Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Oxygen Therapy: A Double-edged Sword.

Oxygen, like all medicines, is a drug which needs moderation. Hypoxia, as well as excess oxygen supplementation, can be harmful in a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Both the European and the British guidelines recommend a target oxygen saturation of 88-92% in patients with COPD. Hypoxia can result in symptoms, such as restlessness, anxiety, agitation, and headache, while excess oxygen can lead to altered sensorium due to the retention of carbon dioxide (CO2) in patients with COPD. We often come across patients who come with breathlessness and have hypoxia, and the knee-jerk reaction is to start the patient on oxygen support to maintain an oxygen saturation of >95%, and this may result in hypercapnia and type II respiratory failure. Here, we present a descriptive review of the proper application of oxygen therapy in a patient presenting with acute exacerbation of COPD, the rationale behind the target oxygen saturations, and the mechanisms of type II respiratory failure due to hyperoxygenation.

Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis Presenting with Pneumothorax and Diabetes Insipidus.

Secondary spontaneous pneumothoraces occur in patients with known underlying lung disease. Patients with emphysema, bullae, and cystic lesions in the lungs are at high risk of developing pneumothorax. Cystic lung diseases like Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) can present with complications like pneumothorax. Other common presenting features include maculopapular rashes and bone lesions. It can also be associated with endocrinopathies, most commonly central diabetes insipidus (CDI). We here present a case of a 22-year-old male who presented with pneumothorax, polyuria, and polydipsia. He was diagnosed with LCH on transbronchial lung biopsy, associated with CDI, and was treated with thoracoscopy-guided autologous blood patch for persistent air leak and subcutaneous cytarabine.

Thoracoscopic blood patch instillation for persistent air leak in pneumothorax: a case series and systematic review.

Persistent air leaks in patients with pneumothorax can lead to significant morbidity. If a patient with persistent air leak is medically unfit for thoracic surgery, medical pleurodesis via chest tube or thoracoscopy is either an option. Thoracoscopy offers the advantage of visualizing the site of the air leak and enabling direct instillation of the pleurodesis agent or glue at that location. Autologous blood patch instillation via chest tube has been reported to be a cheap and very effective technique for the management of persistent air leaks. However, thoracoscopic blood patch instillation has not been reported in the literature. We report two cases of secondary spontaneous pneumothorax in which patients had persistent air leaks for more than seven days and were subjected to thoracoscopy to locate the site of the leak. In the same sitting, 50 mL of autologous blood patch was instilled directly at the leak site. Post-procedure, the air leak subsided in both patients, and the chest tube was removed with complete lung expansion. We also conducted a systematic review of the use of medical thoracoscopic interventions for treating persistent air leaks.

Comparative yield of transbronchial cryo-nodal biopsy, transbronchial intra-nodal forceps biopsy, and transbronchial needle aspiration for mediastinal lesions at a tertiary care center in India (COLD-FORCEPS study).

Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) guided mediastinal cryobiopsy, and intranodal forceps biopsy are newer modalities for sampling mediastinal lymph nodes. The data regarding the diagnostic yield of both modalities is scarce. Patients were recruited retrospectively from our existing database. Patients who had undergone both an EBUS guided mediastinal cryobiopsy and an intranodal forceps biopsy were enrolled in the study. The final diagnosis was made with a clinical-pathological-radiological assessment and clinico-radiological follow-up after one month. A total of 34 patients were enrolled in the study who had undergone both EBUS guided mediastinal cryobiopsy and intranodal forceps biopsy and had complete data available, including 1-month follow-up data. The sample adequacy rate of EBUS-transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA), EBUS-TBNA with mediastinal cryobiopsy, and EBUS-TBNA with intranodal forceps biopsy was 94.11%, 97.05%, and 94.11%, respectively (p=0.56). The diagnostic yield achieved in EBUS-TBNA, EBUS-TBNA with mediastinal cryobiopsy, and EBUS-TBNA with intranodal forceps biopsy was 73.52%, 82.35%, and 79.41%, respectively (p=0.38). No major complications were seen in any patient. To conclude, adding EBUS guided mediastinal cryobiopsy and intranodal forceps biopsy to EBUS-TBNA may not be superior to routine EBUS-TBNA.

Outcome of severe leptospirosis presenting with ARDS in respiratory ICU.

Introduction: Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is a rare presentation and a major complication of leptospirosis associated with high mortality despite advances in management. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study, in 48 patients presenting with ARDS due to leptospirosis. Clinical presentation, risk factors, management and outcome of patients were noted. Factors associated with survival and mortality were studied. Results: Our study showed a male preponderance (87%) with a mean age of presentation of 31.5 years. All patients presented with multiorgan failure. PaO2/FiO2 ratio less than 100 on 3rd day was associated with 90% mortality. The requirement for invasive mechanical ventilation carried a mortality risk of 70.4%. Overall mortality was 39.6%. Conclusion: Leptospirosis can cause serious ARDS with a high case fatality. Prompt treatment with non-invasive mechanical ventilation to maintain haemodynamic stability and intravenous steroids can improve the outcome.

Spontaneous Pneumothorax in Patients of COVID 19 Pneumonia.

COVID 19 pandemic has put a massive strain on healthcare all over the world. Every day new data is getting released and various complications are being reported in patients of COVID 19 Pneumonia. One such complication is pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum. Both these conditions can lead to an increase in mortality and morbidity in patients with COVID 19 pneumonia. We studied 476 patients of COVID 19 pneumonia at our hospital, out of which 18 (3.78%) had developed pneumothorax and/or pneumomediastinum. While most of these patients were on some form of positive pressure ventilation (invasive/non-invasive), some of them had a HRCT Chest suggestive of either air trapping and/or cyst formation. Three patients had developed bilateral pneumothorax while on non-invasive ventilator. Nine of the 18 patients expired and nine were discharged.Through this article, we would like to emphasize that an acute deterioration in hypoxemia in a COVID-19 patient could indicate a pneumothorax. Pneumothorax as well as pulmonary thromboembolism are reported complications in COVID-19 and clinician vigilance is required during assessment of patients, as both share the common symptom of breathlessness and therefore can mimic each other.

Bilateral Fungus Ball: An Uncommon Complication Post Severe COVID 19 Infection.

COVID 19 is one of the world's worst hit pandemics. WHO first learned of this new virus on 31 December 2019, following a report of cluster of cases of 'viral pneumonia' in Wuhan, China. Covid 19 causes systemic infection but it worst hits the lungs and can cause ARDS ( 5%). Bilateral lung fibrosis is a commonly observed sequela after severe Covid 19 infection. Covid 19 pneumonia also acts as a nidus for superadded bacterial and fungal infections. However we haven't come across fibrocavitation and fungus ball as post Covid 19 sequelae.brbrWe here present a case report of a patient who was diagnosed as ARDS due to SARS CoV2, was treated as per standard Covid 19 protocols, required NIV and discharged on home oxygen. The HRCT on discharge showed bilateral fibrosis. The follow up HRCT after 45 days of discharge showed evidence of Bilateral cavities with Fungus ball.