Pneumothoraxes after CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle aspiration biopsy of the lung: A single-center experience with 3426 patients.

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to determine how long patients who developed pneumothorax were followed up on in the emergency department, how many patients required chest tube placement, and what factors influenced the need for a chest tube in patients who underwent computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous transthoracic fine needle aspiration biopsy (PTFNAB). Materials and Methods: Patients who developed pneumothorax following CT-guided PTFNAB were analyzed retrospectively. In cases with pneumothorax, the relationship between chest tube placement and the size of the lesion, the lesion depth from the pleural surface, the presence of emphysema, and the needle entry angle were investigated. It was determined how long the patients were followed up in the emergency department, when a chest tube was placed, and when patients who did not require chest tube placement were discharged. Result: CT-guided PTFNAB was performed in 3426 patients within two years. Pneumothorax developed in 314 (9%) cases and a chest tube was placed in 117 (37%). The risk factor for chest tube placement was found to be the lesion depth from the pleural surface. The lesion depth from the pleural surface of >24 mm increased the risk of chest tube placement by 4.8 times. Chest tubes were placed at an average of five hours (5.04 ± 5.57). Conclusions: This study has shown that in cases with pneumothorax that required chest tube placement, the lesion depth from the pleural surface is a risk factor. Patients who developed pneumothorax on CT during the procedure had chest tubes placed after an average of five hours.

Antibiotic resistance rates and penicillin MIC distribution in patients with streptococcal pneumonia between 2013-2019, and use of antibiotics in clinical practice.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study is to investigate the antibiotic resistance rates and use of antibiotics in patients with streptococcal pneumonia in a reference tertiary care hospital for pulmonary diseases in Izmir, Turkey. METHODS: A total of 1224 cases with streptococcal pneumonia between 2013 and 2019 were included in the study, retrospectively. Drug susceptibility testing for penicillin and other antibiotics were performed according to the recommendations of EUCAST criteria. Clinical data and general characteristics were collected and evaluated for each patient in accordance with the susceptibility testing report. RESULTS: Totally, resistance rates for trimethophrim-sulfamethoxazole, penicillin (oxacillin), erythromycin, tetracycline, clindamycin and levofloxacin resistance were 63.5%, 39.8%, 37.7%, 37.6%, 28.8%, and 4.8%, respectively. Antibiotic resistance was not detected against vancomycin,teicoplanin and linezolid. Multidrug resistance rate was found to be 27.1%. It was observed that there was a statistically significant decrease in trimethophrim-sulfamethoxazole, penicillin (oxacillin), erythromycin, clindamycin and levofloxacin resistance rates by years (p: 0.000, 0.004, 0.000, 0.001, 0.010, respectively). The penicillin MIC distribution was higher at the range of 0.12-2 â€‹µg/mL and there was statistical difference among the ranges of MIC values for the representative years (p:0.033). Among the antibiotics investigated, the most commonly used antibiotic was moxifloxacin. CONCLUSIONS: Trimethophrim-sulfamethoxazole resistance rate has been found higher than other antibiotics. As penicillin MIC values were at the range of 0.12-2 â€‹µg/mL frequently, high doses of penicillin treatment might be required in some patients. It is noteworthy that significant decrease in resistance rates in penicillin, erythromycin, clindamycin and tetracycline could be due to the vaccination programme carried out since 2008 in Turkey. As the empiric use of quinolones is high it would be more appropriate to use it according to the susceptibility testing. It is important to determine the regional antimicrobial susceptibility for Streptococcus pneumoniae to select appropriate empirical antimicrobials in the clinical practice.

