly involved vessels include the bronchial arteries, but rarely can involve the pulmonary artery. We report the case of a 62-year-old female from the Philippines with undiagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis who presented with massive hemoptysis. After hemodynamic stabilization, Rasmussen's aneurysm was diagnosed by computed tomography of the chest with angiography, confirmed with invasive angiography. She was treated definitively with glue embolization of the affected artery.

Pulmonary hypertension in eosinophilic versus noneosinophilic COPD.

BACKGROUND: The eosinophilic COPD phenotype is associated with greater airway remodelling, exacerbation risk and steroid responsiveness. However, little is known about the prevalence and characteristics of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in this patient population. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated a cohort of COPD patients with right heart catheterisation (RHC) data at a university hospital between January 2011 and May 2019 and compared the pulmonary vascular profile and prevalence of PH between eosinophilic and noneosinophilic patients using a definition of eosinophilic COPD as at least three blood eosinophil values ≥300 cells·µL-1. We used multivariable logistic regression analyses to examine the association between eosinophilic COPD and various PH categories adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (%), smoking status and use of supplemental oxygen. RESULTS: Among 106 COPD patients with RHC data and at least three blood eosinophil values, 25% met the definition of eosinophilic COPD. Fewer patients among the eosinophilic group required long-term oxygen therapy (69% versus 93%, p=0.001) and total lung capacity was significantly lower in the eosinophilic group (p=0.006). This group had higher mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) (median (interquartile range) 30 (27-41) mmHg versus 25 (22-30) mmHg, p=0.001) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) (4 (2.8-5.1) Wood units versus 2.9 (2.1-4.1) Wood units, p=0.018). On multivariable logistic regression analyses, eosinophilic phenotype was associated with PH (adjusted (a)OR 6.5, 95% CI 1.4-30.7; p=0.018) and pre-capillary PH (aOR 3.2, 95% CI 1.1-9; p=0.027), but not severe PH (aOR 2.1, 95% CI 0.6-7.2; p=0.219). CONCLUSION: Eosinophilic COPD was associated with higher mPAP and PVR and increased likelihood of PH. More studies are needed to further explore this finding.

Pulmonary Embolism in Acute Asthma Exacerbation: Clinical Characteristics, Prediction Model and Hospital Outcomes.

PURPOSE: Little is known about the characteristics and impact of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) during episodes of asthma exacerbation. We aimed to characterize patients diagnosed with acute PE in the setting of asthma exacerbation, develop a prediction model to help identify future patients and assess the impact of acute PE on hospital outcomes. METHODS: We included 758 patients who were treated for asthma exacerbation and underwent a computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTA) during the same encounter at a university-based hospital between June 2011 and October 2018. We compared clinical characteristics of patients with and without acute PE and developed a machine learning prediction model to classify the PE status based on the clinical variables. We used multivariable regression analysis to evaluate the impact of acute PE on hospital outcomes. RESULTS: Twenty percent of the asthma exacerbation patients who underwent CTA had an acute PE. Factors associated with acute PE included previous history of PE, high CHA2DS2-VASc score, hyperlipidemia, history of deep vein thrombosis, malignancy, chronic systemic corticosteroids use, high body mass index and atrial fibrillation. Using these factors, we developed a random forest machine learning prediction model which had an 88% accuracy in classifying the acute PE status of the patients (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.899; 95% confidence interval: 0.885-0.913). Acute PE in asthma exacerbation was associated with longer hospital stay and intensive care unit stay. CONCLUSION: It is important to consider acute PE, a potentially life-threatening event, in the setting of asthma exacerbation especially when other risk factors are present.

Cocaine Use and Pulmonary Hypertension.

Evidence linking cocaine to the risk of pulmonary hypertension (PH) is limited and inconsistent. We examined whether cocaine use, in the absence of other known causes of PH, was associated with elevated systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) and increased probability of PH. We compared patients with documented cocaine use to a randomly selected age, sex, and race-matched control group without history of cocaine use. All participants had no known causes of PH and underwent echocardiography for noninvasive estimation of sPAP. We used routinely reported echocardiographic parameters and contemporary guidelines to grade the probability of PH. In 88 patients with documented cocaine use (mean age ± standard deviation 51.7 ± 9.5 years), 33% were women and 89% were of Black race. The commonest route of cocaine use was smoking (74%). Cocaine users compared with the control group had significantly higher sPAP (mean ± standard deviation, 30.1 ± 13.1 vs 22.0 ± 9.8 mm Hg, p <0.001) and greater likelihood of PH (25% vs 10%, p = 0.012). In multivariable analyses adjusted for potential confounders including left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, cocaine use conferred a fivefold greater odds of echocardiographic PH (p = 0.006). Additionally, a stepwise increase in the likelihood of PH was noted across cocaine users with negative or no drug screen on the day of echocardiography to cocaine users with a positive drug screen (multivariable p for trend = 0.008). In conclusion, cocaine use was associated with a higher sPAP and an increased likelihood of echocardiographic PH with a probable acute-on-chronic effect.

Optimizing the Approach to Patients With Pleural Effusion and Radiologic Findings Suspect for Cancer.

