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Preventable deaths occur when signs and symptoms of risk and decline are not detected yet are present many hours prior to a deteriorating course. Rapid responses teams (RRTs), also referred to as medical emergency teams (METs) were introduced to improve patient safety by preventing code arrests and death. This research using a case study methodology describes a nurse-led RRT, developed at a large, safety net, teaching hospital in California. Safety-net hospitals are challenged to deliver care and meet the complex needs of vulnerable patient populations. This hospital is a mission driven organization that is focused on the patient and the needs of underserved populations. To respond to the call for reform for patient safety and reduce adverse events, the organization adopted RRTs, early recognition rounds by RRT registered nurses (RNs) and the use of trigger alerts by nursing assistants (NAs) to expand the surveillance and identification of patients most at risk of clinical deterioration. Collaboration with interns and residents (house staff) facilitated their involvement and response to RRT calls. Using quality data from 2005 to 2010, findings from this patient safety innovation address RRT utilization, frequency of non-ICU code arrests, hospital mortality, and post-arrest survival outcomes.

A patient with risk factors of systemic lupus erythematosus, corticosteroid use, and malignancy received a diagnosis of concomitant pneumonia and osteomyelitis caused by Legionella longbeachae. In this report, the first description of Legionella osteomyelitis, previous cases of extrapulmonary Legionella infection are detailed.

Pneumoparotid has been described in patients who generate increased intraoral pressures when playing wind instruments, while coughing, and when undergoing dental work. Some patients have intentionally created pneumoparotid to avoid duties at school or in the military, or to gain attention. We describe a patient who developed pneumoparotid during pulmonary function testing. The diagnosis of pneumoparotid depends on a suggestive clinical situation and glandular swelling with or without crepitus. Observation of aerated saliva per Stensen's duct or air in the parotid duct and/or gland by any imaging study is diagnostic if infection with a gas-forming organism can be reasonably excluded. No specific treatment is required, other than the avoidance of predisposing activities.

Introduction We report what is to the best of our knowledge the second adult case of chylothorax clearly associated with severe hypothyroidism in the English-language medical literature. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of its kind reported without a prior history of malignancy. Case presentation A 37-year-old Hispanic woman with no reported significant past medical history initially presented with shortness of breath and inability to lose weight. She was found to have a large chylous effusion requiring chest-tube drainage, as well as severe hypothyroidism. After several weeks of thyroid hormone-replacement therapy, the formation of chylous pleural fluid in the patient greatly diminished, and the chest tube was removed. Upon long-term follow-up her minimal residual effusion remains stable on serial chest radiographs. Conclusion Although the exact pathophysiologic relation between low thyroid hormone levels and chyle formation remains to be elucidated, hypothyroidism should be a diagnostic consideration in patients with chylous effusions, especially those refractory to conventional treatments.

Cardiac arrest due to hyperkalemia is a known complication of succinylcholine administration in patients with neuromuscular disease, extensive burns, and prolonged immobility. We report a case of hyperkalemic cardiac arrest following the administration of succinylcholine in a patient suffering from wound botulism.

The relationship between tidal volume (VT) and inspiratory duration (TI) displays biphasic characteristics during progressive hypercapnia in humans: an initial phase in which VT increases while TI remains constant (region I) and a subsequent phase with reciprocal decreases of TI as VT continues to increase (region II). Region II behavior is generally attributed, albeit inferentially, to lung volume-mediated inflation inhibition (Breuer-Hering reflex). To investigate this phenomenon, we compared CO2 responses of 10 heart-lung transplant recipients (HL) with normal pulmonary function tests and 13 normal controls. Despite pulmonary denervation, the HL exhibited region II behavior identical to controls. In four additional HL with pulmonary restriction, there were comparative decreases of the region II slope (P less than 0.05), but the absolute VT where the phase change between regions occurred was indistinguishable from the other groups. We conclude that TI shortening in humans during progressive hypercapnia occurs in the absence of pulmonary reflexes. The consistency of the VT associated with phase changes, despite pulmonary denervation, suggests that the stimulus for this behavior is volume displacement of extra-pulmonary respiratory structures.

