Advances in navigating to the nodule and targeting.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The multitude of available platforms and imaging modalities for navigational bronchoscopy, in combination with the various sampling tools that can be used intra-procedurally, is complex. This review seeks to describe the recent developments in peripheral bronchoscopy in regards to navigation, imaging, and sampling target lesions in the pulmonary parenchyma. RECENT FINDINGS: Robotic assisted bronchoscopy has improved navigation to the peripheral airways for sampling of peripheral parenchymal lesions. These navigational platforms use innovative technology utilizing electromagnetic navigation and shape-sensing technology for guidance. The greatest improvement has been the stabilization of the robotic scope in the periphery to allow for accurate sampling. Despite improvements in these platforms, limitations of CT to body divergence continue to impact navigation to the lesion and therefore diagnostic yield of the procedure. Advanced intraprocedural imaging with cone beam CT or augmented fluoroscopy has been a recent focus to improve this area. Further, the adoption of newer sampling tools, such as cryobiopsy, offers the possibility of increased diagnostic yield. SUMMARY: The developments in advanced bronchoscopy will impact the role of biopsy in the diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary parenchymal lesions.

World Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology (WABIP) guidelines on airway stenting for malignant central airway obstruction.

Malignant Central Airway Obstruction (MCAO) encompasses significant and symptomatic narrowing of the central airways that can occur due to primary lung cancer or metastatic disease. Therapeutic bronchoscopy is associated with high technical success and symptomatic relief and includes a wide range of airway interventions including airway stents. Published literature suggests that stenting practices vary significantly across the world primarily due to lack of guidance. This document aims to address this knowledge gap by addressing relevant questions related to airway stenting in MCAO. An international group of 17 experts from 17 institutions across 11 countries with experience in using airway stenting for MCAO was convened as part of this guideline statement through the World Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology (WABIP). We performed a literature and internet search for reports addressing six clinically relevant questions. This guideline statement, consisting of recommendations addressing these six PICO questions, was formulated by a systematic and rigorous process involving the evaluation of published evidence, augmented with expert experience when necessary. Panel members participated in the development of the final recommendations using the modified Delphi technique.

Intrapleural Anticancer Therapy for Malignant Pleural Diseases: Facts or Fiction?

Malignant pleural diseases involves both primary pleural malignancies (e.g., mesothelioma) as well as metastatic disease involving the pleura. The management of primary pleural malignancies remains a challenge, given their limited response to conventional treatments such as surgery, systemic chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. In this article, we aimed to review the management of primary pleural malignancy as well as malignant pleural effusion and assess the current state of intrapleural anticancer therapies. We review the role intrapleural chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and immunogene therapy, as well as oncolytic viral, therapy and intrapleural drug device combination. We further discuss that while the pleural space offers a unique opportunity for local therapy as an adjuvant option to systemic therapy and may help decrease some of the systemic side effects, further patient outcome-oriented research is needed to determine the exact role of these treatments within the armamentarium of currently available options.

Hemoglobin Target and Transfusion Modality for Adult Patients With Sickle Cell Disease Acute Chest Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Despite the importance of transfusion in treating sickle cell disease acute chest syndrome, the target hemoglobin and optimal modality for transfusion remain unknown. OBJECTIVES: To compare hospital length of stay (LOS) in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with acute chest syndrome transfused to hemoglobin ≥ 8 g/dL versus patients transfused to hemoglobin < 8 g/dL; and to compare hospital LOS in acute chest syndrome patients treated with and without exchange transfusion. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of all acute chest syndrome patients treated in the medical ICU at 2 tertiary care hospitals between January 2011 and August 2016 (n = 82). We compared median hospital LOS in patients transfused to hemoglobin ≥ 8 g/dL by the time of ICU transfer to the medical floor versus patients transfused to hemoglobin < 8 g/dL as well as patients who received exchange transfusion versus no exchange transfusion using Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. We modeled the association between hospital LOS and hemoglobin at ICU transfer to the medical floor using multivariable log-linear regression. RESULTS: Median hospital LOS was about half as long for patients transfused to hemoglobin ≥ 8 g/dL versus hemoglobin < 8 g/dL (8.0 versus 16.5 days, P = 0.008). There was no difference in LOS for patients treated with and without exchange transfusion. On average, a 1 g/dL increase in hemoglobin was associated with a 19.5% decrease (95% CI 10.8-28.2%) in LOS, controlling for possible confounding factors. CONCLUSIONS: Transfusion to a hemoglobin target ≥ 8 g/dL is associated with decreased hospital LOS in patients with acute chest syndrome. There was no difference in LOS between patients who received exchange transfusion and those who did not.

