[Sinus bradycardia secondary to systemic pentamidine]. / Bradicardia sinusal secundaria a pentamidina sistémica.

Systemic side effects caused by parenteral pentamidine are frequent. They can be severe and life-threatening. Intravenous pentamidine may cause a variety of abnormalities in the cardiac conduction system as tachyarrhythmias, hypotension and/or non-specific ECG changes (a long corrected QT interval). There is only one case of previously reported bradyarrhythmias in an HIV-infected patient. We present a new adverse effect associated with intravenous pentamidine therapy, and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of sinus bradycardia in a patient who is not HIV-infected.

[Obliterating bronchiolitis with organized pneumonia. Experience in a general hospital]. / Bronquiolitis obliterante con neumonía organizada. Experiencia en un hospital general.

Bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia (BOOP) is a histopathologic entity that has been described in association with numerous clinical conditions. In the 1980s an idiopathic form was described as a definite clinicopathologic entity differentiated from other infiltrative pulmonary processes. We present 7 patients diagnosed of BOOP over the past 6 years and discuss their clinical and radiologic signs as well as their response to steroid treatment. Our patients' evolution was subacute, cough and fever being the main symptoms. Lung function tests revealed a pattern that was predominantly restrictive. Radiology showed 1 or several alveolar infiltrates in all patients; these were migratory in 3. Bilateral pleural effusion with marked eosinophilia in pleural fluid was observed in 1 patient. In another cavitated nodules were present in chest-X-ray, with no evidence of vasculitis in tissue examination. All patients were treated with steroids (mean 10 months) and a low maintenance dose was required in only 1. The remaining patients experienced full recovery.

[Respiratory muscle involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus: retracted lung syndrome]. / Afección muscular respiratoria en el lupus eritematoso sistémico: síndrome del pulmón retraído.

We describe a case of the Syndrome of Retracted Lung (SRL), a very rare entity which is part of the respiratory pathology that may be seen in the Lupus Erithematosus Systemic (LES). Detailed clinical data are presented and general relevant aspects related to this type of lupidic manifestation are reviewed.

A simple method of correcting diffusing capacity for alveolar volume reduction in restrictive lung diseases.

We studied the discriminative power of the transfer factor (TLCO), KCO (TLCO/Va) and ZCO (a corrected TLCO according to alveolar volume measured (Va), introduced by our group), in order to differentiate diffuse interstitial disease from other restrictive diseases. Measurements were taken in 46 subjects, divided into two groups: Pure restriction (group 1: normal subjects with voluntary restriction and diseased subjects) and (2) diffuse interstitial restriction (group 2). There were no statistical differences in Va between groups 1 and 2. TLCO was statistically lower in groups 1 and 2 in comparison with the control group (normal values of our laboratory in test with Va greater than 90% of predicted) and showed a significant difference when group 1 was compared with group 2. Similar results (but with higher values than those of the control group) were found for KCO. A similar difference exists in ZCO only when group 2 is compared with group 1, but not when group 1 is compared with the control group. The corrected diffusion capacity ZCO yields the highest discriminative power.