Previous studies of hypercapnic ventilatory responses (HCVR) in human heart-lung transplant recipients (HLTX) have yielded conflicting results. We compared the HCVR of restricted transplant recipients (HLTX-R) to recipients with normal pulmonary function (HLTX-N), and normal controls (C). HLTX-R exhibited limited tidal volume responses, whereas their frequency responses were essentially identical to those of other subjects. Accordingly, HCVR of HLTX-R (1.45 +/- 0.59 l.min-1.Torr CO2(-1)) were significantly depressed compared with both HLTX-N and C (2.90 +/- 0.55 vs 3.05 +/- 1.23, respectively) (P less than 0.02). Despite undoubtedly greater ventilatory impedances, airway (mouth) occlusion pressure responses (Pm0.1) during hypercarbia of HLTX-R (0.46 +/- 0.28 cmH2O) were similar to those of C (0.43 +/- 0.20) and paradoxically blunted compared with HLTX-N (0.83 +/- 0.36) (P less than 0.02). We conclude that pulmonary reflexes are superfluous for maintenance of HCVR in HLTX with normal respiratory mechanics, whereas the presence of moderate restriction results in profound depression of CO2 responses among these subjects.

Q fever is a bacterial zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii, a unique intracellular coccobacillus, adapted to live within the phagolysosomes of macrophages and monocytes. It is highly infectious, with as little as one organism needed to cause clinical infection, making it an attractive organism for use in biowarfare. Despite its high infectivity, it has low virulence, and most patients undergo only asymptomatic seroconversion. Acute clinical manifestations are a nonspecific febrile illness, pneumonia, hepatitis, and neurologic abnormalities ranging from headache to meningoencephalitis. Chronic Q fever can result in endocarditis, hepatitis, or a chronic fatigue syndrome. Diagnosis usually is made by serology because culture of the highly contagious organism is potentially hazardous. Tetracyclines are the antibiotics of choice. When individualized therapy is possible, a 14- to 21-day course of doxycycline usually is used. In a mass casualty situation, a 5- to 7-day course of doxycycline is recommended, both for therapy and prophylaxis. For chronic infections such as endocarditis, 18 months of doxycycline supplemented with hydroxychloroquine is currently the best therapy.

We wanted to investigate the utility of performing fiberoptic bronchoscopy before bronchial artery embolization in patients with massive hemoptysis.We retrospectively reviewed the cases of all patients with hemoptysis who had presented at either of two local hospitals, one county hospital and one community hospital, between 1988 and 2000 and who had undergone fiberoptic bronchoscopy before bronchial arteriography. All data were abstracted using a standardized coding form, and radiographs were independently reviewed by two of the authors.Twenty-nine patients meeting the inclusion criteria were identified; one patient was excluded because of missing radiographs. The remaining 28 patients consisted of 19 men and nine women, with an average age of 54.6 years (age range, 16-91 years). The clinically determined diagnoses of their symptoms were tuberculous bronchiectasis (n = 14; 50.0%); bronchogenic carcinoma (n = 4; 14.3%); active tuberculosis (n = 2; 7.1%); nontuberculous bronchiectasis (n = 2; 7.1%); active coccidioidomycosis, pancreaticobronchial fistula, arteriovenous malformation, and tetralogy of fallot (n =1 each; 3.6% each); and unknown cause (n = 2; 7.1%). The bleeding site determined through bronchoscopy was consistent with that determined through radiographs in 23 patients (82.1%); all had either unilateral disease (n = 15), bilateral disease with unilateral cavities (n = 5), or a preponderance of disease on one side (n = 3). Bronchoscopy was an essential tool in determining the bleeding site in only three patients (10.7%), all of whom had bronchiectasis without localizing features visible on chest radiographs. In the remaining two patients (7.1%), bronchoscopic findings were indeterminate, but radiographs were helpful.Fiberoptic bronchoscopy before bronchial artery embolization is unnecessary in patients with hemoptysis of known causation if the site of bleeding can be determined from radiographs and no bronchoscopic airways management is needed.