Improving quality of intrapartum and immediate postpartum care in public facilities: experiences and lessons learned from Rajasthan state, India.

BACKGROUND: In spite of considerable improvement in maternal and neonatal outcomes over the past decade in India, the current maternal mortality ratio and neonatal mortality rate are far from the Sustainable Development Goal targets due to suboptimal quality of maternity care. A package of interventions for improving quality of intrapartum and immediate postpartum care was co-designed with the Ministry of Health as the Dakshata program and implemented in public sector health facilities in selected districts in the state of Rajasthan of India since June 2015. This article describes the key strategies, interventions, results and challenges from four years of Dakshata program implementation. METHODS: We have conducted secondary analysis of program data (government data) collected from 202 public facilities across 20 districts of Rajasthan state. The data collected between June-August 2015 (baseline) and the data collected between May-August 2019 (latest) were analyzed. The data sources included: facility assessments, service statistics, monthly progress reports. RESULTS: During the period of program implementation, there were 17,94,249 deliveries accounting for 70% of institutional deliveries in intervention districts. As a result of the intervention, there was a notable increase in competency of health care providers, availability of essential resources, achievement of labour room standards and adherence to evidence-based clinical standards. We also observed reductions in the proportion of referrals for pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, postpartum hemorrhage and neonatal asphyxia by 11, 8 and 3 percentage points respectively. Similarly, data revealed a reduction in stillbirth rates in Dakshata intervention facilities (19.3 vs 15.3) compared to non-Dakshata facilities (21.8 vs 18). CONCLUSIONS: Our experience and findings indicate that the quality of intrapartum and immediate postpartum care can be improved in low- and middle-income countries with the approach presented in this paper.

Interventional Pulmonology: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Advances in Bronchoscopy.

BACKGROUND: Interventional pulmonology is a rapidly evolving subspecialty of pulmonary medicine that offers advanced consultative and procedural services to patients with airway diseases, pleural diseases, as well as in the diagnosis and management of patients with thoracic malignancy. AREAS OF UNCERTAINTY: The institution of lung cancer screening modalities as well as the search of additional minimally invasive diagnostic and treatment modalities for lung cancer and other chronic lung diseases has led to an increased focus on the field of interventional pulmonology. Rapid advancements in the field over the last 2 decades has led to development of various new minimally invasive bronchoscopic approaches and techniques for patients with cancer as well as for patients with chronic lung diseases. DATA SOURCES: A review of literature was performed using PubMed database to identify all articles published up till October 2020 relevant to the field of interventional pulmonology and bronchoscopy. The reference list of each article was searched to look for additional articles, and all relevant articles were included in the article. THERAPEUTIC ADVANCES: Newer technologies are now available such navigation platforms to diagnose and possibly treat peripheral pulmonary nodules, endobronchial ultrasound in diagnosis of mediastinal and hilar adenopathy as well as cryobiopsy in the diagnosis of diffuse lung diseases. In addition, flexible and rigid bronchoscopy continues to provide new and expanding ability to manage patients with benign and malignant central airway obstruction. Interventions are also available for diseases such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and emphysema that were traditionally treated with medical management alone. CONCLUSIONS: With continued high quality research and an increasing body of evidence, interventional bronchoscopy has enormous potential to provide both safe and effective options for patients with a variety of lung diseases.

