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Background: Patients with chronic respiratory disease have low exercise capacity and limited physical activity (PA), which is associated with worsening dyspnoea, exacerbations, and quality of life. The literature regarding patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (non-CF BQ) is scarce, especially regarding the use of cardiopulmonary exercise tests (CPET) to assess the effects of home-based pulmonary rehabilitation programmes (HPRP). The aim was to evaluate the effect of an HPRP on the exercise capacity of non-CF BQ patients using CPET and PA using an accelerometer., Methods: Our study describes a non-pharmacological clinical trial in non-CF BQ patients at the Virgen Macarena University Hospital (Seville, Spain). The patients were randomised into two groups: a control group (CG), which received general advice on PA and educational measures, and the intervention group (IG), which received a specific 8-week HPRP with two hospital sessions. The variables included were those collected in the CPET, the accelerometer, and others such as a 6 min walking test (6MWT) and dyspnoea. The data were collected at baseline and at an 8-week follow-up., Results: After the intervention, there was a significant increase in peak VO 2 in the IG, which was not evidenced in the GC (IG 66.8 ± 15.5 mL/min p = 0.001 vs. CG 62.2 ± 14.14 mL/min, p = 0.30). As well, dyspnoea according to the mMRC (modified Medical Research Council), improved significantly in IG (2.19 ± 0.57 to 1.72 ± 0.05, p = 0.047) vs. CG (2.07 ± 0.7 to 2.13 ± 0.64, p = 0.36). In addition, differences between the groups in walked distance (IG 451.19 ± 67.99 m, p = 0.001 vs. CG 433.13 ± 75.88 m, p = 0.981) and in physical activity (IG 6591 ± 3482 steps, p = 0.007 vs. CG 4824 ± 3113 steps, p = 0.943) were found., Conclusion: Participation in a specific HPRP improves exercise capacity, dyspnoea, walked distance, and PA in non-CF BQ patients.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a complex and heterogeneous disease, with pulmonary and extrapulmonary manifestations, which leads to the need to personalize the assessment and treatment of these patients. The latest updates of national and international guidelines for the management of COPD reveal the importance of respiratory rehabilitation (RR) and its role in improving symptoms, quality of life, and psychosocial sphere of patients. Within RR, the inspiratory muscle training (IMT) has received special interest, showing benefits in maximum inspiratory pressure, perception of well-being, and health status in patients with chronic heart disease, respiratory diseases, and dyspnea during exercise. The aim of this review is to assess the efficacy of IMT in COPD patients through the use of inspiratory muscle training devices, compared with respiratory rehabilitation programs without inspiratory muscle training. In the last years, many mechanical devices focused on inspiratory muscle training have been developed, some of them, such as the AirOFit PRO™, PowerBreath ® , or FeelBreathe ® , have shown clear benefits. The active search for candidate patients to undergo the RR program with inspiratory muscle training using this type of device in COPD patients represents an advance in the treatment of this disease, with direct benefits on the quality of life of the patients. In this article, we review the available evidence on IMT in these patients and describe the different devices used for it.

This study compared the response of a 9-week cycling training on ventilatory efficiency under two conditions: (i) Combined with respiratory muscle training (RMT) using a new nasal restriction device (FeelBreathe) (FB group) and (ii) without RMT (Control group). Eighteen healthy elite cyclists were randomly separated into the FB group ( n = 10) or Control group ( n = 8). Gas exchange was measured breath by breath to measure ventilatory efficiency during an incremental test on a cycloergometer before (Pre) and after (Post) the nine weeks of training. The FB group showed higher peak power (Δ (95%HDI) (0.82 W/kg (0.49, 1.17)), VO 2 max (5.27 mL/kg/min (0.69, 10.83)) and VT 1 (29.3 W (1.8, 56.7)) compared to Control at Post FINAL . The FB group showed lower values from Pre to Post PRE in minute ventilation (VE) (-21.0 L/min (-29.7, -11.5)), Breathing frequency (BF) (-5.1 breaths/min (-9.4, -0.9)), carbon dioxide output (VCO 2 ) (-0.5 L/min (-0.7, -0.2)), respiratory equivalents for oxygen (EqO 2 ) (-0.8 L/min (-2.4, 0.8)), heart rate (HR) (-5.9 beats/min (-9.2, -2.5)),, respiratory exchange ratio (RER) (-0.1 (-0.1, -0.0) and a higher value in inspiratory time (Tin) (0.05 s (0.00, 0.10)), expiratory time (Tex) (0.11 s (0.05, 0.17)) and end-tidal partial pressure of CO 2 ( PETCO 2 ) (0.3 mmHg (0.1, 0.6)). In conclusion, RMT using FB seems to be a new and easy alternative ergogenic tool which can be used at the same time as day-to-day training for performance enhancement.