Clinical Differences Between Elderly and Non-elderly Patients with COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: Comorbidity frequency and mortality rates are higher in elderly patients with COVID-19. The disease is also more severe in elderly patients. This study aims to examine the characteristics of the COVID-19 disease, severity, comorbidities, and mortality rates in elderly patients by comparing them with nonelderly patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was designed as a retrospective study. 469 patients who were followed up in outpatient, inpatient, and intensive care units with the diagnosis of COVID-19 between March 11, 2020, and June 01, 2020, were retrospectively included in the study. Patients were divided into two groups who were ≥65 years named as the "elderly group" and <65 years referred to as "nonelderly". Survival data was generated from the death notification system on August 02, 2020. RESULTS: A total of 469 patients including elderly(n=101) and nonelderly(n=368) were included in the study retrospectively. The inci- dence of severe pneumonia(31%/12.6%) and critical illness(16%/5.8%), comorbidity (85%/37.2%) and hospitalization time(8/5 days) were significantly higher in the elderly group(p<0.05). 23 (22.8%) of elderly patients and 27(7.3%) of nonelderly patients died (p=0.000). Mortality was found to be 3.5 times higher than in the non-elderly group. The expected survival time was 145.85 days(CI 95%:133- 158.66) in the elderly patients and 170.36 days(CI 95%:166-174.6) in the nonelderly patients (p<0.000). In ROC analysis, the sensitivity of age was 86%(73.3-94.2), specificity was 66.83%(62.1-71.3), and the cut-off>56 (AUC:0.775; p <0.001) in predicting mortality. CONCLUSION: Mortality is high, comorbidities are more frequent, and the disease is more severe in elderly patients with COVID-19. Age above 56 can be used as a cut-off to predict mortality.

Quantitative CT in mortality prediction in pulmonary fibrosis with or without emphysema.

AIM: We aimed to evaluate the quantitative CT analysis of patients with CPFE in comparison with IPF and emphysema. METHODS: Patients with CPFE(n:36), IPF(n:38) and emphysema(n:32) were retrospectively included in the study with the approval of the ethics committee. RESULTS: There was a positive correlation between total lung volume and FVC%, TLCO% and 6 MWT, and negative correlation between mMRC and mortality. Negative correlation was found between right, left lung density and FVC%, TLCO% and 6 MWT, and positive correlation between mortality. Also, total lung volume, right and left lung densities were significant in predicting mortality and cut-off values are ≤3831,> -778 and> -775, respectively (p = 0.040, 0.020, 0.013). CONCLUSION: Quantitative CT are guiding in predicting mortality of the disease.

Can the Level of CRP in Acute Pulmonary Embolism Determine Early Mortality?

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic role of C-Reactive Protein (CRP) in acute PE. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two hundred and twenty patients with acute PE were consecutively enrolled and followed for 30 days after discharge. Serum CRP and NT-proBNP were determined. Right ventricular function was evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in age, S-PESI, and CRP levels between the early mortality group and without early mortality group. There was statistically no significant difference between the groups with and without early mortality in terms of gender distribution and whether or not they received thrombolytic therapy for DVT. Pulmonary infarct, pleural fluid, or both have no effect on early mortality. There was no correlation between CRP and pro-BNP, right/left ventricular ratio. The serum CRP levels at diagnosis were significantly higher in patients with PE and with pleural effusion and pulmonary infarct than those in PE patients without pleural effusion and pulmonary infarct (4.75±4.91 ng/mL, 9.67±8.02 ng/mL; p<0.0003). CONCLUSION: High levels of CRP owing to inflammation in pulmonary embolism associated with effusion and infarction reveals why early mortality is significant in this group. CRP may help in the risk stratification of patients with acute PE, especially those with effusion and pulmonary infarction. CRP is an inexpensive and easily applicable biochemical marker, which can be used to predict early mortality.

What are the Differences Between Smoker and Non-smoker COPD Cases? Is it a Different Phenotype?

OBJECTIVE: The most important risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is smoking. However, more than 25% of patients do not have a history of smoking. The intent of this study is to identify characteristics of COPD patients that are non-smokers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The records of patients with COPD were retrospectively reviewed. Smoking history, comorbidities, exacerbations, biomass, and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposures were identified. Also, age, gender, pulmonary function test (PFT) values, modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scores were recorded. Non-smokers exposed to any of the COPD risk factors above were grouped and the data were analyzed to determine the specific characteristics of COPD that applied to them. RESULTS: A total of 706 COPD patients were analyzed with a mean age of 67.2 ± 9.4. Of these patients, 93 (13.2%) were female and 613 (86.8%) were male. Of the 706 patients, 128 (18.1%) were non-smokers. The percentage of male patients having COPD was significantly lower in the non-smoker group (P < .001). However, biomass, ETS exposure in childhood, and a history of previous respiratory infection were significantly higher in the non-smoker group (P < .001). The mean body mass index (BMI) was greater in non-smokers than smokers. CONCLUSION: Non-smokers with COPD have more biomass, ETS exposure, and infection history in childhood. They also have less impairment of airflow limitation, better symptom scores, and greater BMIs. Smoking history can be used to determine a different phenotype.