Thoracic ultrasound as a predictor of pleurodesis success at the time of indwelling pleural catheter removal.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: IPC in patients with MPE are removed within 3 months in 30-58% of cases, usually due to decreased pleural fluid output as a result of pleurodesis. Disease control can also account for the lack of fluid output, potentially explaining why 4-14% of patients undergo repeat pleural intervention for fluid re-accumulation (at the time of disease recurrence or progression). The aim of our pilot study is to determine the accuracy of thoracic ultrasound (TUS) in predicting pleurodesis success in patients with MPE at the time of IPC removal. METHODS: This is a single-centre, prospective observational cohort study that enrolled consecutive patients with confirmed MPE treated with IPC at the time of IPC removal. TUS was performed to calculate a PAS. Patients were followed up for a minimum of 3 months. Failure was defined as pleural fluid recurrence within 3 months. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients were screened and 25 were included in the final analysis. Pleurodesis success was observed in 88% (n = 22) and failure in 12% (n = 3) of patients. The mean PAS was higher in patients with pleurodesis success (22.0 vs 9.3, P = 0.01). A PAS greater than 10 predicted pleurodesis success with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 86%. CONCLUSION: This pilot study suggests that TUS at the time of IPC removal accurately identifies patients who have achieved pleurodesis and therefore will not have re-accumulation of pleural effusion or require an ipsilateral pleural intervention for at least 3 months post-IPC removal.

What is the True Mortality in the Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19?

How to cite this article: Chaddha U, Kaul V, Agrawal A. What is the True Mortality in the Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19? Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(6):383-384.

Acute Opiate Overdose: An Update on Management Strategies in Emergency Department and Critical Care Unit.

BACKGROUND: Opioids are natural, semisynthetic, or synthetic substances that act on opioid receptors in the central nervous system. Clinically, they are prescribed for pain management. Opioid overdose (OOD) occurs when the central nervous system and respiratory drive are suppressed because of excessive consumption of the drug. Symptoms of OOD include drowsiness, slow breathing, pinpoint pupils, cyanosis, loss of consciousness, and death. Due to their addictive potential and easy accessibility opioid addiction is a growing problem worldwide. Emergency medical services and the emergency department often perform initial management of OOD. Thereafter, some patients require intensive care management because of respiratory failure, metabolic encephalopathy, acute kidney injury, and other organ failure. AREAS OF UNCERTAINTY: We sought to review the literature and present the most up-to-date treatment strategies of patients with acute OOD requiring critical care management. DATA SOURCES: A PubMed search was conducted to review all articles between 1950 and 2017 and the relevant articles were cited. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS: Worldwide, approximately 69,000 people die of OOD each year, and approximately 15 million people have opioid addiction. In the United States, death from OOD has increased almost 5-fold from 2001 to 2013. OOD leading to intensive care unit admission has increased by 50% from 2009 to 2015. At the same time, the mortality associated with these admissions has doubled. The management strategies include airway management, use of reversal agents, assessing and treating coingestions and associated complications, treatment of opioid withdrawal with alpha-agonists, and psychosocial support to help with opiate addiction and withdrawal. This warrants awareness among clinicians regarding the adverse effects associated with opioid use, management strategies, and calls for a multidisciplinary approach to treating these patients.

Management of lamotrigine overdose using hemodialysis.

Lamotrigine [LTG] is primarily an anti-epileptic drug used to treat seizure disorders, depression, and bipolar disease. It is generally well tolerated with limited side effects reported during routine use. Adverse events after overdose include neurotoxicity in the form of sedation and seizure activity, as well as cardiopulmonary toxicity in the form of sodium-channel blockade and cardiovascular collapse. There is no consensus regarding the role of hemodialysis (HD) in management of lamotrigine toxicity. Based on pharmacological properties, LTG is a candidate for extracorporeal removal, however, the successful use of HD for the treatment of this poisoning is not well described. We report the case of a 44 year-old female after a LTG overdose that experienced prolonged sedation that was ultimately treated with HD with an excellent response.

Pulmonary Hypertension due to Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation (RFCA) for Atrial Fibrillation: The Lungs, the Atrium or the Ventricle?

Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder in United States, characterised by rapid and irregular beating of both the atria resulting in the similar ventricular response. While rate and rhythm control using pharmacological regimens remain the primary management strategies in these patients, radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) is rapidly rising as an alternative modality of treatment. Increase in the incidence of RFCA has shed light on complications associated with this procedure. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is one of the long-term complications that has been observed postcatheter ablation. There have been multiple mechanisms which have been proposed to explain these elevated pulmonary pressures. These include the involvement of the lungs due to pulmonary vein stenosis, pulmonary vein occlusion and, rarely, pulmonary embolism. Radiofrequency catheter ablation can also lead to scarring of the atrium which can cause left atrial diastolic dysfunction leading to elevated pulmonary pressures. Recently, it was also proposed that elevated pulmonary pressure was related to the unmasking of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction occurring after this procedure. In this article, we review all the mechanisms that are associated with the development of pulmonary hypertension in patients undergoing RCFA for atrial fibrillation and the approach to diagnosis and management of such patients.

