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To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2005.06.041 Byline: Bartolome R. Celli (a), R.J. Halbert (b), Robert J. Nordyke (c), Brigitte Schau (d) Keywords: Environmental exposure; Obstructive lung diseases; Prevalence; Risk factors; Socioeconomic factors; Smoking Abstract: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is usually described as a disease of cigarette smoking. COPD is rarely considered in persons with no smoking history except in the context of another exposure. Accordingly, the disease has not been well characterized in these 'never smokers.' Author Affiliation: (a) Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, Tufts University Medical School, Boston, Mass (b) Cerner Health Insights, Beverly Hills, and Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles, Calif (c) Department of Health Services, UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles, Calif (d) Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Ingelheim, Germany Article History: Received 17 February 2005; Revised 17 June 2005; Accepted 17 June 2005 Article Note: (footnote) This project was supported by Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH and Pfizer Inc.

A 72-year-old lady with an invasive subglottic tumour presented with stridor requiring surgical debulking of the airway. Complete airway obstruction occurred due to a large blood clot during laser debulking of the invasive thyroid tumour with supraglottic jet ventilation. Although allowing increased surgical access to the airway, supraglottic jet ventilation has a greater risk of distal deposition of blood, debris or secretions, which can lead to airway obstruction compared with subglottic jet ventilation., Introduction High frequency Supraglottic jet ventilation and Subglottic jet ventilation through devices such as the Hunsaker Catheter (Xomed, Jacksonville, FL), allow enhanced surgical access to the airway and avoidance of [...]

Table of Contents Dear editor References Dear editor An 18 months old male baby weighing 8 kg was posted for cleft lip surgery. After taking informed consent and clearance from [...]

MAUI, HAWAII -- Airway impairment from a sternoclavicular sprain could be life threatening, so refer these patients immediately to an orthopedic surgeon for treatment, Dr. Gregory L. Landry said at [...]

Managing a horse with heaves is a lifelong commitment. This asthma-like condition, formally called recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), causes coughing and labored breathing when a sensitive horse breathes in airborne [...]

The common problem faced during resuscitation is airway obstruction and basic airway attachments are usually helpful and necessary at times to maintain a patient airway especially during prolonged revival. The use of oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal airways along with the procedure for its insertion is described.

Asthma is a condition in which the airways overreact, causing inflammation, excess secretion of mucus, and spasms of the bronchus (wind pipe); these reactions result in periodic episodes of difficulty breathing, wheezing, prolonged expiration, and cough. About 70 percent of asthma patients have sleep disturbances at least once a week that are related to asthma, which can occur even when patients are compliant with their treatment. Many primary care physicians and specialists recommend that patients use a peak expiratory flow meter (a device that measures the flow of exhaled air) to evaluate their asthma status. These units are lightweight and inexpensive, although somewhat bulky, and patients need instruction on their proper use. Typically, asthma attacks occur or worsen at night. Active people usually have their best peak expiratory flow measurements at noon, and their worst during sleep, around 4 a.m. As asthma worsens, the average daily peak expiratory flow decreases, and the variability within the 24-hour period increases. Patients may be requested to take their peak expiratory flow measurements two or three times a day. If an asthma attack occurs at night, before the patient takes his bronchodilator medication, he should take an additional peak expiratory flow measurement. Measurements may also be taken after medication to monitor the effect of treatment. Generally, patients who use a peak expiratory flow meter and assess their respiratory status can better predict, and thus prevent, asthma attacks. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

PURPOSE: To determine the correlation between the changes of bronchoscopic narrowing of the endobroncial lesions and radiographical changes and lung functions following therapy by fiberoptic application of electrocautery. METHODS: Consecutive [...]

PURPOSE: Pressure control ventilation (PCV) is used to limit airway pressures in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), however it frequently requires neuromuscular blockade (NMB) and heavy sedation for [...]

The singular importance of effective mucociliary clearance (MCC) in maintaining healthy airways is an established principle. The role of impaired MCC in various diseases of the airways is less well [...]