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The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the rate of occurrence and features of pleural effusion in patients referred to our institution for liver transplant.This study included 135 patients (43 women, 92 men) with a mean age of 40 years (range, 16-66 y). Patient characteristics such as history of pulmonary disease and types of respiratory symptoms were recorded. The chest radiographs of every study patient were examined.Of the 135 study patients, 16 (11.9%) had respiratory symptoms upon admission to the hospital, and 49 (36.3%) had abnormalities on their chest radiographs. The most common radiographic abnormality was elevated right hemidiaphragm in 32 patients (23.7%), followed by pleural effusion in 22 (16.2%), atelectasis in 21 (15.5%), hilar enlargement in 18 (13.3%), and elevated left hemidiaphragm in 9 (6.6%). Seventeen of 22 patients (77.3%) had right pleural effusion, 4 (18.2%) had bilateral, and 1 (4.5%) had left pleural effusion. Of the 10 patients undergoing thoracentesis, 9 had transudates and 1 had an exudate.Preoperative pleural effusion is a common problem in patients who are candidates for a liver transplant. Most of these patients have right transudative pleural effusion.

Pulmonary complications are a leading problem after a liver transplant. This study sought to predict postoperative early complications by a chest radiograph performed after a transplant among adult orthotopic liver transplant recipients.One hundred thirty-five patients (43 women, 92 men; mean age, 40 y; range, 16-66 y) were included and their medical data reviewed retrospectively. A postoperative chest radiograph of each patient was evaluated to check for pulmonary complications.Smoking history was noted in 61 patients (45.2%). Postoperative first chest radiograph evaluation showed normal findings in 56 patients (41.5%). Right pleural effusion was found in 25 patients (18.5%), and atelectasis was found in 25 (18.5%). Bilateral pleural effusion was the second most-frequent finding on postoperative radiograph (14.8%). Effusion accompanied by atelectasis was found in 3 patients (2.2%). Other postoperative chest radiograph findings were consolidation (n=2, 1.5%), left pleural effusion (n=2, 1.5%), and bronchiectasis (n=2, 1.5%).We investigated the reflection of the first chest radiograph after liver transplant on postoperative early complications. Postoperative first chest radiograph can be an inexpensive and accessible diagnostic tool for predicting postoperative problems.

INTRODUCTION The present study was designed to evaluate inhaler techniques and patient satisfaction with fixed-combination budesonide/formoterol dry-powder inhaler chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Turkey in real-life clinical practice. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 442 patients with COPD [mean (SD) age: 63.2 (10.6) years, 76.5% were males] were included in this cross-sectional study conducted at 25 outpatient clinics across Turkey. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, characteristics of COPD, inhaler technique and satisfaction with dry-powder inhaler were recorded at a single crosssectional visit performed at the study enrolment. RESULTS Patients were characterized by prominence of moderate to severe (78.1%) COPD, high rate of regular use of overall COPD medications (89.4%) and Turbuhaler® for an average of 33.7 months, predominance of males (76.5%), primary education (85.7%), urban location (68.3), ex-smokers (61.1%) and spending time outdoors for ≥ 4 hour/day (62.0%). Use of correct techniques was evident in majority of patients (≥ 94%), whereas inhalation maneuvers including breathing out gently away from mouthpiece without blowing into it (71.9%) and holding the breath for 5-10 seconds (78.3%) were performed correctly by lesser percent of patients especially in the older group (≥ 65 years, p< 0.05). Overall percent of patients with the feeling that she/he used the inhaler very/fairly correctly was 73.3%, while 86% of patients identified that they were very/fairly satisfied with the inhaler, irrespective of age and educational status. CONCLUSION In conclusion, our findings revealed the majority of patients are able to use Turbuhaler® correctly regardless of the educational status, while older age was associated with higher rate of errors in inhalation maneuvers in the real clinical practice in Turkey. Majority of our patients identified Turbuhaler® to be very/fairly convenient regarding ease of use, portability, and usability with an overall self-confidence in using the inhaler correctly among 73% and the satisfaction rate of 86%; irrespective of age and educational level.