Evaluating the safety of intraprocedural chest tube removal during medical thoracoscopy.

BACKGROUND: Medical Thoracoscopy (MT) is a diagnostic procedure during which after accessing the pleural space the patient's negative-pressure inspiratory efforts draw atmospheric air into the pleural cavity, which creates a space to work in. At the end of the procedure this air must be evacuated via a chest tube, which is typically removed in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). We hypothesized that its removal intra-operatively is safe and may lead to lesser post-operative pain in comparison to its removal in the PACU. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of all the MT with intraprocedural chest tube removal done between 2019 to 2023 in adult patients in a single center in New York, NY by interventional pulmonology. RESULTS: A total of 100 MT cases were identified in which the chest tube was removed intra-operatively. Seventy-seven percent of cases were performed as outpatient and all these patients were discharged on the same day. Post procedure ex-vacuo pneumothorax was present in 42% of cases. Sixty-five percent of cases had some post-procedure subcutaneous emphysema, none reported any complaint of this being painful, and no intervention was needed to relieve the air. Seventy-three percent required no additional analgesia in PACU. Of the 27% that required any form of analgesia, 59% required no additional analgesia beyond the first 24 h. CONCLUSIONS: Intraprocedural CT removal for MT is safe and may decrease utilization of additional analgesia post procedure. Further prospective studies are necessary to validate these conclusions.

Airway stenting for liberation from positive pressure ventilation in patients with central airway obstruction presenting with acute respiratory failure.

BACKGROUND: Central airway obstruction (CAO) can lead to acute respiratory failure (RF) necessitating positive pressure ventilation (PPV). The efficacy of airway stenting to aid liberation from PPV in patients with severe acute RF has been scarcely published. We present a systematic review and our recent experience. METHODS: A systematic review of PubMed was performed, and a retrospective review of cases performed at our two institutions from 2018 to 2022 in adult patients who needed stent insertion for extrinsic or mixed CAO complicated by RF necessitating PPV. RESULTS: Fifteen studies were identified with a total of 156 patients. The weighted mean of successful liberation from PPV post-stenting was 84.5% and the median survival was 127.9 days. Our retrospective series included a total of 24 patients. The most common etiology was malignant CAO (83%). The types of PPV used included high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) (21%), non-invasive ventilation (NIV) (17%) and Invasive Mechanical Ventilation (62%). The overall rate of successful liberation from PPV was 79%, with 55% of HFNC and NIV cases being liberated immediately post-procedure. The median survival of the patients with MCAO that were successfully liberated from PPV was 74 days (n = 16, range 3-893 days), and for those with that failed to be liberated from PPV, it was 22 days (n = 4, range 9-26 days). CONCLUSION: In patients presenting with acute RF from extrinsic or mixed morphology CAO requiring PPV, airway stenting can successfully liberate most from the PPV. This may allow patients to receive pathology-directed treatment and better end-of-life care.

Anesthetic considerations for medical pleuroscopy.

Pleuroscopy, also known as medical thoracoscopy or local anesthesia thoracoscopy, is a commonly utilized procedure in the growing field of interventional pulmonology and considered a required procedure as part of the interventional pulmonology fellowship curriculum. Pleuroscopy is mainly utilized for parietal pleural biopsies in patients with undiagnosed pleural effusions, with a comparable diagnostic yield to video-assisted thoracoscopy (VATS) (>92%). Pleuroscopy is also performed for talc insufflation for pleurodesis, indwelling pleural catheter insertion, and rarely for decortication in patients with stage 2 empyema. Though these procedures can be done under local anesthesia with moderate sedation, an increasing number of cases are being performed with the presence of the anesthesiologist providing monitored anesthesia care (MAC). Given that a significant number of patients undergoing pleuroscopy will have significant co-morbidities, proceduralists and anesthesiologists must be prepared to manage these cases in a non-OR setup. In this article, we discuss some of the technical aspects of pleuroscopy, and highlight the peri-operative considerations for proceduralists and anesthesiologists in managing these patients including the role of ultrashort sedatives and intraoperative procedural and anesthetic considerations. We also discuss the upcoming adjunctive role of local and regional anesthesia techniques in management of these patients. In addition, we summarize the current data regarding various regional anesthesia techniques and discuss avenues for further research.

