Use of zonal distribution of lung crackles during inspiration and expiration to assess disease severity in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: To measure the number and distribution of crackles in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and assess how this relates to measures of disease severity. STUDY DESIGN: Fourteen patients with IPF had both the number of crackles per litre of lung volume and lung function measured every 3 months for 1 year. Crackle counts were expressed according to position (upper and lower zones) and whether they occurred during inspiration and expiration. RESULTS: At baseline, crackle count per unit volume was higher at the bases than the apices and higher during inspiration than during expiration. There was a significant relationship between lung function and number of crackles per unit volume. Upper zone crackles during inspiration (crackle count vs forced vital capacity (FVC): r=0.69, p=0.007) and lower zone crackles during expiration (crackle count vs FVC: r=0.55, p=0.04) demonstrated the strongest relationship with lung function. CONCLUSIONS: Number and distribution of crackles in IPF relate to physiological measures of disease severity. Inspiratory lower zone crackles were universal and extensive but the presence, hence, development of inspiratory upper zone crackles and expiratory lower zone crackles correlated with measures of poorer lung function. The presence or appearance of these assessed using chest auscultation provides a clinician with simple measure of disease severity, and possibly progression, prompting further physiological assessment and review of treatment.

Objective cough frequency in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: Cough is a common presenting symptom in patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). This study measured cough rates in IPF patients and investigated the association between cough and measures of health related quality of life and subjective cough assessments. In addition, IPF cough rates were related to measures of physiological disease severity and compared to cough rates in health and other respiratory conditions. METHODS: Nineteen IPF patients, mean age 70.8 years +/- 8.6, five female (26.3%) were studied. Subjects performed full pulmonary function testing, 24 hour ambulatory cough recordings, completed a cough related quality of life questionnaire (Leicester Cough Questionnaire) and subjectively scored cough severity with a visual analogue scale. Ambulatory cough recordings were manually counted and reported as number of coughs per hour. RESULTS: The 24hr cough rates were high (median 9.4, range 1.5-39.4), with day time rates much higher than night time (median 14.6, range 1.9-56.6 compared to 1.9, range 0-19.2, p = 0.003). Strong correlations were found between objective cough frequency and both the VAS (day r = 0.80, p < 0.001, night r = 0.71, p = 0.001) and LCQ (r = -0.80, p < 0.001), but not with measures of pulmonary function. Cough rates in IPF were higher than healthy subjects (p < 0.001) and asthma patients (p < 0.001) but similar to patients with chronic cough (p = 0.33). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms objectively that cough is a major, very distressing and disabling symptom in IPF patients. The strong correlations between objective cough counts and cough related quality of life measures suggest that in IPF patient's, perception of cough frequency is very accurate.

Risk assessment of pneumothorax and pulmonary haemorrhage complicating percutaneous co-axial cutting needle lung biopsy.

INTRODUCTION: The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of radiologists to accurately estimate pneumothorax and pulmonary haemorrhage during percutaneous co-axial cutting needle CT-guided lung biopsy. METHODOLOGY: Patients undergoing cutting needle lung biopsy during the study period were identified; the path taken by the cutting needle marked on each pre-biopsy staging CT scan. Each scan was then reviewed independently by two thoracic radiologists blinded to clinical details and complications; pneumothorax and pulmonary haemorrhage risk estimated with a percentage Visual Analogue Scale. RESULTS: In 134 patients, pneumothorax occurred in 24%. The radiologists differed in the estimation of pneumothorax risk in 55% (74 episodes). When pneumothorax risk was estimated <20% by radiologists 1 and 2, 16% and 14% of biopsies resulted in pneumothorax; where risk was estimated at 20-49%, pneumothorax incidence rose to 33% and 31%; where risk was deemed > or =50%, pneumothorax rate was 87% and 100%. Pulmonary haemorrhage occurred in 4%; estimated haemorrhage risk for biopsies complicated by haemorrhage did not differ significantly from where haemorrhage did not occur. CONCLUSION: Radiologists differ markedly in the estimation of pneumothorax risk for a patient undergoing co-axial lung biopsy. Identifying individual patients developing pneumothorax was only possible when risk was estimated at > or =50%. Pulmonary haemorrhage was uncommon and difficult to predict accurately.