BACKGROUND: When patients present with pleural effusion and structural abnormalities consistent with malignancy on imaging, the traditional approach has been to perform a thoracentesis and await the results before proceeding to more invasive diagnostic procedures. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether concurrent thoracentesis and tissue biopsy is superior to sequential sampling. METHODS: Retrospective chart review was performed for patients who had a pleural cytology from May 2014 until January 2017. Patients without parenchymal, pleural, or mediastinal abnormalities and those with a prior primary thoracic malignancy were excluded. Patients with an effusion and additional suspect findings were grouped based upon whether initial approach was concurrent versus sequential. The following outcomes were documented: lag time to diagnosis from thoracentesis, lag time to hematology/oncology (HONC) service consult, time to molecular study results, lag time to therapy, and time to death. RESULTS: Of 565 cases, 45 met criteria, 28 (62%) having undergone concurrent and 17 (38%) sequential sampling. The median lag time to biopsy for the concurrent group, 3 days, was significantly shorter than the 9-day lag time for the sequential group (P=0.006). Five patients in the sequential group and one in the concurrent group were lost to follow-up. Patients in the concurrent group had earlier diagnosis and oncology visits (2 d, 7 d) than those in the sequential group (6.5 d, 16 d) (P<0.001 and <0.039, respectively). Time from diagnosis to death did not differ for the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: For patients presenting with pleural effusion accompanied by additional suspect findings, concurrent tissue sampling, and thoracentesis may both reduce loss to follow up and accelerate care.

Prevalence and predictors of readmissions among adults with cystic fibrosis in the United States.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) have increasing rates of hospitalization. We analyzed the burden and predictors of thirty-day readmission among patients with CF in the U.S. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Nationwide Readmission Database (NRD) 2013 was used to identify adults with CF who were hospitalized. These individuals were followed to determine the prevalence of readmission within thirty days of index discharge. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to identify independent predictors of readmission. RESULTS: There were 14,616 index admissions of adults with CF in 2013. Of these, 2,606 (17.8%) patients were readmitted within 30 days of discharge. Female sex and chronic anemia were independent predictors of readmission. The most common causes of readmission were pulmonary exacerbation (31%), lung transplant complications (5.2%), and septicemia (3.4%). CONCLUSION: Readmissions are frequent among adults with CF and contribute to significant healthcare burden and cost among this population.

Awareness and Knowledge of Ovarian Cancer Symptoms and Risk Factors: A Survey of Jordanian Women.

Ovarian cancer accounts for 3% of all female cancers and has a high mortality rate among gynecological malignancies. Early diagnosis carries a high survival rate of 93%. So, this study was carried out to assess the knowledge and awareness of Jordanian women about ovarian cancer symptoms and risk factors. A cross-sectional survey design was used; 896 women completed the survey. The mean of total symptoms recognized was low at level of 3.2 ( SD = 2.7) out of 10. The three highest known symptoms among women were as follows: extreme fatigue (43.2%), back pain (42.4%), and persistent pain in pelvic area (40.7%). The most commonly known risk factor was smoking (68.4%), followed by having ovarian cyst(s) (59.7%). Hence, with the absence of an effective screening program, a national awareness campaign is urgently needed to improve the public's understanding of symptoms and risk factors and increasing women's confidence in symptom recognition.

Rethinking the Doses of Tissue Plasminogen Activator and Deoxyribonuclease Administrated Concurrently for Intrapleural Therapy for Complicated Pleural Effusion and Empyema.

Background Complicated parapneumonic effusions empyema (CPEE) is fairly common and associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The Multicenter Intrapleural Sepsis Trial 2 (MIST 2) established the combination of intrapleural deoxyribonuclease (DNase) and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) as an effective treatment for CPEE, thereby avoiding surgery and decreasing the length of hospitalization. MIST 2, however, used a labor-intensive protocol with some risk of bleeding. We hypothesize the simpler regimen of concurrent administration of intrapleural tPA and DNase (lower dose of tPA and a higher DNAse dose) to be equally effective with a decreased risk of bleeding. Methods Retrospective analysis of the concurrent administration of intrapleural tPA and DNase for CPEE during November 2014 to February 2016 was done at a tertiary care center. The inclusion criteria included 1) pleural fluid with any of the following: (a) exudative and loculated effusion in a patient with pneumonia, (b) gram stain/culture positive, (c) macroscopically purulent 2) chest tube placement during current hospitalization 3) concurrent administration of intrapleural tPA and DNase (4mg and 10mg per instillation respectively). The exclusion criteria was 1) chest tube placement prior to current hospitalization and 2) age < eighteen. Results Seventeen patients received concurrent tPA and DNase therapy for CPEE in the study period. Two had chest tubes placed prior to current hospitalization and were excluded. Twelve patients (80%) were successfully discharged with clinical resolution of CPEE with medical therapy. One (7%) patient required surgery. No mortality due to pleural sepsis was noted. The median number of concurrent tPA and DNase treatment was two. Median cumulative tPA dose was 8 mg (mean: 14.1±17 mg) and median cumulative DNase dose was 20mg (mean: 19.7 ± 12.2 mg). The median dwell time for the chest tubes was 8.5 days. Our regimen had similar success when compared to MIST 2 and allowed for lesser treatments and cumulative doses. No complication of intrapleural therapy with hemorrhagic conversion of CPEE, or worsening pain leading to discontinuation of therapy was noted. Conclusion The concurrent administration of intrapleural therapy at lower doses than the current standard MIST 2 protocol is practical, efficient and effective. We suggest a higher DNase dose with a lower tPA dose which may further decrease hemorrhagic complications. Further randomized trials are required to establish the optimal dose of intrapleural therapy for CPEE.

A rare case of community acquired serratia lung abscess in a patient with cardiac bronchus.

The incidence of lung abscess caused by Serratia marcescens is extremely low and is only reported in the immunocompromised population. We present a previously healthy woman with Serratia lung abscess in close proximity with an accessory cardiac bronchus. The patient was treated with appropriate antibiotics which led to complete resolution of the lesion. Our case highlights that individuals without medical co-morbidities may develop atypical lung infections like Serratia when associated with anatomic anomalies.