Forced Oscillation Measurements in Patients with Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonia Subjected to Pulmonary Rehabilitation.

(1) Background: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) plays a significant therapeutic role for patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP). The study assessed the impact of physical activity on lung function measured by forced oscillation technique (FOT). (2) Methods: The study involved 48 patients with IIP subjected to a 3-week inpatient PR. The control group included IIP patients (n = 44) on a 3-week interval without PR. All patients were assessed at baseline and after 3 weeks of PR by FOT, spirometry, plethysmography, grip strength measurement and the 6-minute walk test. (3) Results: There were no significant changes in FOT measurements in the PR group, except for reduced reactance at 11 Hz, observed in both groups (p < 0.05). Patients who completed PR significantly improved their 6-min walk distance (6MWD) and forced vital capacity (FVC). The change in 6MWD was better in patients with higher baseline reactance (p = 0.045). (4) Conclusions: Patients with IIP benefit from PR by an increased FVC and 6MWD; however, no improvement in FOT values was noticed. Slow disease progression was observed in the study and control groups, as measured by reduced reactance at 11 Hz. Patients with lower baseline reactance limitations achieve better 6MWD improvement.

A prolonged steroid therapy may be beneficial in some patients after the COVID-19 pneumonia.

INTRODUCTION: This report introduces two cases presenting absorption of considerable radiological changes in the course of the coronavirus pneumonia in patients treated with prolonged oral steroids.CASES: The first case concerns a male receiving steroids only during hospitalisation in the Infectious Disease Hospital. After discharge, the patient experienced increasing dyspnoea resulting in hospitalisation in our Department of Lung Diseases. HRCT revealed progression of a bilateral, middle, and basal ground-glass opacity when compared to the examination performed at the early stage of the disease. The supplementary oxygen therapy and steroids were administered, followed by extended prednisone consumption up to 2 months after discharge. Follow-up HRCT revealed an almost complete absorption of the ground-glass opacity. The second case concerns a male treated with steroids only during hospitalisation in the Infectious Disease Hospital. Chest CT revealed widespread bilateral ground-glass opacities with consolidations. After discharge with no treatment, he suffered from severe dyspnoea and exercise intolerance, resulting in hospitalisation on the 7th day of home stay. Since then, a continued steroid treatment was administered resulting in a clinical, spirometric, and radiological improvement.CONCLUSIONS: Based on these observations, patients after the COVID-pneumonia may derive benefits from a prolonged steroid treatment. Therefore, this class of medications should be considered in SARS-CoV-2 patients, especially in patients with persistent radiological changes and dyspnoea requiring the supplementary oxygen therapy. However, randomised controlled trials are required to establish guidelines for the steroid treatment in this group of patients.

Comparison of the diagnostic effectiveness between an expert and a student in the diagnosis of sarcoidosis by transbronchial biopsy of mediastinal lymph nodes under the control of endosonography.

INTRODUCTION: Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) of mediastinal lymph nodes is currently considered to be the most effective minimally invasive diagnostic method in patients with suspected stage I and II sarcoidosis. However, diagnostic effectiveness depends on the experience and skills of the doctor which is dependent on the number of correctly performed procedures. The aim of the study is to compare the diagnostic effectiveness of the EBUS-TBNA test obtained by an expert in this field vs that of his student. MATERIAL AND METHODS: in patients with a clinical and radiological suspicion of sarcoidosis, EBUS-TBNA procedures were performed by an expert (over 1000 previously performed tests) and by his student who completed basic training (15 procedures performed). In the expert's opinion, the student was experienced enough to perform the EBUS-TBNA on his own. Previously, more than 100 conventional fibreoptic bronchoscopies had been performed by the student. During that time, he had been working in the department of pulmonary diseases and tuberculosis for two years. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), positive likelihood ratio (LR+), negative likelihood ratio (LR-), and accuracy of the EBUS-TBNA test in diagnosing sarcoidosis were calculated. Statistical evaluation was made using ROC curves for the expert and for the student. RESULTS: The study included 215 patients between 22-68 years of age with suspected sarcoidosis who were diagnosed between 2013-2016. 124 EBUS-TBNA tests were performed by the expert, and 91 procedures were performed by the student. The presence of sarcoid granulomas was confirmed by a biopsy in 165 (76.7%) patients. In terms of the diagnosis of sarcoidosis, a higher sensitivity and accuracy of the EBUS test was found in the procedures done by the expert (76.7% and 95.3%, respectively) as compared to the results obtained by the student (66.1% and 93.1%, respectively). However, these differences were not statistically significant (p = 0.11). All tests were assessed in a hospital pathology unit, but not necessarily by one person, which may be a limitation of our research. In this study, only cytological smears were taken into consideration. CONCLUSIONS: In the diagnosis of sarcoidosis, the student, after appropriate training by an expert, achieved a comparable level of diagnostic effectiveness with EBUS-TBNA after performing 90 tests independently.

Hyponatraemia - evaluation of prevalence in patients hospitalized in the Pulmonary Department and prognostic significance in lung cancer patients.

INTRODUCTION: It is known from clinical practice that data concerning plasma sodium concentration and its influence on patient prognosis are underestimated. The aim of this study was the evaluation of the prevalence and influence of hyponatraemia on prognosis in patients with lung diseases, particularly with lung cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of data obtained from a single Pulmonary Department was performed. A total of 449 patients divided in two groups, were analysed. The first group consisted of all lung cancer patients (n = 290) hospitalized in the analysed period. The second group included patients with hyponatraemia but without diagnosed lung cancer (n = 159). The prevalence of hyponatraemia, including severity (mild, moderate or severe), was evaluated. Histological types of lung cancer as well as comorbidities were taken into account. RESULTS: Hyponatraemia was found in 46.9% of patients with lung cancer, including mild (serum sodium 135-130 mEq/L), moderate (129-125 mEq/L) and severe hyponatraemia (< 125 mEq/L) in 66.9%, 25% and 8.1, respectively. In patients without lung cancer and with recognized hyponatraemia, mild, moderate and severe hyponatraemia were found in 81.8%, 13.2% and 5%, respectively (mainly in obstructive and interstitial lung diseases). Hyponatraemia was observed in 52.6% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and in 45.2% of patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). There was no statistical significance in prevalence of hyponatraemia between histological types of lung cancer. In patients with lung cancer and hyponatraemia compared to patients with lung cancer but without hyponatraemia, a significant increase of in-hospital mortality was found (28.7% vs. 7.8%, respectively) p < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: Hyponatraemia was a common abnormality found in approximately 50% of lung cancer patients. Hyponatraemia was a significant prognostic factor associated with poor prognosis.