Acoustic parameters of snoring sound to assess the effectiveness of sleep nasendoscopy in predicting surgical outcome.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of two grading systems used to predict surgical outcome in nonapneic snorers. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective observational study. Prior to undergoing palatal surgery, 20 patients completed a sleep nasendoscopic examination involving sequential steady-state sedation with intravenous propofol. Using a combination of acoustic parameters of snoring sound as an objective outcome measurement, and the answers to a specifically designed questionnaire as a subjective outcome measurement, the effectiveness of each grading system in predicting surgical outcome was examined. RESULTS: Depending on the outcome measurement used, sensitivity in predicting success of surgery for snoring varied from 16.7% to 50.0% and specificity from 38.5% to 62.5% for the Pringle and Croft system, while sensitivity varied from 91.7% to 100% and specificity from 30.8% to 31.5% for the Camilleri system. CONCLUSION: Sleep nasendoscopy using these classifications cannot be recommended as a reliable predictor of surgical outcome in nonapneic snorers. EBM RATING: C-4.

Acoustic parameters of snoring sound to assess the effectiveness of the Müller Manoeuvre in predicting surgical outcome.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of the Müller Manoeuvre in predicting surgical outcome in non-apnoeic snorers. METHODS: Forty-one non-apnoeic snorers performed the Müller Manoeuvre, prior to palatal surgery for snoring. Pre-operatively and between 1.0 and 4.1 months (mean 2.5 months) post-operatively, patients were admitted overnight when their sleeping position and snoring sounds were recorded. At the time of the post-operative recordings, patients were required to complete a specifically designed questionnaire. Snore files comprising the inspiratory component of the first 100 snores whilst the patient was supine, were extracted. Snore duration (s), snore loudness (dBA), snore periodicity (%) and the energy ratios for the frequency bands 0-200, 0-250 and 0-400 Hz were calculated. Only patients who showed improvements in snore periodicity and all energy ratios were considered to be surgical successes. In addition, patients were also categorised as 'successes' or 'failures' depending on their responses to specific questionnaire questions. The effectiveness of the Müller Manoeuvre in predicting surgical outcome was then tested using these categories. RESULTS: The 41 patients included 35 men and 6 women. Mean age: 47 years (24-67 years). Mean PNIFR 145 (80-230). Median reported alcohol intake was 11-15 units/week (0 to 26-30 units/week). Mean BMI: 30.6 kg/m2 (24.3-47.2 kg/m2). Twenty-four patients underwent an uvulopalatal elevation palatoplasty and seventeen a traditional palatoplasty. Following the Müller Manoeuvre, patients were categorised as 'ideal', 'suboptimal, but acceptable' or 'unsuitable' for surgery. Using the acoustic parameters, 23/41 patients were considered a surgical success, whilst 18/41 were considered failures. Using the questionnaire responses, 14/40 patients were considered a surgical success, whilst 26/40 were considered failures. There was no correlation between the subjective and objective outcomes (rho=0.193; p=0.227). Neither pre-operative BMI, type of palatoplasty performed, patient gender, age, PNIFR or reported alcohol intake were confounders of surgical outcome. For patients considered 'ideal' and 'suboptimal, but acceptable', using acoustic outcomes, the Müller Manoeuvre had a specificity of 55.5% and a sensitivity of 30.4%, compared with a sensitivity of 57.7% and a specificity of 28.6% when questionnaire responses were used. If only patients considered 'ideal' were considered, the specificity was 66.7%, and the sensitivity 21.7% when using acoustic outcomes, compared with a sensitivity of 69.2% and a specificity of 78.6% when questionnaire responses were used. CONCLUSION: The Müller Manoeuvre appears to have no role in the pre-operative assessment of palatal surgery for non-apnoeic snorers.

Establishing a gold standard for manual cough counting: video versus digital audio recordings.