During the natural history of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an increase in symptom severity can occur, called exacerbated COPD (ECOPD), sometimes requiring hospital admission. Although there is ongoing debate on the definition of ECOPD--leading to a lack of homogeneity in the numerous studies performed--exacerbations negatively affect patients, producing clinical and pulmonary function deterioration in the long term. Exacerbations also decrease quality of life in the medium- and long-term and have a high social and health cost, especially during hospital admission. Finally, ECOPD increases mortality in patients in the short-term, during hospital admission, and after discharge. In view of all of the above, prevention of ECOPD has become one of the main objectives in these patients., (Copyright © 2010 Sociedad Española de Neumología y Cirugía Torácica. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)

There have been significant advances in the knowledge in the thoracic and extrathoracic aspects of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the past few years. COPD is associated with numerous comorbidities, the prevalences of which have recently been evaluated. Dyspnea has been shown to be associated with neuropsychiatric disturbances, such as anxiety. Muscular dysfunction has been associated with inflammation and oxidative stress, in which respiratory muscle satellite cells play an important role in repair. Respiratory rehabilitation and physiotherapy must form an important part of individualised patient treatment analogous to the pharmacological treatment. As regards acute exacerbations, infection is the cause of 75% of them, sputum characteristics and the suspicion of Pseudomonad being key factors in the antibiotic treatment. Questions, such as markers which can detect the origin of the infection, prognostic factors, or the role of short stay pneumology units, are of particular importance. The variability in COPD treatments and the lack of suitable international clinical guidelines, continue to be subjects of debate. To the poor use of the treatment schemes in the guidelines, can be added the irregular uses of inhaled medication, the insufficient use of medical advice or the low intervention in cigarette smoking in all age groups.

We describe a case of lung carcinosarcoma in a 70-years-old patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Pulmonary carcinosarcoma is an unfrequent lung tumor, and usually histologic diagnosis is carried out by microscopic examination of the resected tumor. We observed these situation in our patient that was diagnosed of squamous cell carcinoma before the surgical resection by transthoracic needle aspiration. One month after surgery he developed a lesion in the infranasal area that was identified as a skin metastasis of lung carcinosarcoma. There is no previously reported case of skin metastasis of this rare tumor of the lung, that contain an admixture of malignant epithelial and mesenchymal elements. Clinical symptoms of pulmonary carcinosarcomas are not different from other lung tumors. The treatment when it is possible is the surgical resection of the tumor. We review histologic, diagnostic and therapeutic features of lung carcinosarcomas.

The effect on walking of portable liquid oxygen therapy (PLOT), which involves carrying a tank, remains unclear. Our aim was to evaluate the repercussion of PLOT on performance in the 6 minute walking test. We enrolled 30 patients receiving home oxygen therapy in a randomized crossover study, collecting data on arterial blood gases at baseline, spirometry, and performance on the 6 minute walking test at baseline and at later sessions with PLOT and with compressed air simulating oxygen. During the tests we measured peak heart rate, distance walked and time that oxygen saturation remained over 89%. For compressed air, no improvement over baseline values was observed for any of the parameters measured. During the PLOT tests, however, patients walked farther than at baseline and arterial oxygen saturation rose to the prescribed flow rate. Dyspnea was not significantly affected.

Pneumonia in patients with organ transplantation constitutes a very frequent cause of mortality, as a result precocious aetiologic diagnosis is indispensable. The bronchoscopic techniques, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and transbronchial biopsy (TBB), constitute fundamental procedures for these diagnoses. We begin this study with the aim of evaluating the profitability obtained with these procedures. 36 bronchoscopies were performed on 29 patients with organ transplantation, in all of them we realized BAL and in 20 TBB. We confirm the presence of pneumonia in 30 (in 15 of them we had performed TBB), the BAL was diagnostic in 20 cases (66.6%) and the TBB in 7 (46.6%). With both, BAL and TBB, we obtained a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 75%. We isolated 10 bacteria, 8 Citomegalovirus (CMV), 6 Pneumocystis carinii and 2 Aspergillus fumigatus. The BAL and the TBB contributed significantly in the aetiologic diagnosis of pneumonia in patients with organ transplantation, consequently we consider them basic tools in the management of these infections.

We report 4 cases of idiopathic bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia. With this motive, we asses the clinical and radiologic features, lung function tests and response to treatment of our cases. Our findings, in general, are coincident with other authors. It's an entity with nonspecific respiratory symptoms that one must suspect in presence of alveolar patchy opacities on chest roentgenogram that do not respond to antibiotics. The diagnosis is based on histopathologic findings with lung biopsy and the treatment on corticosteroids, with favorable evolution in the majority of the cases.