Rapid On-site Evaluation Practice Variability Appraisal (ROSE PETAL) survey.

BACKGROUND: Rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) is frequently used during diagnostic procedures in patients with or suspected to have lung cancer. There is variation in ROSE use among bronchoscopists, and discussion of ROSE results can have significant consequences for patients. This study was performed to define ROSE practice and result disclosure patterns among bronchoscopists. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed using an electronic survey disseminated to the members of the American Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology and the Society for Advanced Bronchoscopy. The questions centered around ROSE availability, utilization, barriers, and discussion of results with patients. RESULTS: There were 137 respondents. Most identified themselves as interventional pulmonologists (109, 80%); most respondents worked in an academic setting (71, 52%). Availability of ROSE was reported by 121 (88%) respondents. Time constraints (28%), availability of cytology (22%), and scheduling conflicts (20%) were the most reported barriers to ROSE use. Endobronchial ultrasound transbronchial needle aspiration (85%) and nonrobotic peripheral bronchoscopy (65%) were the most reported procedures that used ROSE. There was heterogeneity regarding discussion of ROSE results with the patient or their caregiver in the immediate postprocedure setting: yes - always (40, 33%), yes - sometimes (32, 26%), yes - rarely (18, 15%), or no (31, 26%). Thirty-eight respondents reported they believed ROSE was ≥90% concordant with final cytology results. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirmed the heterogeneity of practice patterns. Estimates of ROSE-final cytology concordance were lower than previously published concordance results. Notably, the discussion of ROSE results varied significantly.

Combined Percutaneous Tracheostomy and Endoscopic Gastrostomy Tubes in COVID-19: A Prospective Series of Patient Outcomes.

Background: A significant number of patients with severe respiratory failure related to COVID-19 require prolonged mechanical ventilation. Minimal data exists regarding the timing, safety, and efficacy of combined bedside percutaneous tracheostomy and endoscopy gastrostomy tube placement in these patients. The safety for healthcare providers is also in question. This study's objective was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of combined bedside tracheostomy and gastrostomy tube placement in COVID-19 patients. Design and Methods: This is a single arm, prospective cohort study in patients with COVID-19 and acute respiratory failure requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation who underwent bedside tracheostomy and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy placement. Detailed clinical and procedural data were collected. Descriptive statistics were employed and time to event curves were estimated and plotted using the Kaplan Meier method for clinically relevant prespecified endpoints. Results: Among 58 patients, the median total intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay was 29 days (24.7-33.3) with a median of 10 days (6.3-13.7) postprocedure. Nearly 88% of patients were weaned from mechanical ventilation postprocedure at a median of 9 days (6-12); 94% of these were decannulated. Sixty-day mortality was 10.3%. Almost 90% of patients were discharged alive from the hospital. All procedures were done at bedside with no patient transfer required out of the ICU. A median of 3.0 healthcare personnel total were present in the room per procedure. Conclusion: This study shows that survival of critically ill COVID-19 patients after tracheostomy and gastrostomy was nearly 90%. The time-to-event curves are encouraging regarding time to weaning, downsizing, decannulation, and discharge. A combined procedure minimizes the risk of virus transmission to healthcare providers in addition to decreasing the number of anesthetic episodes, transfusions, and transfers patients must undergo. This approach should be considered in critically ill COVID-19 patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation.

Pattern of lung function decline in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: implications for timing of noninvasive ventilation.

BACKGROUND: The course of lung function decline in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and the effect of noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NIPPV) on that decline are uncertain. We sought to model lung function decline, determine when NIPPV is initiated along that course, and assess its impact on the course of decline. METHODS: An observed sigmoid pattern of forced vital capacity decline was reproduced with a four-parameter nonlinear mixed-effects logistic model. RESULTS: Analyses were performed on 507 patients overall and in 353 patients for whom a determination of adherence to NIPPV was ascertained. A sigmoid bi-asymptotic model provided a statistical fit of the data and showed a period of stable vital capacity, followed by an accelerated decline, an inflection point, then a slowing in decline to a plateau. By the time NIPPV was initiated in accordance with reimbursement guidelines, vital capacity had declined by ≥85% of the total range. Nearly half of the total loss of vital capacity occurred over 6.2 months centred at an inflection point occurring 17 months after disease onset and 5.2 months before initiation of NIPPV at a vital capacity of about 60%. Fewer bulbar symptoms and a faster rate of decline of lung function predicted adherence to NIPPV, but the intervention had no impact on final vital capacity. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with ALS, vital capacity decline is rapid but slows after an inflection point regardless of NIPPV. Initiating NIPPV along reimbursement guidelines occurs after ≥85% of vital capacity loss has already occurred.

Lung Transplant in Patients with Connective Tissue Diseases.

Connective tissue diseases (CTDs) are autoimmune diseases that can result in end-stage interstitial lung diseases and pulmonary hypertension. Certain organ system dysfunctions have been thought to affect survival after lung transplant in patients diagnosed with CTDs. This article discusses the current data suggesting that clinical outcomes in patients with CTDs are similar to outcomes of patients who undergo lung transplant for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Larger studies focusing on the management of esophageal dysmotility and strategies of desensitization for increased antibody levels may result in approval of more patients with CTDs for lung transplant.

