Prospective cohort of cryobiopsy in interstitial lung diseases: a single center experience.

RATIONALE: Transbronchial cryobiopsy has been increasingly used to diagnose interstitial lung diseases. However, there is uncertainty regarding its accuracy and risks, mainly due to a paucity of prospective or randomized trials comparing cryobiopsy to surgical biopsy. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the diagnostic yield and complications of cryobiopsy in patients selected by multidisciplinary discussion. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort from 2017 to 2019. We included consecutive patients with suspected interstitial lung diseases being considered for lung biopsy presented at our multidisciplinary meeting. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of 112 patients, we recommended no biopsy in 31, transbronchial forceps biopsy in 16, cryobiopsy in 54 and surgical biopsy in 11. By the end of the study, 34 patients had had cryobiopsy and 24 patients, surgical biopsy. Overall pathologic and multidisciplinary diagnostic yield of cryobiopsy was 47.1% and 61.8%, respectively. The yield increased over time for both pathologic (year 1: 28.6%, year 2: 54.5%, year 3: 66.7%, p = 0.161) and multidisciplinary (year 1: 50%, year 2: 63.6%, year 3: 77.8%, p = 0.412) diagnosis. Overall rate of grade 4 bleeding after cryobiopsy was 11.8%. Cryobiopsy required less chest tube placement (11.8% vs 100%, p < 0.001) and less hospitalizations compared to surgical biopsy (26.5% vs 95.7%, p < 0.001), but hospitalized patients had a longer median hospital stay (2 days vs 1 day, p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Diagnostic yield of cryobiopsy increased over time but the overall grade 4 bleeding rate was 11.8%.

Choice of antifibrotic medication and disease severity predict weight loss in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

PURPOSE: Although safety and tolerability of approved antifibrotics has been reported extensively, little is known about their effects on weight. We analyzed predictors of weight change after one year of uninterrupted antifibrotic therapy in patients followed at our institution's interstitial lung disease clinic. METHODS/RESULTS: We identified 80 patients on antifibrotic therapy (44 pirfenidone/36 nintedanib) with at least one year of follow-up and no therapy interruptions. Thirty-five patients (44%) lost more than 5% of their baseline body weight, and 11 (19%) lost more than 10%. A higher proportion of patients on nintedanib experienced a clinically significant weight loss (>5%) versus pirfenidone (61% vs 30%, p = 0.005). Univariate and multivariate analyses identified nintedanib therapy and a higher composite physiologic index (CPI) as predictors of weight loss. CONCLUSIONS: Weight loss is common among IPF patients on antifibrotic therapy. Nintedanib therapy and more advanced disease were identified as predictors of weight loss in this population.