BACKGROUND: Manual cough counting is time-consuming and laborious; however it is the standard to which automated cough monitoring devices must be compared. We have compared manual cough counting from video recordings with manual cough counting from digital audio recordings. METHODS: We studied 8 patients with chronic cough, overnight in laboratory conditions (diagnoses were 5 asthma, 1 rhinitis, 1 gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and 1 idiopathic cough). Coughs were recorded simultaneously using a video camera with infrared lighting and digital sound recording. The numbers of coughs in each 8 hour recording were counted manually, by a trained observer, in real time from the video recordings and using audio-editing software from the digital sound recordings. RESULTS: The median cough frequency was 17.8 (IQR 5.9-28.7) cough sounds per hour in the video recordings and 17.7 (6.0-29.4) coughs per hour in the digital sound recordings. There was excellent agreement between the video and digital audio cough rates; mean difference of -0.3 coughs per hour (SD +/- 0.6), 95% limits of agreement -1.5 to +0.9 coughs per hour. Video recordings had poorer sound quality even in controlled conditions and can only be analysed in real time (8 hours per recording). Digital sound recordings required 2-4 hours of analysis per recording. CONCLUSION: Manual counting of cough sounds from digital audio recordings has excellent agreement with simultaneous video recordings in laboratory conditions. We suggest that ambulatory digital audio recording is therefore ideal for validating future cough monitoring devices, as this as this can be performed in the patients own environment.

The role of Abrams percutaneous pleural biopsy in the investigation of exudative pleural effusions.

INTRODUCTION: Blind percutaneous pleural biopsy has traditionally been performed to investigate the etiology of exudative pleural effusion in which the initial thoracentesis has been nondiagnostic. In view of the increasing use of image-guided and thoracoscopic pleural biopsies, this study examines the role of blind Abrams pleural biopsy in the investigation of pleural effusion in a large urban hospital. METHOD: Patients undergoing blind Abrams needle biopsy between January 1997 and 2003 were identified from the hospital pathology database. The case notes and pathology records of these patients were analyzed retrospectively. All patients had presented to respiratory teams with an exudative pleural effusion and had initial nondiagnostic thoracentesis. RESULTS: Seventy-five patients undergoing blind biopsy were identified. Pleural tissue was obtained in 59 biopsies (79%), with no statistically significant difference in pleural yield between respiratory specialist registrars (equivalent to pulmonary fellows in training) and senior house officers/preregistration house officers (equivalent to junior residents and interns, respectively) performing the biopsy (chi(2) test, p = 0.43). When up to three samples were obtained per episode, sufficient pleural tissue was obtained in 18 of 25 patients (72%) compared to 80% (32 of 40 patients) in whom four to six samples were taken (chi(2) test, p = 0.55 [not significant]). For all diagnoses, blind biopsy had a sensitivity of 38%, which rose to 43% when reviewing patients in whom sufficient pleural tissue was obtained (for malignant diagnosis alone, sensitivity values were 43% and 51%, respectively; specificity, 100%; negative and positive predictive values, 51%). No fatalities were reported, and pneumothorax was seen in eight patients (11%), with only two patients requiring specific intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Blind Abrams needle biopsy obtaining pleural tissue was diagnostic in approximately 50% of patients presenting with malignant effusion in the sample, and can be performed safely by all grades of medical staff with due attention to technique and supervision. The data support the continued use of the Abrams needle in the investigation of malignant pleural disease.

The description of cough sounds by healthcare professionals.

BACKGROUND: Little is known of the language healthcare professionals use to describe cough sounds. We aimed to examine how they describe cough sounds and to assess whether these descriptions suggested they appreciate the basic sound qualities (as assessed by acoustic analysis) and the underlying diagnosis of the patient coughing. METHODS: 53 health professionals from two large respiratory tertiary referral centres were recruited; 22 doctors and 31 staff from professions allied to medicine. Participants listened to 9 sequences of spontaneous cough sounds from common respiratory diseases. For each cough they selected patient gender, the most appropriate descriptors and a diagnosis. Cluster analysis was performed to assess which cough sounds attracted similar descriptions. RESULTS: Gender was correctly identified in 93% of cases. The presence or absence of mucus was correct in 76.1% and wheeze in 39.3% of cases. However, identifying clinical diagnosis from cough was poor at 34.0%. Cluster analysis showed coughs with the same acoustics properties rather than the same diagnoses attracted the same descriptions. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that healthcare professionals can recognise some of the qualities of cough sounds but are poor at making diagnoses from them. It remains to be seen whether in the future cough sound acoustics will provide useful clinical information and whether their study will lead to the development of useful new outcome measures in cough monitoring.