Bronchial thermoplasty for severe asthma: A position statement of the Indian chest society.

Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) is an interventional bronchoscopic treatment for severe asthma. There is a need to define patient selection criteria to guide clinicians in offering the appropriate treatment options to patients with severe asthma. METHODOLOGY: An expert group formed this statement under the aegis of the Indian Chest Society. We performed a systematic search of the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases to extract evidence on patient selection and the technical performance of BT. RESULTS: The experts agreed that the appropriate selection of patients is crucial and proposed identification of the asthma phenotype, a screening algorithm, and inclusion/exclusion criteria for BT. In the presence of atypical clinical or chest radiograph features, there should be a low threshold for obtaining a thoracic computed tomography scan before BT. The patient should not have had an asthma exacerbation in the preceding two weeks from the day of the procedure. A 5-day course of glucocorticoid should be administered, beginning three days before the procedure day, and continued until the day following the procedure. General Anesthesia (total intravenous anesthesia with a neuromuscular blocker) provides ideal conditions for performing BT. A thin bronchoscope with a 2.0 mm working channel is preferable. An attempt should be made to deliver the maximum radiofrequency activations. Middle lobe treatment is not recommended. Following the procedure, overnight observation in the hospital, and a follow-up visit, a week following each treatment session, is desirable. CONCLUSION: This position statement provides practical guidance regarding patient selection and the technical performance of BT for severe asthma.

Anaesthetic considerations for whole lung lavage for pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is an uncommon lung disease characterized by excessive accumulation of pulmonary surfactant that usually requires treatment with whole-lung lavage. A 47-year-old female presented with history of dry cough and breathlessness for past 6months. Chest radiograph demonstrated bilateral alveolar shadows and high resolution computerized tomography thorax showed crazy paving pattern. Broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) and transbronchial lung biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of PAP. Due to worsening hypoxemia and respiratory failure, wholelung lavage was planned and performed. Anaesthetic management involved integrated use of pre-oxygenation, complete lung isolation, one-lung ventilation with optimal positive end-expiratory pressure, vigilant use of positional manoeuvres, and use of recruitment manoeuvres for the lavaged lung. We have discussed valuable strategies for the anaesthetic management of patients undergoing this multifaceted procedure in a case of severe PAP. FUNDING: None declared.

Neurogenic pulmonary edema after rupture of intracranial aneurysm during endovascular coiling.

Neurogenic pulmonary edema (NPE) is a well-known entity, occurs after acute severe insult to the central nervous system. It has been described in relation to different clinical scenario. However, NPE has rarely been mentioned after endovascular coiling of intracranial aneurysms. Here, we report the clinical course of a patient who developed NPE after aneurysmal rupture during endovascular surgery. There was significant cardiovascular instability possibly from stimulation of hypothalamus adjacent to the site of aneurysm. This case highlights the predisposition of minimally invasive procedures like endovascular coiling to life-threatening complications such as NPE.