NCCP-ICS joint consensus-based clinical practice guidelines on medical thoracoscopy.

ABSTRACT: Medical Thoracoscopy (MT) is commonly performed by respiratory physicians for diagnostic as well as therapeutic purposes. The aim of the study was to provide evidence-based information regarding all aspects of MT, both as a diagnostic tool and therapeutic aid for pulmonologists across India. The consensus-based guidelines were formulated based on a multistep process using a set of 31 questions. A systematic search of published randomized controlled clinical trials, open labelled studies, case reports and guidelines from electronic databases, like PubMed, EmBase and Cochrane, was performed. The modified grade system was used (1, 2, 3 or usual practice point) to classify the quality of available evidence. Then, a multitude of factors were taken into account, such as volume of evidence, applicability and practicality for implementation to the target population and then strength of recommendation was finalized. MT helps to improve diagnosis and patient management, with reduced risk of post procedure complications. Trainees should perform at least 20 medical thoracoscopy procedures. The diagnostic yield of both rigid and semirigid techniques is comparable. Sterile-graded talc is the ideal agent for chemical pleurodesis. The consensus statement will help pulmonologists to adopt best evidence-based practices during MT for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Pleural effusion guidelines from ICS and NCCP Section 1: Basic principles, laboratory tests and pleural procedures.

Pleural effusion is a common problem in our country, and most of these patients need invasive tests as they can't be evaluated by blood tests alone. The simplest of them is diagnostic pleural aspiration, and diagnostic techniques such as medical thoracoscopy are being performed more frequently than ever before. However, most physicians in India treat pleural effusion empirically, leading to delays in diagnosis, misdiagnosis and complications from wrong treatments. This situation must change, and the adoption of evidence-based protocols is urgently needed. Furthermore, the spectrum of pleural disease in India is different from that in the West, and yet Western guidelines and algorithms are used by Indian physicians. Therefore, India-specific consensus guidelines are needed. To fulfil this need, the Indian Chest Society and the National College of Chest Physicians; the premier societies for pulmonary physicians came together to create this National guideline. This document aims to provide evidence based recommendations on basic principles, initial assessment, diagnostic modalities and management of pleural effusions.

Indian Guidelines on Nebulization Therapy.

Inhalational therapy, today, happens to be the mainstay of treatment in obstructive airway diseases (OADs), such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and is also in the present, used in a variety of other pulmonary and even non-pulmonary disorders. Hand-held inhalation devices may often be difficult to use, particularly for children, elderly, debilitated or distressed patients. Nebulization therapy emerges as a good option in these cases besides being useful in the home care, emergency room and critical care settings. With so many advancements taking place in nebulizer technology; availability of a plethora of drug formulations for its use, and the widening scope of this therapy; medical practitioners, respiratory therapists, and other health care personnel face the challenge of choosing appropriate inhalation devices and drug formulations, besides their rational application and use in different clinical situations. Adequate maintenance of nebulizer equipment including their disinfection and storage are the other relevant issues requiring guidance. Injudicious and improper use of nebulizers and their poor maintenance can sometimes lead to serious health hazards, nosocomial infections, transmission of infection, and other adverse outcomes. Thus, it is imperative to have a proper national guideline on nebulization practices to bridge the knowledge gaps amongst various health care personnel involved in this practice. It will also serve as an educational and scientific resource for healthcare professionals, as well as promote future research by identifying neglected and ignored areas in this field. Such comprehensive guidelines on this subject have not been available in the country and the only available proper international guidelines were released in 1997 which have not been updated for a noticeably long period of over two decades, though many changes and advancements have taken place in this technology in the recent past. Much of nebulization practices in the present may not be evidence-based and even some of these, the way they are currently used, may be ineffective or even harmful. Recognizing the knowledge deficit and paucity of guidelines on the usage of nebulizers in various settings such as inpatient, out-patient, emergency room, critical care, and domiciliary use in India in a wide variety of indications to standardize nebulization practices and to address many other related issues; National College of Chest Physicians (India), commissioned a National task force consisting of eminent experts in the field of Pulmonary Medicine from different backgrounds and different parts of the country to review the available evidence from the medical literature on the scientific principles and clinical practices of nebulization therapy and to formulate evidence-based guidelines on it. The guideline is based on all possible literature that could be explored with the best available evidence and incorporating expert opinions. To support the guideline with high-quality evidence, a systematic search of the electronic databases was performed to identify the relevant studies, position papers, consensus reports, and recommendations published. Rating of the level of the quality of evidence and the strength of recommendation was done using the GRADE system. Six topics were identified, each given to one group of experts comprising of advisors, chairpersons, convenor and members, and such six groups (A-F) were formed and the consensus recommendations of each group was included as a section in the guidelines (Sections I to VI). The topics included were: A. Introduction, basic principles and technical aspects of nebulization, types of equipment, their choice, use, and maintenance B. Nebulization therapy in obstructive airway diseases C. Nebulization therapy in the intensive care unit D. Use of various drugs (other than bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids) by nebulized route and miscellaneous uses of nebulization therapy E. Domiciliary/Home/Maintenance nebulization therapy; public & health care workers education, and F. Nebulization therapy in COVID-19 pandemic and in patients of other contagious viral respiratory infections (included later considering the crisis created due to COVID-19 pandemic). Various issues in different sections have been discussed in the form of questions, followed by point-wise evidence statements based on the existing knowledge, and recommendations have been formulated.