A practical approach to pseudoexudative pleural effusions.

Light's criteria falsely label a significant number of effusions as exudates. Such exudative effusions with transudative etiologies are referred to as "pseduoexudates". In this review, we discuss a practical approach to correctly classify an effusion that may be a pseudoexudate. A PubMed search yielded 1996 manuscripts between 1990 and 2022. Abstracts were screened and 29 relevant studies were included in this review article. Common etiologies for pseudoexudates include diuretic therapy, traumatic pleural taps, and coronary artery bypass grafting. Here, we explore alternative diagnostic criteria. Concordant exudates (CE), defined as effusions where proteins in pleural fluid/serum (PF/SPr) > 0.5 and pleural fluid LDH level of >160 IU/L (>2/3 upper limit of normal) confer higher predictive value to the Light's criteria. Serum-pleural effusion albumin gradient (SPAG) > 1.2 g/dL and serum-pleural effusion protein gradient (SPPG) > 3.1 g/dL together yielded a sensitivity of 100% in heart failure and a sensitivity of 99% in hepatic hydrothorax whe n identifying pseudoexudates (Bielsa et al., 2012) [5]. Pleural fluid N-Terminal Pro Brain Natriuretic Peptide (NTPBNP) offered a specificity and sensitivity of 99% in identifying pseudoexudates when using a cut-off of >1714 pg/mL (Han et al., 2008) [24]. However, its utility remains questionable. Additionally, we also looked at pleural fluid cholesterol and imaging modalities such as ultrasound and CT scan to measure pleural thickness and nodularity. Finally, the diagnostic algorithm we suggest involves using SPAG >1.2 g/dL and SPPG >3.1 g/dL in effusions classified as exudates when there is a strong clinical suspicion for pseudoexudates.

Factors Associated With Diagnostic Accuracy of Robotic Bronchoscopy With 12-Month Follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Robotic bronchoscopy (RB) aims to increase the diagnostic yield of guided bronchoscopy by providing improved navigation, farther reach, and stability during lesion sampling. METHODS: We reviewed data on consecutive cases in which RB was used to diagnose lung lesions from June 15, 2018, to December 15, 2019, at the University of Chicago Medical Center. RESULTS: The median lesion size was 20.5 mm. All patients had at least 12 months of follow-up. The overall diagnostic accuracy was 77% (95 of 124). The diagnostic accuracy was 85%, 84%, and 38% for concentric, eccentric, and absent radial endobronchial ultrasound (r-EBUS) views, respectively (P < .001). A positive r-EBUS view and lesions size of 20 to 30 mm had higher odds of achieving a diagnosis on multivariate analysis. The 12-month diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value for malignancy were 77%, 69%, 100%, 100%, and 58%, respectively. Pneumothorax was noted in 1.6% (n = 2) patients with bleeding reported in 3.2% (n = 4). No postprocedure respiratory failure was noted. CONCLUSIONS: The overall diagnostic accuracy using RB for pulmonary lesion sampling in our cohort with 12-month follow-up compared favorably with established guided bronchoscopy technologies. Lesion size ≥20 mm and confirmation by r-EBUS predicted higher accuracy independent of concentric or eccentric r-EBUS patterns.

How risky is it to remove an airway stent?