Clinical presentation of health care workers with symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 at the Izmir tertiary education hospital, during an early phase of the pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study is to investigate and report on the data regarding the clinical characteristics and outcomes of healthcare workers with COVID-19 at tertiary education hospitals from Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a single center, retrospective, descriptive and observational study using cross-sectional data, which were collected from confirmed COVID-19 patients at a tertiary education hospital. Patients' demographic and clinical characteristics, mortality rates, and the factors associated with hospitalization were analyzed. RESULT: By May 15, 2020, 480 patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 in our hospital where 49 (10.2%) of whom were HCWs. The mean age was 40.0 ± 8.45 (75.5% female). The most common symptoms were cough (32.7%), fever (30.6%), and myalgia (14.3%). Comorbidities were present in 32.7% of the patients. Most of the HCWs were nurses (53.1%) and physicians (18.4%), and the remaining 14 (28.6%) were cleaning and administrative staff. The severity of the disease was mild in 65.3% and severe in 34.7% HCWs. Leukocyte, neutrophil, lymphocyte and platelet values were statistically lower in hospitalized patients. There was a statistically significant relationship between the presence of infiltration on the chest X-ray, and the patient's symptoms with the severity of the disease (respectively p= 0.002 and 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the frequency of COVID-19 in healthcare workers is high. The study presents the characteristics of HCWs infected with coronavirus from a single center in Turkey.

Insidious Hughes Stovin Syndrome: Journey From Pulmonary Embolism to Pulmonary Arterial Aneurysm.

Hughes-Stovin syndrome (HSS) is a rare disease characterized by deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary and/or bronchial artery aneurysms. A 28-year-old female patient was followed-up for 5 months with pulmonary embolism. When she presented with hemoptysis at her 5th month, pulmonary artery aneurysm was detected on thoracic CT angiography. The abdominal magnetic resonance (MR) angiography revealed thrombus in the inferior vena cava. Because she didin't carry the criteria for Behcet's disease, she was diagnosed as Hughes-Stovin Syndrome (HSS) and steroid treatment was started. The patient who had a response to the treatment, stay in remission for a long time. The prognosis was poor in patients with HSS, and aneurysmal rupture was the main cause of death. In order to emphasize the fact that, when the pulmonary arterial aneurysm is seen, in view of the possibility of Behçet or its variant HSS,rapid onset of treatment can be life-saving. A rare female case is presented in the light of the literature.

Predictive value of platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in patients with hypersensitivity pneumonia.

AIM: To evaluate Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR) and Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) in patients with HP. METHOD: A sample of 140 total patients, 50 having chronic HP and 20 having acute HP, and a control group of 70 more patients were included in this retrospective study conducted with hospital Ethical Committee approval. RESULTS: PLR and NLR values were significantly higher in all HP patients than in the control group ( p <0.001). In addition, these biomarkers were significantly higher in patients with acute HP than in the chronic HP group (p = 0.017 and p = 0.044, respectively). The cutoff values for PLR and NLR were: (1) 177 (p = 0.020) and 2.76 (p <0.0001) between the HP patients and the control group, and, (2) 110 (p = 0.0054) and 2.15 (p = 0.03), between the acute and chronic HP groups. CONCLUSION: PLR and NLR values are inexpensive and easy parameters that can guide in diagnosing hypersensitivity pneumonia in combination with clinical, radiological and pathology findings.and the acute-chronic differentiation of the disease. (Sarcoidosis Vasc Diffuse Lung Dis 2020; 37 (4): e2020012).

Contribution of Cell Block Obtained by Thoracentesis in the Diagnosis of Malignant Pleural Effusion.

