Bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia. A community hospital experience.

We reviewed our experience with bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia (BPP) over a 1-year period at a 600-bed community teaching hospital; 26 cases were identified. The mean age was 57.5 years and there were 12 male and 14 female subjects. Cough, sputum production, fever, and mental status changes were the most frequent symptoms. Risk factors included drug abuse in 10, HIV in 4, current smoking in 7, diabetes in 3, and cancer in 3. The mean PaO2/FIo2 ratio was 274. Radiographic features included a consolidation pattern in 7, bronchopneumonia in 15, combined in 1, and an initial normal film in 3. Average length of stay (LOS) was 11 days with an overall mortality of 11.5%. Four patients required mechanical ventilation, two meeting the criteria for ARDS (if this group were eliminated, LOS would be 8.4 days). Three of these survived. Four patients had organisms resistant to penicillin and all survived. We conclude that (1) BPP remains a serious but treatable infection particularly when utilizing full supportive care; (2) the bronchopneumonia x-ray film pattern was associated with all the mortality; and (3) the occurrence of penicillin resistance did not contribute to the mortality, since early recognition and the use of appropriate antibiotics saved all of these patients.

The role of staging bronchoscopy in the preoperative assessment of a solitary pulmonary nodule.

In order to assess the role of a staging fiberoptic bronchoscopy in the preoperative assessment of an indeterminate solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN), we reviewed our experience in 33 SPNs identified among 1,269 bronchoscopies performed at the Albert Einstein Medical Center between 1985 and 1989. All lesions were less than 4 cm in greatest diameter and were not associated with symptoms of weight loss, chest pain, hemoptysis, localized wheezing, or hoarseness. A tissue diagnosis was established in 25 patients, 23 of whom had a malignant SPN. This study failed to detect a single case in which a fiberoptic bronchoscopic examination of the airway discovered a lesion that would preclude surgery and potentially curative resection. We recommend the abandonment of a staging bronchoscopy in the evaluation of a patient with an indeterminant SPN in whom history, physical examination, laboratory, and imaging studies fail to document contraindications to surgery. No additional useful information is derived and a substantial cost savings to the patient can be realized if the procedure is eliminated.

Vena cava filters: a nursing perspective.

Healthcare professionals increasingly are using vena cava filters to prevent pulmonary emboli (PE) in patients with cancer. Patients with cancer are predisposed to developing thrombosis and subsequent PE for a variety of reasons. These patients commonly have contraindications to anticoagulant therapy because of their disease or cancer treatment; therefore, vena cava filters are an appealing option for managing potential emboli. This article describes the etiologies of thrombosis in patients with cancer; problems associated with conventional anticoagulant therapy; vena cava filters and placement procedures; complications associated with filter placement; and related nursing implications pre- and postinsertion and during long-term follow-up.

Utility of immediate postlobectomy fiberoptic bronchoscopy in preventing atelectasis.

In a prospective randomized trial, we examined the value of routine postlobectomy fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) in preventing postoperative atelectasis. Twenty patients who underwent lobectomy were randomly assigned to either chest physical therapy alone (group 1) or immediate bronchoscopy (group 2). Both group 1 and group 2 were placed on a standard physical therapy regimen consisting of aerosol bronchodilator therapy, chest percussion, and incentive spirometry. It was concluded that routine postlobectomy bronchoscopy offers no advantage over the usual physical therapy measures in preventing the development of postoperative atelectasis.

Clinical diagnosis of massive hemoptysis using the fiberoptic bronchoscope.

Pulmonary resection, when possible, is the conventional treatment of massive hemoptysis. Alternatives include bronchial artery embolization, Fogarty catheter balloon tamponade, and pharmacologic approaches. We used endotracheal intubation and flexible bronchoscopy to locate the bleeding site in three of four patients with massive hemoptysis. These cases are used to review the etiology of massive hemoptysis and the usefulness of flexible bronchoscopy to localize the source of hemorrhage.

Histamine-induced pulmonary edema distal to pulmonary arterial occlusion.

Histological studies provide evidence that the bronchial veins are a site of leakage in histamine-induced pulmonary edema, but the physiological importance of this finding is not known. To determine if a lung perfused by only the bronchial arteries could develop pulmonary edema, we infused histamine for 2 h in anesthetized sheep with no pulmonary arterial blood flow to the right lung. In control sheep the postmortem extravascular lung water volume (EVLW) in both the right (occluded) and left (perfused) lung was 3.7 +/- 0.4 ml X g dry lung wt-1. Following histamine infusion, EVLW increased to 4.4 +/- 0.7 ml X g dry lung wt-1 in the right (occluded) lung (P less than 0.01) and to 5.3 +/- 1.0 ml X g dry wt-1 in the left (perfused) lung (P less than 0.01). Biopsies from the right (occluded) lungs scored for the presence of edema showed a significantly higher score in the lungs that received histamine (P less than 0.02). Some leakage from the pulmonary circulation of the right lung, perfused via anastomoses from the bronchial circulation, cannot be excluded but should be modest considering the low pressures in the pulmonary circulation following occlusion of the right pulmonary artery. These data show that perfusion via the pulmonary arteries is not a requirement for the production of histamine-induced pulmonary edema.

Is pulmonary artery catheterization necessary for the diagnosis of pulmonary edema?

The ability to differentiate cardiac from permeability edema on the basis of clinical and radiographic criteria was studied in 70 ICU patients in whom subsequent pulmonary artery catheterization (PAC) was performed. Our study demonstrated that the clinical assessment of permeability pulmonary edema was correct in 17 of 20 patients (85%). In contrast, of the 50 patients initially suspected of having cardiac edema, only 31 (62%) were predicted correctly (p less than 0.05). Complications relating to catheterization occurred in 25% of patients, with 3 deaths. We conclude that the diagnosis of cardiogenic pulmonary edema, based on clinical criteria alone, is often inaccurate in the intensive care setting. The failure of patients to respond to initial therapy should mandate pulmonary artery catheterization, despite the attendant risks. Furthermore, even though the clinical diagnosis is correct in 85% of patients with permeability pulmonary edema, PAC data may be necessary for optimal management.