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We use pulmonary interventional procedures for the diagnosis of pulmonary diseases either for benign or malignant lesions. Flexible bronchoscopy with or without radial endobronchial ultrasound, convex-probe endobronchial ultrasound and electromagnetic navigation are procedures performed in centers with experience in diagnostic pulmonary medicine. The method of sedation and ventilation is very important in order to avoid or handle with success complications. Proper respiration during pulmonary (or other interventional) procedures is a key factor. Apart from the proper sedation method we have to choose the proper ventilation method which decides respiratory movement. Superimposed high-frequency jet ventilation (SHFJV) is supposed to be safe and effective in clinical practice. Although this perception is commonly accepted, there is no study proving its safety on the basic of reliable data. We analyzed the data of 100 patients in different interventional settings (bronchoscopy with or without navigational approach, left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) or intracardiac catheterization) using nasal SHFJV. Mainly analyzed were capillary ABG-Data at the beginning and end of the intervention under sedation. The aim was to analyze if a risk scenario for the patient by using the nasal SHFJV can be derived by measuring the changes of pCO2, pO2, cBase Excess, cHCO3 and PH. Due to our data we conclude that this method of ventilation can be easily and safely used in interventional medicine for patients with all kind of comorbidities such as; chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer, interstitial lung disease, structural heart disease and heart failure.
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INTRODUCTION: Stents have been used for quite some time for the treatment of benign and malignant airway stenosis. Silicon stents are preferred for benign situations, whereas metallic self-expanding stents are preferred for malignant comorbidities. PATIENT AND METHODS: In general, stents can be placed in different approach directions, although in pulmonary medicine it is logical to apply only antegrade techniques - until now. A 63-year-old patient, 168 cm height and 53 kg weight on referral, suffered chronical diseases. The patient was diagnosed with a papillary thyroid carcinoma in 1989, which was treated by resection and radiotherapy. In the following years, she developed a stenosis of the esophagus. The decision to try endobronchial stenting was made upon the plan to close that fistula with a pedicled omentum majus replacement through the diaphragmal opening of the esophagus. This surgical plastic needed an abutment and a secured continuous airway replacement above the tracheostoma level. A Freitag stent (FS), 11 cm in length (110-25-40) and an inner diameter of 13 mm, was placed successfully retrograde into the trachea and completely bridged the big fistula. Unfortunately the patient passed away due to pulmonary infections after several weeks. DISCUSSION: In this case report, a successful but unusual case of retrograde stent placement of a modified FS is presented.
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INTRODUCTION: The majority of cases of lung cancer are still diagnosed at a late stage. At this stage, palliative therapeutic options including nonspecific cytotoxic drugs, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy can be utilized. In 2016, immunotherapy was approved in Europe for squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Moreover, afatinib was also approved as second-line therapy for squamous cell carcinoma. CASE REPORT: This article presents a case of a 76-year-old male with squamous cell carcinoma who received nab-paclitaxel as first-line therapy, and his treatment was switched to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor afatinib (40 mg) after disease progression with left lung atelectasis. After receiving afatinib for only 28 days, the atelectasis resolved. No adverse effects were observed from the afatinib therapy. DISCUSSION: In this case, afatinib 40 mg proved to be an effective alternative treatment for an elderly patient. Treatment choice should be based on the performance status of the patient, cost-effectiveness, and drug treatment guidelines.
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Until few years ago non-specific cytotoxic agents were considered the tip of the arrow as first line treatment for lung cancer. However; age > 75 was considered a major drawback for this kind of therapy. Few exceptions were made by doctors based on the performance status of the patient. The side effects of these agents are still severe for several patients. In the recent years further investigation of the cancer genome has led to targeted therapies. There have been numerous publications regarding novel agents such as; erlotinib, gefitinib and afatinib. In specific populations these agents have demonstrated higher efficiency and this observation is explained by the overexpression of the EGFR pathway in these populations. We suggest that TKIs should administered in the elderly, and with the word elderly we propose the age of 75. The treating medical doctor has to evaluate the performance status of a patient and decide the best treatment in several cases indifferent of the age. TKIs in most studies presented safety and efficiency and of course dose modification should be made when necessary. Comorbidities should be considered in any case especially in this group of patients and the treating physician should act accordingly.