AIM: The aim of this study wass to compare the cytological features of pleural exudative fluids by conventional smear (CS) method and cell block (CB) method and also to assess the utility of the combined approach for cytodiagnosis of these effusions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In all, 113 pleural exudative fluid samples were subjected to evaluation by both CS and CB methods over a period of 2 years. Cellularity, architecture patterns, morphological features, and yield for malignancy were compared, using the two methods. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy for diagnosis of malignancy were calculated for both the methods, using histology as a gold standard. RESULTS: CB method provided higher cellularity, better architectural patterns, and additional yield for malignancy when compared with CS method. For 22 (40%) patients, histologic subtype was determined with CB especially for adenocarcinoma. The sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values of cytology and CB were 48%, 100%, 100%, 67.8% and 59.2%, 100%, 100%, 72.8%, respectively. CONCLUSION: CB technique definitively increased detection of malignancy in pleural fluid effusion when used as an adjunct to CSs. Also, CB provides material suitable for molecular genetic analysis for targeted therapies especially in the treatment of adenocarcinoma.

A promising tool for T-staging of lung cancer: Is convex probe endobronchial ultrasound superior to computed tomography in detecting invasion of mediastinal and hilar vessels?

BACKGROUND: In the present study, we aimed to compare performance of convex probe endobronchial ultrasound and computed tomography in detecting vascular invasion of mediastinal and hilar lesions. METHODS: Medical data of a total of 55 patients (47 males, 8 females; mean age 59.6±7.7 years; range, 29 to 76 years) who underwent convex probe endobronchial ultrasound for diagnosis and staging of lung cancer in a tertiary care hospital between May 2016 and December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The presence of vascular invasion was determined according to two main criteria: visualization of the tumor tissue within the vessel lumen and loss of vessel-tumor hyperechoic interface. All available contrast enhanced computed tomography images were retrospectively re-evaluated by a blinded radiologist. The intra-rater agreement between convex probe endobronchial ultrasound and computed tomography was analyzed. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy of both modalities were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 65 vessel-tumor interface areas of 55 patients were analyzed. Almost all mediastinal and hilar vascular structures including pulmonary arteries and veins, aorta, superior vena cava and its branches, and left atrium with pulmonary veno-atrial junctions could be easily assessed by convex probe endobronchial ultrasound. The intra-agreement of both modalities in detecting vascular invasion was k=0.268 (p=0.028). In nine patients with a surgical confirmation, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy values were 100%, 33.3%, 75.0%, 100%, and 77.7%, respectively for convex probe endobronchial ultrasound and 66.6%, 33.3%, 66.6%, 33.3%, and 55.5%, respectively for computed tomography. CONCLUSION: Convex probe endobronchial ultrasound can be used to detect vascular invasion alone or in conjunction with contrast-enhanced computed tomography. Hence, a T4 lesion would be better differentiated from T3 in clinical staging of lung cancer.

A rare synchronous tumor: primary squamous cell lung cancer and adenoid cystic carcinoma of the tongue.

Persence of multipl primary tumors in an organism is called as multiple primary cancer (MPC). Multipl tumors that occur at the same time are synchronized tumors, while those occuring at the different times called metachronous. MPCs are very rare entities. Here in we report a 96-year-old man who presented with synchronous MPC including squamous cell Lung cancer and tongue adenoid cystic carcinoma.

C-reactive protein measurements as a marker of the severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lungs. Acute exacerbations of COPD (AE-COPD) are a result of infectious or non-infectious instances. In our study, we aimed to determine whether serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are predictive indicators for disease severity and prognosis in hospitalized patients with AE-COPD. A total of 64 patients (36 regular ward and 28 ICU patients) were included in the study. Cases were identified and classified according to the Global Initiative for COPD. The first CRP test levels at acceptance at the ward or intensive care unit were counted in the study. CRP levels of patients in intensive care were significantly higher than those of patients in the regular ward. Mean values of CRP were detected to be 6.28 ± 6.53 mg/dl in the regular ward cases and 16.9 ± 12.03 mg/dl in the ICU patients (p < 0.01). The stage of COPD did not indicate a significant difference in terms of CRP values. Mean CRP values were found to be 16.02 ± 6.95 mg/dl in mortal cases and 9.76 ± 11.09 mg/dl in survivors (p < 0.01). High CRP levels were considered as a prognostic parameter and indicator of severity of AE-COPD. Increased mortality risk was found to be associated with high CRP values.

Successful treatment of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in an immunocompetent host.

Immunocompromised individuals are susceptible to pulmonary Aspergillus infection, but invasive Aspergillus infection is extremely rare in the presence of normal immunity. A case of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in an immunocompetent 57-year-old female who was successfully treated with liposomal amphotericin-B is reported here.