Nil per os in the management of oropharyngeal dysphagia-exploring the unintended consequences.

Nil per os (NPO), also referred to as Nil by Mouth (NBM), is a health-related intervention of withholding food and fluids. When implemented in the context of a person with dysphagia, NPO aims to mitigate risks of aspiration. However, evidence demonstrating that NPO is beneficial as an intervention for people with dysphagia is lacking. This paper explores the theoretical and empirical evidence relating to the potential benefits and adverse effects of NPO and asserts that NPO is not a benign intervention. This paper argues for applying an ethics framework when making decisions relating to the use of NPO as an intervention for dysphagia, in particular addressing informed consent and a person's right to self-determination.

Lung Biopsy Findings in Severe Pulmonary Illness Associated With E-Cigarette Use (Vaping).

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this report is to describe the lung biopsy findings in vaping-associated pulmonary illness. METHODS: Lung biopsies from eight patients with vaping-associated pulmonary illness were reviewed. RESULTS: The biopsies were from eight men (aged 19-61 years) with respiratory symptoms following e-cigarette use (vaping). Workup for infection was negative in all cases, and there was no evidence for other etiologies. Imaging showed diffuse bilateral ground-glass opacities in all patients. Most recovered with corticosteroid therapy, while one died. Lung biopsies (seven transbronchial, one surgical) showed acute lung injury, including organizing pneumonia and/or diffuse alveolar damage. Common features were fibroblast plugs, hyaline membranes, fibrinous exudates, type 2 pneumocyte hyperplasia, and interstitial organization. Some cases featured a sparse interstitial chronic inflammatory infiltrate. Although macrophages were present within the airspaces in all cases, this feature was not prominent, and findings typical of exogenous lipoid pneumonia were absent. CONCLUSIONS: The histopathology of acute pulmonary illness related to e-cigarette use (vaping) is characterized by acute lung injury patterns, supporting the contention that vaping can cause severe lung damage.

Safety of ultrasound-guided small-bore chest tube insertion in patients on clopidogrel.

BACKGROUND: The safety of small-bore chest tubes insertion with ultrasound (US) guidance has been well demonstrated in patients not receiving antiplatelet therapy. Given the current widespread use of these agents, pulmonologists frequently encounter patients on this therapy and requiring drainage of the pleural space. The use of these agents clearly increases the risk of bleeding, but it is not always possible to stop this therapy before the procedure, especially in patients requiring urgent drainage and those with coronary stents. The purpose of this study is to report our experience on the safety of US-guided small-bore chest tube placement in patients receiving clopidogrel. METHODS: This was a retrospective review of the charts of adult patients who underwent small-bore chest tube insertion by the pulmonary service while on clopidogrel. Data collected included patient's and effusion characteristics, indication for clopidogrel and for the procedure, and any significant bleeding complication defined as hemothorax, chest wall hematoma, a reduction in hemoglobin of >2 g/dL, or any bleeding requiring blood transfusion, surgery, or chest tube insertion. US of the chest was performed before insertion but did not include Doppler study of intercostal arteries. Lateral insertion at or anterior to the posterior axillary line was the preferred choice when possible. RESULTS: Forty-three procedures were performed in 30 patients. Seventy percent were male with a mean age of 71 years. The indications for clopidogrel were coronary stents (50%), acute coronary syndrome (27%), prevention of graft occlusion after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) (13%), femoral stent or endarterectomy (7%), and carotid endarterectomy (3%). The etiology of the effusions was post-CABG (43%), heart failure (17%), end-stage renal disease (13%), pneumothorax (10%), and others (17%). The procedures were therapeutic in 41 cases and diagnostic in 2. The indications for the procedure were respiratory distress (65%), respiratory failure (23%), and pneumothorax (7%). Fifteen procedures (35%) were performed in 10 patients in the ICU and 6 of them were mechanically ventilated. Nine patients were obese based on body mass index. Neither significant bleeding nor other minor complications were seen. CONCLUSIONS: OH 44195: The insertion of small-bore chest tube in patients receiving clopidogrel can be safe if performed by experienced operators and by using US guidance along with lateral insertion site, which has the lowest risk of lacerating the intercostal arteries.

Fever of unknown origin and pancytopenia caused by culture-proven delayed onset disseminated bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) infection after intravesical instillation.

A 78-year-old man was diagnosed with bladder carcinoma in situ and was successfully treated with intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) instillations. At 6 months after the last dose, he developed fever, weight loss and malaise. He had an extensive negative workup at an outside hospital and was treated empirically with ciprofloxacin for 2 weeks. The fever resolved but returned months later and he was readmitted with pancytopenia, elevated alkaline phosphatase and ground glass opacities on the chest CT. Bone marrow and liver biopsies showed non-caseating granulomas and were negative for acid-fast bacillus (AFB) and fungal stains. Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex PCR of the bone marrow was negative. Owing to the high clinical suspicion of disseminated BCG infection, the patient was treated empirically. After 9 weeks of incubation, the bone marrow AFB culture grew Mycobacterium bovis. Within 2 months of treatment his symptoms resolved and his laboratory results normalised.

Organising pneumonia in common variable immunodeficiency.

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most common of the primary immunodeficiency disorders. Pulmonary manifestations are characterised by recurrent rhinosinusitis, respiratory tract infections and bronchiectasis. Less commonly the lung may be affected by lymphoid disorders and sarcoid-like granulomas. Organising pneumonia (OP) is a rare pulmonary manifestation. We report the case of a 32-year-old woman with CVID who presented with fever, dyspnoea and persistent lung infiltrates despite antibiotic therapy. CT of the chest showed bilateral patchy alveolar infiltrates. Pulmonary function tests revealed moderate restriction and reduction in diffusion capacity. Initial bronchoscopy with transbronchial biopsies did not yield a diagnosis but surgical lung biopsies identified OP. Significant clinical, radiographic and physiological improvement was achieved after institution of corticosteroid therapy.