A 31-year-old man with disseminated Coccidioides imitis infection required central catheter placement for access. The patient had an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter placed as a result of previous deep venous thrombosis of the left lower extremity. The guidewire could not be removed following placement of the right internal jugular catheter by the Seldinger technique. Fluoroscopic examination revealed entanglement of the J-tip guidewire in the apex of the IVC filter. The catheter was successfully removed by interventional radiologists using a snare tip catheter through the left femoral vein.

We studied the sensitivity of ISA for diagnosis of second-episode PCP in AIDS patients. We induced sputum in 218 patients who had known or suspected AIDS and who had a presentation suggestive of PCP. All patients with negative sputum smear for PCP underwent BAL. Twenty-five patients were identified who had second-episode PCP at least 30 days after initial diagnosis. Chest roentgenographic infiltrate patterns for these 25 patients were blindly scored as normal, diffuse, upper lobe or focal non-upper lobe. The sensitivity of ISA was 72 percent for the first episode of PCP, 72 percent for the second episode of PCP, 72 percent for patients with second-episode PCP who had initial PCP detected by ISA and 71 percent for patients with second-episode PCP whose first episode of PCP was missed by ISA. Of the ten patients who were treated with AP, only one had a false-negative sputum analysis. A comparison of patients who had second-episode PCP diagnosed by ISA with those who had false-negative sputum analysis showed no difference in time to relapse, chest x-ray film pattern (all diffuse) or use of AP.

Study objectives To determine the optimal number of pleural biopsy (PLBX) specimens for a diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy. Design Retrospective review. Setting County hospital. Methods We reviewed all percutaneous needle biopsy specimens of the parietal pleura in 30 patients who had tuberculous pleurisy. Data are reported as mean±SEM and statistical comparisons are done with the Mann-Whitney test. We accepted p Results The number of biopsy specimens obtained from each patient ranged from 4 to 10 with 1 sample submitted for mycobacterial culture and the rest submitted for histologic study. Sixty percent of patients had pleural cultures positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and 80% had diagnostic histology. Overall pleural biopsy sensitivity (histology and culture) for tuberculous pleurisy was 87%. On average, 40.4% ±4.7% of all PLBX specimens contained pleura. Diagnostic PLBX procedures compared to false-negative procedures produced more tissue specimens (7.1 ±0.3 vs 4.8 ±0.5, p=0.005) containing more pleural specimens (2.4±0.2 vs 0.8 ±0.5, p=0.01). If only PLBX procedures yielding more than six tissue specimens (n=18) or more than two pleural specimens (n=12) were analyzed, then the diagnostic sensitivity of PLBX for pleural tuberculosis was 100%. There seemed to be a direct relationship between the sensitivity of PLBX and the number of specimens submitted. Conclusions The sensitivity of percutaneous needle biopsy for diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy is highest when more than six specimens are obtained which, on average, contain more than two specimens of parietal pleura. There are no conclusive data indicating how many tissue specimens to submit for mycobacterial culture, but one specimen seems sufficient.

Study objective To compare the diagnostic sensitivity of a modified Abrams needle pleural biopsy technique (Al) with the standard Abrams (A2) and Cope needle biopsy methods. The modified Abrams pleural biopsy technique consisted of suctioning each tissue sample into a syringe without removing the needle completely from the chest until the completion of the entire procedure. Both the standard Abrams and Cope needle techniques required needle removal from the chest after each pleural biopsy. Design Retrospective chart analysis. Setting Community teaching hospital affiliated with Stanford University. Patients Forty-seven patients (30 men and 17 women) with a mean age of 44.5 years (range, 19 to 81 years) who were referred to a pulmonary consultation service for pleural biopsy. Interventions Two of us (C.M.K. and F.T.K.) used the modified Abrams technique and two of us (W.A.J. and A.C.C.) used the standard Abrams technique. The Cope needle was used as originally described. Measurements We recorded the type of pleural biopsy needle and technique used in each patient. Biopsy specimen diameter and number of tissue samples obtained, final diagnoses, and complications were recorded. Results The diagnostic sensitivity for tuberculous pleurisy was 82% for the modified Abrams method, 71% for the standard Abrams method, and 88% for the standard Cope technique (p≥0.3). There was no difference in size of tissue sample obtained (Al vs A2), number of biopsies, or complications among the three methods of pleural biopsy. Conclusions The modified method of Abrams needle biopsy demonstrates a diagnostic sensitivity for pleural tuberculosis (82%) that is equivalent to that for the standard Abrams or Cope methods.

