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Background: Open-vent jet nebulizers are frequently used to promote drug deposition in the lung, but their clinical efficacy and indications are not clear. Our study compared lung deposition of amikacin using two different configurations of a jet nebulizer (Sidestream®): one vented (N1) and one unvented with a corrugated piece of tubing (N2). Methods: In vitro nebulizer performance was assessed by laser diffraction and filtering. Lung delivery was evaluated by scintigraphy in baboons as a child model, and by amikacin urinary drug concentration in seven healthy spontaneously breathing volunteers. subjects were randomly assigned to the two nebulizer systems (N1 and N2). Results and conclusions: In vitro results showed a higher efficiency of N2 than N1 in terms of lung deposition prediction (95 ± 3mg vs. 70 ± 0 mg; p < 0.0001). Radioactivity deposition in the baboons' lungs was lower with N1 than with N2 (1.8% vs. 4.7% of nebulizer charge; p < 0.05). The total daily amount of amikacin urinary excretion was lower with N1 than with N2 (29.5mg vs. 40.1 mg; p < 0.01). Conversely, in vivo drug output rate was higher with N1 than with N2 (3.1 mg/min vs. 2.2 mg/min; p < 0.05). Using a corrugated piece of tubing with standard jet nebulizers delivers higher doses to the lungs than open-vent jet nebulizers. The open-vent jet nebulizer might be recommended for rapid administration of a lower dose to the lungs and the standard jet nebulizer with corrugated piece of tubing for a higher dose in the lungs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: It has recently been stated that a database is an essential tool in the management of CF. The purpose of this work is to create a specific database allowing optimal performance of storage, search and retrieval functions on patients with CF. A specific database was developed using a Windev licence, for application via Microsoft supported platforms or Intranet system. The database allows real-time point of care data management of medical, investigational and administrative data. It is currently being used in the 6 Belgian reference centres. It represents a useful tool for gathering information on routine clinical and lab data, bacteriology, treatments, complications and specific outcomes for clinical and research purposes. The ongoing evolution of the database includes enhancements toward research data orientation including comparison of patient data between different centres and completeness of the National CF registry questionnaire. A complimentary copy of the software can be provided to multidisciplinary accredited CF centres worldwide upon request. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Introduction: Home-nebulizers are a potential source of bacterial infection of the respiratory tract in patients suffering from cystic fibrosis. Recommendations for disinfecting this equipment are often arbitrary and sometimes contradictory. Objective: To assess in vitro the effectiveness of 5 methods of disinfecting this equipment. Methods: 160 mouthpieces and 160 masks of nebulizers were artificially and massively contaminated with 16 strains of germs found in patients with cystic fibrosis (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Burkholderia cenocepacia, Alcaligenes xylosoxydans). A controlled comparison was carried out of the five methods of disinfection (hypochlorite solution (0.02% active chlorine), acetic acid 3.5%, Hexanios 0.5%, washing-up detergent 0.5% and a dishwasher), tested with and without drying. Standardised bacteriological sampling took place 4 h after disinfecting. Results: Following treatment, the disappearance of the germ was recorded in 84.1% of cases, and effective disinfecting (reduction>5 log CFU/mL) in another 10.6%. Disinfection failure (5.3%) was found almost only in the case of acetic acid against Staphylococcus aureus. Conclusion: With the exception of acetic acid, the methods of disinfecting tested in this study appeared to be effective against common bacterial pathogens in cystic fibrosis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: So-called intrapulmonary percussive ventilation (IPV), frequently coupled with a nebulizer, is increasingly used as a physiotherapy technique; however, its physiologic and clinical values have not been rigorously assessed.Study Objective: To compare in vitro and in vivo characteristics of the nebulizer of the IPV device (Percussionaire; Percussionaire Corporation; Sandpoint, ID) with those of standard jet nebulization (SST) [SideStream; Medic-Aid; West Sussex, UK].Design: Aerodynamic particle size was studied by an cascade impactor. The deposition of (99m)Tc-diethylenetriaminepenta-acetic acid was measured in 10 healthy subjects by tomoscintigraphy during spontaneous breathing with both nebulizers.Measurements and Results: The mass median aerodynamic diameter (0.2 micro m vs 1.89 micro m for IPV and SST, respectively) and the fine-particle fraction (16.2% vs 67.5%, respectively) were significantly smaller with IPV. In vivo, respiratory frequency (RF) was lower with the IPV device (10.1 +/- 3.4 breaths/min vs 14.6 +/- 3.4 breaths/min, p = 0.002). Whole-body deposition was significantly higher with IPV (15.63% vs 9.31%), but it was due to a higher extrapulmonary deposition. Although intrapulmonary deposition (IPD) was not different with both devices (4.20% for SST vs 2.49% for IPV), it was much more variable with IPV, compared to SST. The penetration index into the lung was higher with IPV than SST when normalized for RF (0.045 +/- 0.018 breaths/min vs 0.026 +/- 0.013 breaths/min, p = 0.007).Conclusion: The two techniques showed comparable lung deposition despite a large difference in particle size. However, IPV IPD was too variable and thus too unpredictable to recommend its use for drug delivery to the lung. