Search Results (3)

COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) can be associated with extensive lung damage, pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum and, in severe cases, persistent air leaks (PALs) via bronchopleural fistulae (BPF). PALs can impede weaning from invasive ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). We present a series of patients requiring veno-venous ECMO for COVID-19 ARDS who underwent endobronchial valve (EBV) management of PAL. This is a single-centre retrospective observational study. Data were collated from electronic health records. Patients treated with EBV met the following criteria: ECMO for COVID-19 ARDS; the presence of BPF causing PAL; air leak refractory to conventional management preventing ECMO and ventilator weaning. Between March 2020 and March 2022, 10 out of 152 patients requiring ECMO for COVID-19 developed refractory PALs, which were successfully treated with bronchoscopic EBV placement. The mean age was 38.3 years, 60% were male, and half had no prior co-morbidities. The average duration of air leaks prior to EBV deployment was 18 days. EBV placement resulted in the immediate cessation of air leaks in all patients with no peri-procedural complications. Weaning of ECMO, successful ventilator recruitment and removal of pleural drains were subsequently possible. A total of 80% of patients survived to hospital discharge and follow-up. Two patients died from multi-organ failure unrelated to EBV use. This case series presents the feasibility of EBV placement in severe parenchymal lung disease with PAL in patients requiring ECMO for COVID-19 ARDS and its potential to expedite weaning from both ECMO and mechanical ventilation, recovery from respiratory failure and ICU/hospital discharge. Full article

Background: Multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (MDR-PTB) has become a major cause of high morbidity and mortality related to TB. Conventional drug regimens are ineffective for the treatment of MDR-PTB patients with cavities. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of one-way endobronchial valves (EBVs) for the treatment of cavities in MDR-PTB patients. Methods: MDR-PTB patients with positive sputum cultures, sputum smears, and cavities were treated with EBVs in the drainage bronchus of the pulmonary cavity between November 2013 and March 2018. The participants comprised those who had failed previous anti-tuberculosis therapy, as determined by drug susceptibility testing. Results: Thirty-five MDR-PTB patients were included, three of whom were lost during follow-up. The size of the lung cavity was reduced in all of the patients after EBV implantation, including the three lost to follow-up. In the remaining 32 patients, the sputum culture conversion (SCC) rate reached 100%, and the cavity closure rate was 68.8%. There were no significant differences in the cavity closure rate between patients aged ≤40 and >40 years, between the upper and lower lobes, or between the use and non-use of linezolid groups (p > 0.05). Interestingly, the cavity closure rate was higher in women than in men (p = 0.005). Moreover, the cavity closure rate correlated with the time to SCC (correlation coefficient, 0.8933; p < 0.0001). There were no severe adverse events in the patients treated with EBV implantation. Conclusion: EBV installation is effective and safe for the treatment of cavities in MDR-PTB patients. The efficacy of EBV treatment may not be affected by age, disease course, or the location of the lung lobe in the cavity. Full article

Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) by endobronchial valve (EBV) implantation has been shown to improve dyspnea, pulmonary function, exercise capacity, and quality of life in highly selected patients with severe emphysema and hyperinflation. The most frequent adverse event is a pneumothorax (PTX), occurring in approximately one-fifth of the cases due to intrathoracic volume shifts. The majority of these incidents are observed within 48 h post-procedure. However, the delayed occurrence of PTX after hospital discharge is a matter of concern. There is currently no approved concept for its prevention. Particularly, it is unknown whether and when respiratory manoeuvers such as spirometry post EBV treatment are feasible and safe. As per standard operating procedure at the University Hospital Zurich, early spirometry is scheduled after BLVR and prior to the discharge of the patient in order to monitor treatment success. The aim of our retrospective study was to investigate the feasibility and safety of early spirometry. In addition, we hypothesized that early spirometry could be useful to identify patients at risk for late PTX, which may occur after hospital discharge. All patients who underwent BLVR using EBVs between January 2018 and January 2020 at our hospital were enrolled in this study. After excluding 16 patients diagnosed post-procedure with PTX and four patients for other reasons, early spirometry was performed in 61 cases. There was neither a clinically relevant PTX during or after early spirometry nor a late PTX following hospital discharge. In conclusion, we found early spirometry, conducted not sooner than three days following EBV treatment, to be feasible and safe. Furthermore, early spirometry seems to be a useful predictor for successful BLVR, and it may help to decide whether a patient can be discharged. Given the small sample size and the retrospective design of our study, a prospective study that includes routine chest imaging after early spirometry to definitively exclude PTX is needed to recommend early spirometry as part of the standard protocol following EBV treatment. Full article