Guidelines for diagnostic flexible bronchoscopy in adults: Joint Indian Chest Society/National College of chest physicians (I)/Indian association for bronchology recommendations.

Flexible bronchoscopy (FB) is commonly performed by respiratory physicians for diagnostic as well as therapeutic purposes. However, bronchoscopy practices vary widely across India and worldwide. The three major respiratory organizations of the country supported a national-level expert group that formulated a comprehensive guideline document for FB based on a detailed appraisal of available evidence. These guidelines are an attempt to provide the bronchoscopist with the most scientifically sound as well as practical approach of bronchoscopy. It involved framing appropriate questions, review and critical appraisal of the relevant literature and reaching a recommendation by the expert groups. The guidelines cover major areas in basic bronchoscopy including (but not limited to), indications for procedure, patient preparation, various sampling procedures, bronchoscopy in the ICU setting, equipment care, and training issues. The target audience is respiratory physicians working in India and well as other parts of the world. It is hoped that this document would serve as a complete reference guide for all pulmonary physicians performing or desiring to learn the technique of flexible bronchoscopy.

An in situ ATR-IR spectroscopy study of aluminas under aqueous phase reforming conditions.

High temperature/pressure in situ Attenuated Total Reflection Infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy was used to investigate the phase transformation of support γ-Al2O3 into boehmite (AlO(OH)) under the hydrothermal conditions of aqueous phase reforming (APR). Activation energy barriers of boehmite formation in hot compressed water at temperatures between 150 and 180 °C were calculated to be 15.9 ± 4.8 kJ mol(-1) for γ-Al2O3 and 43.2 ± 4.3 kJ mol(-1) for Pt/γ-Al2O3. The influence of Pt particles is suggested to slow down the phase transformation by selective blockage of the surface nucleation sites. The presence of ethylene glycol has also an inhibiting effect on the transformation due to the carbon deposits formed on the oxide surface. Post-mortem analysis using Raman spectroscopy, (1)H and (27)Al MAS NMR confirms the formation of boehmite.

Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management of Bronchial Asthma: Joint Recommendations of National College of Chest Physicians (India) and Indian Chest Society.