BACKGROUND: Airway stent removal has traditionally been associated with a high complication rate. Most studies on stent removal are over a decade old, prior to newer anti-cancer therapies, and by including non-contemporary and uncovered metal stents, may not reflect the current practices. We review our experience at Mount Sinai Hospital to report outcomes of stent removal with more contemporary practices. METHODS: A retrospective review was carried out of all the airway stent removals performed between 2018 to 2022, in adult patients with benign or malignant airway diseases. Stents inserted and removal for stent trials for tracheobronchomalacia were excluded from the final analysis. RESULTS: Forty-three airway stents removals in 25 patients were included. Twenty-five (58%) stents were removed in 10 patients with benign diseases, and 18 (42%) stents were removed in the remaining 15 patients with malignant diseases. Patients with benign disease were more likely to have their stent removed (OR 3.88). 63% of the stents removed were silicone. The most common reasons for stent removal were migration (n = 14, 31.1%) and treatment response (n = 13, 28.9%). Rigid bronchoscopy was used in 86% of cases. Ninety-eight percent of removals were accomplished in a single procedure. The median time to removal of stents was 32.5 days. Three complications were noted: hemorrhage (n = 1, 2.3%) and stridor (n = 2, 4.6%); one not directly related to the stent removal. CONCLUSIONS: Covered metal or silicone airway stents, in the era of contemporary stents, better cancer-directed therapies and surveillance bronchoscopies, can be removed safely with the use of rigid bronchoscopy.

Lung Imaging in COPD Part 2: Emerging Concepts.

The diagnosis, prognostication, and differentiation of phenotypes of COPD can be facilitated by CT scan imaging of the chest. CT scan imaging of the chest is a prerequisite for lung volume reduction surgery and lung transplantation. Quantitative analysis can be used to evaluate extent of disease progression. Evolving imaging techniques include micro-CT scan, ultra-high-resolution and photon-counting CT scan imaging, and MRI. Potential advantages of these newer techniques include improved resolution, prediction of reversibility, and obviation of radiation exposure. This article discusses important emerging techniques in imaging patients with COPD. The clinical usefulness of these emerging techniques as they stand today are tabulated for the benefit of the practicing pulmonologist.

Combined EBUS-IFB and EBUS-TBNA vs EBUS-TBNA Alone for Intrathoracic Adenopathy: A Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)-guided intranodal forceps biopsy (IFB) is considered complementary to EBUS-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) (EBUS-TBNA) for patients with intrathoracic lymphadenopathy either when additional tissue is requested for comprehensive molecular testing or for suspected lymphoma and sarcoidosis. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the diagnostic yield and complications of combined EBUS-IFB and EBUS-TBNA compared with EBUS-TBNA alone. METHODS: A systematic search was performed of Medline, Embase, and Google Scholar for studies evaluating the use of EBUS-IFB for diagnosis of intrathoracic adenopathy, and the quality of each study was assessed using the Quality Assessment, Data abstraction and Synthesis-2 tool. Using inverse variance weighting, a meta-analysis of diagnostic yield estimations was performed. The complications related to the procedure were also reviewed. RESULTS: Six observational studies with 443 patients undergoing 467 biopsies were included in the final analysis. Meta-analysis yielded a pooled overall diagnostic yield of 67% (312 of 467) for EBUS-TBNA and 92% (428 of 467) for EBUS-TBNA in combination with EBUS-IFB, with an inverse variance-weighted odds ratio of 5.87 (95% confidence interval, 3081 to 9.04; P < .00001) and an I2 of 15%. The overall complications included pneumomediastinum (1%), bleeding (0.8%), and respiratory failure (0.6%). The funnel plot analysis illustrated no major publication bias. Subgroup analysis showed increased diagnostic yield for lymphoma (86% vs 30%; P = .03) and sarcoidosis (93% vs 58%; P < .00001). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of EBUS-IFB to EBUS-TBNA improves the overall diagnostic yield of sampling intrathoracic adenopathy when compared with EBUS-TBNA alone. The complication rates of the combined approach are higher than with EBUS-TBNA, but they are reportedly lower than with transbronchial or surgical biopsies.

Multidisciplinary Management of Chylothorax.

Chylothorax, the accumulation of chyle in the pleural space, is usually caused by the disruption of the thoracic duct or its tributaries. Etiologies are broadly divided into traumatic, including postsurgical, and nontraumatic, most commonly in the setting of malignancy. The management of chylothorax largely depends on the cause and includes dietary modification and drainage of the pleural space. A definitive intervention, whether surgical or a percutaneous lymphatic intervention, should be considered in patients with a persistently high volume of chylous output and in those with a prolonged leak, before complications such as malnutrition ensue. No methodologically robust clinical trials guiding management are currently available. In this article, we review the current literature and propose a stepwise, evidence-based multidisciplinary approach to the management of patients with both traumatic and nontraumatic chylothorax.