Tuberculous otitis media (TOM) is a rare cause of chronic suppurative infection of the middle ear and mastoid. The increasing incidence of tuberculosis in the United States may be associated with more cases of TOM than recognized previously. Patients typically have a chronic tympanic membrane perforation and ear drainage associated with progressive and profound hearing loss. The correct diagnosis starts with consideration of the disease in a patient with a chronic middle ear infection that is unresponsive to routine therapy. TOM should be strongly considered in patients with known or suspected tuberculosis and a chronic ear infection; however, the lack of evidence of tuberculosis elsewhere does not exclude the possibility of TOM. Appropriate evaluation for TOM includes a chest film, purified protein derivative (PPD) skin testing, and smears or cultures of otic secretions for mycobacteria. Operative biopsy may be required. Facial nerve paralysis is highly suggestive of TOM. Medical therapy with antituberculous drugs is usually effective, and surgery is rarely needed.

A 56-year-old diabetic man presented with left upper lobe collapse and postobstructive pneumonitis. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy revealed an endobronchial mass obstructing the left mainstem bronchus. The lesion resembled a bronchial adenoma; however, cytologic and histologic examination revealed invasive mucormycosis. The patient was treated with intravenous amphotericin B followed by endoscopic laser surgery that relieved the obstruction.

Study objective To evaluate the prevalence and response to therapy of Strongyloides stercoralis infection in immigrant patients with asthma from areas endemic for Strongyloides. Design and interventions In all patients, we performed a complete history and physical examination, complete blood cell counts (CBC), S stercoralis serologic tests, spirometry, and evaluated three stool samples for ova and parasites. Patients treated for S stercoralis infection had follow-up CBC, spirometry, serologic tests, and at least three additional stool examinations to confirm eradication of the parasite. Setting Ambulatory and hospitalized patients who were referred to the respiratory medicine clinic of a general hospital for the evaluation and treatment of asthma. Patients Forty-five asthmatic adults, representing 12 endemic countries, ranging in age from 20 to 76 years, were prospectively evaluated. Results Six of 45 patients were infected with S stercoralis , which yielded a prevalence of 13 percent. The patients with asthma and S stercoralis infection had higher blood eosinophil counts (p=0.006) and were younger (p=0.006) compared with patients with only asthma. There was no difference in the duration of asthma, spirometry, or steroid use between the two groups. Patients with S stercoralis and asthma tended to be more recent immigrants (p=0.05). Five of the six patients with S stercoralis agreed to be treated with thiabendazole but only four returned for follow-up evaluation. All four patients had eradication of S stercoralis infection confirmed by negative stool examinations and a decline in S stercoralis serology (160 ± 25 percent vs 13 ± 13 percent, p=0.03). All four patients had a decline in total blood eosinophil counts (2,476 ±832 cells per cubic millimeter vs 551 ± 138 cells per cubic millimeter, p=0.03) without a clinical improvement in asthma. Conclusions Our data suggest that patients with asthma from areas endemic for S stercoralis , who have elevated peripheral blood eosinophil counts, should be screened for S stercoralis infection. Successful eradication of S stercoralis , however, may not result in a clinical improvement of asthma.

We investigated the outcome and potential cost savings of a system designed to limit physician access to induced sputum analysis (ISA) for the diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP). Four respiratory medicine physicians screened all requests for ISA to determine the pretest likelihood of PCP. Twenty-two of 102 requests for ISA over a 1-year period were denied due to a low clinical suspicion for PCP. Seven individuals had a definitive alternative diagnosis confirmed and the remaining 15 were empirically treated for a presumptive diagnosis. All individuals were followed for at least 60 days or until death. None of the 22 individuals developed PCP during the follow-up period. We estimate that this approach saved $27,474, avoided exposure of health care workers to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and was educational for the referring physicians.