Bronchial asthma is an important public health problem in India with significant morbidity. Several international guidelines for diagnosis and management of asthma are available, however there is a need for country-specific guidelines due to vast differences in availability and affordability of health-care facilities across the globe. The Indian Chest Society (ICS) and the National College of Chest Physicians (NCCP) of India have collaborated to develop evidence-based guidelines with an aim to assist physicians at all levels of health-care in diagnosis and management of asthma in a scientific manner. Besides a systematic review of the literature, Indian studies were specifically analysed to arrive at simple and practical recommendations. The evidence is presented under these five headings: (1) definitions, epidemiology and impact, (2) diagnosis, (3) pharmacologic management of stable disease, (4) management of acute exacerbations, and (5) non-pharmacologic management and special situations. The modified grade system was used for classifying the quality of evidence as 1, 2, 3, or usual practice point (UPP). The strength of recommendation was graded as A or B depending upon the level of evidence.

Contribution of medical colleges to tuberculosis control in India under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP): lessons learnt & challenges ahead.

Medical college faculty, who are academicians are seldom directly involved in the implementation of national public health programmes. More than a decade ago for the first time in the global history of tuberculosis (TB) control, medical colleges of India were involved in the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) of Government of India (GOI). This report documents the unique and extraordinary course of events that led to the involvement of medical colleges in the RNTCP of GOI. It also reports the contributions made by the medical colleges to TB control in India. For more than a decade, medical colleges have been providing diagnostic services (Designated Microscopy Centres), treatment [Directly Observed Treatment (DOT) Centres] referral for treatment, recording and reporting data, carrying out advocacy for RNTCP and conducting operational research relevant to RNTCP. Medical colleges are contributing to diagnosis and treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-TB co-infection and development of laboratory infrastructure for early diagnosis of multidrug-resistant and/or extensively drug-resistant TB (M/XDR-TB) and DOTS-Plus sites for treatment of MDR-TB cases. Overall, at a national level, medical colleges have contributed to 25 per cent of TB suspects referred for diagnosis; 23 per cent of 'new smear-positives' diagnosed; 7 per cent of DOT provision within medical college; and 86 per cent treatment success rate among new smear-positive patients. As the Programme widens its scope, future challenges include sustenance of this contribution and facilitating universal access to quality TB care; greater involvement in operational research relevant to the Programme needs; and better co-ordination mechanisms between district, state, zonal and national level to encourage their involvement.

Tuberculous lymphadenopathy: a multicentre operational study of 6-month thrice weekly directly observed treatment.

SETTING: Eight operational locations for the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme in six Indian states. OBJECTIVE: To assess the 6-month efficacy of an intermittent thrice-weekly directly observed treatment (DOT) regimen for tuberculous peripheral adenopathy and the need for prolongation of treatment to 9 months for non-resolution of lymphadenopathy. DESIGN: Patients aged >5 years with tuberculous lymphadenopathy were included in the study. Patients were evaluated for resolution at repeat visits following treatment. Those with poor resolution at 6 months were randomised to extended treatment up to 9 months or observation without additional treatment. RESULTS: Resolution of lymphadenopathy was observed at the end of 6 months in 517/551 (93.8%) patients. There was a significant difference in response among patients with and those without the presence of systemic symptoms. There was no association between treatment response and number, size, site, consistency and matting of lymphadenopathy. No differences in response were seen in the remaining 34 patients with or without extended treatment. CONCLUSION: The operational efficacy of 6-month thrice-weekly DOT for peripheral tubercular lymphadenopathy was satisfactory. There was no evidence of additional benefits of prolonging treatment to 9 months.

Solitary fibrous tumour of lung.

Fibrous tumours arising entirely within the substance of the lung are rare. We report one such rare case in whom the diagnosis was established after surgical removal.

Isoniazid-induced alopecia.

Isoniazid is a safe and very effective antituberculosis drug. Antimitotic agents routinely cause alopecia. Drug-induced alopecia is usually reversible upon withdrawal of the drug. Isoniazid, thiacetazone and ethionamide are the antituberculosis drugs which have been associated with alopecia. Isoniazid-induced alopecia was observed in one case and confirmed by the finding that hair growth resumed when drug removed from the regimen.

Chest wall metastasis of squamous cell carcinoma of larynx.

Distant metastases in squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck are most often to the lung, liver and bone. They rarely metastasise to chest wall. We report a 60-year-old male patient who initially presented with an abscess over the anterior chest wall that was initially treated for infective pathology. Due to lack of response, cytological examination was performed that turned out to be metastasis from carcinoma larynx.