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) poses substantial health risks and affects quality of life. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are gaining prominence for their crucial role in early detection and adapting rehabilitation and management decisions. This highlights the need for culturally pertinent versions in different languages, especially when addressing conditions like OD. This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and assess the test-retest reliability of the Sydney Swallow Questionnaire (SSQ), a PROM designed to detect the risk of OD, for Dutch-speaking populations. Materials and Methods: The SSQ was translated and adapted based on Beaton's guidelines. Validity and test-retest reliability were assessed in 100 healthy participants, with a subset of 30 participants assessed over a 15-day interval. Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) values were calculated to determine test-retest reliability. Results: The SSQ-Dutch was well received and well understood, with a median total score of 65.5/1700. Notably, 95% of participants scored below the established dysphagia risk cut-off, consistent with previous validations. The 15-day interval ICC for the SSQ-Dutch total scores was 0.82 (CI 95%: 0.66–0.91), indicating good reliability. While most questions had moderate-to-good reliability, five showed slightly lower ICC. Conclusion: The SSQ-Dutch emerges as a validated and reliable tool for assessing OD risk in Dutch-speaking individuals. Future studies should evaluate its efficacy in symptomatic populations and consider cultural variations in Dutch-speaking regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep sampling (DS) is the gold standard for microbiological diagnosis of post-sternotomy mediastinitis (PSM), however superficial swab (SS) are frequently performed in some centers and antibiotherapy initiated base on their results. We analysed the concordance between superficial swab and deep sampling in PSM. We analysed retrospectively patients with a PSM between 2010 and 2014 at Saint-Luc University hospital (Belgium). We considered that there was a concordance between SS and DS when the same microorganism was found in the two sampling method in each patient. Patients were stratified in six groups according to microbiology results as Staphylococcus Aureus (SA) sensitive or resistant, coagulase negative Staphylococcus (CoNS), Gram negative bacilli (GNB), other Gram positive bacteria (GPB) and fungi. Thirty-six patients were included. Twenty-five men (69%) and a mean age of 66 years old. The overall concordance between SS and DS was 57%. SA and GNB showed high concordance (100% and 85.7% respectively). For the other groups the concordance was low. The sensitivity and specificity of SS was 97% and 33% respectively. The PPV and NPV of superficial swab was 96% and 50% respectively. Microbiological results from SS, even with flocked swabs, except for SA and GNB have low concordance with those obtained from deep sampling. Our data confirm that in PSM, deep sampling is the gold standard for microbiological assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Contamination is a key element in cystic fibrosis. For this reason, nebulizer hygiene is an important, but complex and time-consuming task for cystic fibrosis patients. The aim of this study was to compare different steam disinfection and drying protocols. Methods One hundred nebulizer parts were inoculated with cystic fibrosis-related bacteria in high concentrations ( Burkholderia multivorans 3.9 × 10 10 /ml, Staphylococcus aureus 8.9 × 10 8/ ml and Pseudomonas aeruginosa 2.1 × 10 9 /ml). Tubes with Mycobacterium abscessus complex were additionally tested. Six steam disinfectors were compared. Different methods of drying were examined. Results All tested bacteria were efficiently killed by the different steam disinfectors tested. The risk of contamination depended on the method of drying. Conclusions Steam disinfection is a safe disinfection method. It is better to leave the nebulizers wet after steam disinfection than to manipulate them by active drying, which seems to be a source of recontamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poster: RTT track: Patient preparation, positioning and immobilisation PO-1833: What is the best modality to distract patients during prolonged breath-holds? N. Audag, G. Van Ooteghem, M. Pirenne, G. Liistro, G. Reychler, X. Geets. [Extracted from the article]