The frequent occurrence of bronchospasm due to aerosolized pentamidine (AP) may reduce delivery of drugs to distal airways and produce symptoms that limit therapy. This study performed spirometric measurements before and after AP treatment in 30 human immunodeficiency virus seropositive patients over 18 months. Patients reporting symptoms of bronchospasm were treated with prophylactic beta-agonist aerosol before subsequent AP treatment. Forty percent of patients reported symptoms. This group had significant declines in forced expiratory volume in 1 second associated with AP, whereas the asymptomatic group had no decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second. Bronchodilator prophylaxis eliminated AP-induced symptoms and spirometric changes. Baseline spirometry did not change after five monthly treatments. The close relationship between symptoms and acute spirometric changes, the lack of progressive airway obstruction due to AP, and the reliable response to beta-agonist therapy make a symptom-based approach to treatment possible.

Human heart-lung transplantation recipients (HL) are models for the effects of selective lower respiratory tract denervation. We used a series resistor to examine thresholds of inspiratory flow resistance perception among 16 HL in comparison with 15 normal control subjects (C) and 12 heart transplant recipients (H). HL and C were closely age matched. H subjects were older and had mildly reduced lung volumes compared with the other groups. The perception threshold was defined as the added resistance (delta R) detected by subjects at 50% of random, blinded presentations. These delta R were subsequently expressed as a fraction of the airway resistance of the subject and baseline resistance of the apparatus (delta R/Raw + Rapparatus), otherwise known as the Weber fraction. The mean +/- SEM Weber fractions were nearly identical for HL and C (0.32 +/- 0.05 versus 0.34 +/- 0.05, respectively). The Weber fraction of H (0.74 +/- 0.17) was significantly greater than those of both other groups (p less than 0.05 by Kruskal-Wallis test). We conclude that lower respiratory tract afferents do not play a significant role in the perception of inspiratory resistive loads. The finding of an abnormally high Weber fraction in the heart transplant population remains unexplained but may be a function of age or restrictive pulmonary defects.

To evaluate the effects of chronic pulmonary denervation on ventilatory control, we compared the hypercarbic ventilatory responses (HCVR) of 12 human heart-lung transplant recipients (HL) and 24 normal control subjects (C). The six male HL were subsequently compared with eight male heart transplant recipients (H), as well as the 12 male C. All subjects had normal spirometry, but lung volumes of both transplant groups were somewhat less than those of C. The HCVR of HL and C were indistinguishable (2.68 +/- 0.28 versus 2.71 +/- 0.22 L/min/mm Hg, respectively). The increment of mouth occlusion pressure (delta Pm0.1/delta CO2), however, was markedly greater in HL (P much less than 0.01). The three male groups also had equivalent HCVR, and again, the HL had an increased delta Pm0.1/delta CO2. HL men exhibited larger increments of VT and decreased frequency responses during CO2 rebreathing than did male C and H, although these differences were statistically significant only in the comparison between the transplant groups. We conclude that HL with normal spirometry have appropriate HCVR, despite pulmonary denervation. Pm0.1 responses of these subjects are increased, however, reflecting either a compensatory response to greater respiratory impedances or an occult alteration of ventilatory mechanics. Moreover, compared with subjects with similar pulmonary function, e.g., heart transplant recipients, the breathing pattern of HL during progressive hypercarbia is consistent with the absence of vagal-mediated inflation inhibition.

We investigated whether serum lactate dehydrogenase activity (LD) is significantly elevated in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) when compared to patients with non-Pneumocystis pneumonia. We measured LD (U/L), blood total lymphocyte count (1,000/cu mm), and alveolar-arterial oxygen tension difference P(A-a)O2 (mm Hg), in 30 patients with AIDS and PCP (group 1), four patients with AIDS or AIDS-related complex (ARC) and non-Pneumocystis pneumonia (NPCP) (group 2), and seven patients with pneumococcal pneumonia and bacteremia (PPB) (group 3). In patients with AIDS and PCP, LD was 509 ± 35 (mean ± SE),. which was significantly elevated in comparison to both AIDS/ARC patients with NPCP (228 ± 21) (p