A rare fungal infiltration of lungs in a healthy young girl.

Cunninghamella bertholletiae is an opportunistic fungal organism found in soil and is a rare cause of human disease. The few reported cases of C. bertholletiae have involved immune compromised hosts. We report a case of C. bertholletiae in an otherwise healthy patient presenting with persistent high-grade fever and pulmonary infiltration resistant to antibiotics. The organism is isolated through bronchoscopy and responded to broad spectrum antifungal. This is the first case of C. bertholletiae reported in the literature in an immune competent individual.

Tuberculous oesophagopleural fistula.

Hydropneumothorax complicating to oesophagopleural and broncho-oesophageal fistula is an unusual presentation and is reported in literature as separate clinical entities. Here we present a case of hydropneumothorax with both oesophagopleural and broncho-oesophageal fistula of tuberculous aetiology occurring simultaneously in the same patient. Oesophagopleural fistula was suspected clinically by colour of pleural fluid. Subsequent barium swallow demonstrated leak of contrast material from oesophagus into pleural cavity. Later on, computed tomography of chest with oral contrast confirmed communication of oesophagus with both right pleural cavity and right main bronchus. The fistulous connection between these structures appeared to be due to tuberculous mediastinal lymphadenopathy as evident on CT thorax.

High-resolution computed tomography features in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

INTRODUCTION: In recent years, there has been increasing interest in diagnosing various components of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) using high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). The present study was undertaken to evaluate HRCT features in patients with COPD. METHODS: 40 male patients with COPD (age 40 years or older) and with a significant smoking history (20 pack-years or more) were included in the study. They were evaluated for HRCT features including vascular attenuation and distortion, mosaic attenuation pattern, directly visible small airways, low attenuation areas of emphysema and measures of hyperinflation of the lungs: tracheal index, sterno-aortic distance, thoracic cage ratio and thoracic cross-sectional area. RESULTS: The tracheal index ranged from 0.46 to 0.94; Saber-sheath trachea was found in 14 patients. The mean thoracic cage ratio at two levels, carina and 5 cm below carina, were 0.69 (range 0.61-0.78) and 0.73 (range 0.62-0.83), respectively. Sterno-aortic distance at carinal level ranged from 1.43 to 4.55 cm, with a mean of 3.00 cm. Directly visible small airways was the commonest finding (36 patients), followed by vascular attenuation (25 patients), mosaic attenuation pattern (16 patients) and vascular distortion (8 patients). Among various subtypes of emphysema, centriacinar emphysema was commonest (16 patients), followed by paraseptal (13) and panacinar emphysema (11). CONCLUSION: There are certain specific HRCT features of emphysema and it is possible on HRCT to identify the subtypes of emphysema, such as centriacinar, panacinar and paraseptal emphysema. Various features of hyperinflation can also be well identified and quantified on HRCT.

Primary carcinoma of the lung in von Recklinghausen neurofibromatosis.

von Recklinghausen neurofibromatosis (NF-1) is the most common inherited syndrome predisposing to neoplasia, particularly neural crest-derived tumors. However, lung malignancies reported in association with neurofibromatosis are sparse. We present a case of a 48-year-old man with NF-1 that manifested as carcinoma of lung, in order to discuss the linkage between these two entities.

Obstructing mass lesion of epiglottis: it can be tubercular.

We report a case of 60-year old male who had difficulty in breathing as well as in swallowing. On examination, he was found to be having proliferative growth of epiglottis and right aryepiglottic fold mimicking neoplasm. So emergency tracheostomy was performed and biopsy taken. He was found to be having asymptomatic miliary mottling on routine x-ray chest PA view. Further on HRCT, it turned out to be lesion suggesting tubercular etiology. Histopathology (epiglottic biopsy) report confirmed the whole process as tubercular. The patient recovered promptly in due course with anti-tubercular treatment. Point remains to be seen that if we can avoid tracheostomy and its complications in such cases.