A single-institution study of concordance of pathological diagnoses for interstitial lung diseases between pre-transplantation surgical lung biopsies and lung explants.

BACKGROUND: By comparing diagnoses made by pre-transplant surgical lung biopsy (SLB) and the final pathologic diagnosis of the explanted pathology (EP), we aimed to study the factors that could impact pathologic diagnoses in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the lung transplant database at Cleveland Clinic [01/01/2006-12/31/2013] to include all lung transplant recipients with a prior diagnosis of ILD. Two pulmonary pathologists independently reviewed each SLB and lung explant. The diagnoses were labeled as concordant (same diagnosis on SLB and explant) or discordant (diagnosis on SLB and explant were different) by consensus. RESULTS: Of 389 patients transplanted for ILD, 217 had an SLB before transplant. Pathological diagnoses were concordant in 190 patients (87.6%) [165 UIP (86.8%), 13 NSIP (6.8%), 8 CHP (4.2%) and 4 other diagnoses (2.1%). In 27 cases (12.4%), the diagnosis on SLB differed from EP. 8/27 were diagnosed with UIP on SLB and of these, 5 were re-classified as NSIP. 14/19 (73.7%) patients with a SLB diagnosis "other than UIP" were re-categorized as UIP based on explant. Discordant cases had a greater time between SLB and EP than concordant cases (1553 days vs 1248 days). CONCLUSIONS: The pathologic diagnosis of ILD by SLB prior to lung transplant is accurate in most patients, but may be misleading in a small subset of patients. The majority of discordant cases that were reclassified as UIP could be due to a sampling error, or perhaps, an increased time from the date of the SLB to transplant. Future studies examining how multidisciplinary consensus diagnosis affects this discordance are necessary.

Post-treatment changes in hematological parameters predict response to nivolumab monotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: The absolute neutrophil count (ANC), absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), absolute monocyte count (AMC) and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) are known markers of inflammation. We evaluated whether ANC, ALC, AMC and NLR, both before and after treatment with nivolumab, are indicative markers of overall survival (OS) and evaluated change in NLR as a predictive marker of response in non -small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with nivolumab. METHODS: A total of 109 patients with advanced NSCLC treated with nivolumab were included. ANC, ALC, AMC and NLR were examined at initiation of nivolumab therapy and after two cycles. The prognostic role of ANC, ALC, AMC and NLR with OS and changes in NLR ratio were examined with Kaplan-Meier curves and proportional hazard model. RESULT: Post-treatment NLR ≥5 after two cycles of nivolumab was associated with poor OS (median OS in NLR = <5 vs NLR = ≥5 was 29.1 (16.2-40.9) vs 24.2(16.1-36.2) months respectively, p<0.001). In addition NLR increased in non-responders after two cycles of nivolumab by 6.6±21.8 as compared to responders (p = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: Post-treatment ANC, ALC and NLR are independent prognostic factors in NSCLC patients treated with nivolumab. Changes in NLR can be an early biomarker for response in NSCLC patients treated with nivolumab.

Historical perspectives of lung transplantation: connecting the dots.

Lung transplantation is now a treatment option for many patients with end-stage lung disease. Now 55 years since the first human lung transplant, this is a good time to reflect upon the history of lung transplantation, to recognize major milestones in the field, and to learn from others' unsuccessful transplant experiences. James Hardy was instrumental in developing experimental thoracic transplantation, performing the first human lung transplant in 1963. George Magovern and Adolph Yates carried out the second human lung transplant a few days later. With a combined survival of only 26 days for these first 2 lung transplant recipients, the specialty of lung transplantation clearly had a long way to go. The first "successful" lung transplant, in which the recipient survived for 10.5 months, was reported by Fritz Derom in 1971. Ten years later, Bruce Reitz and colleagues performed the first successful en bloc transplantation of the heart and one lung with a single distal tracheal anastomosis. In 1988, Alexander Patterson performed the first successful double lung transplant. The modern technique of sequential double lung transplantation and anastomosis performed at the mainstem bronchus level was originally described by Henri Metras in 1950, but was not reintroduced into the field until Pasque reported it again in 1990. Since then, lung transplantation has seen landmark changes: evolving immunosuppression regimens, clarifying the definition of primary graft dysfunction (PGD), establishing the lung allocation score (LAS), introducing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as a bridge to transplant, allowing donation after cardiac death, and implementing ex vivo perfusion, to name a few. This article attempts to connect the historical dots in this field of research, with the hope that our effort helps summarize what has been achieved, and identifies opportunities for future generations of transplant pulmonologists and surgeons alike.

Aspirated Almond Masquerading as an Obstructing Endobronchial Mass Suspicious for Lung Cancer.

Foreign body aspiration is relatively rare in adults compared to children. In adults with delayed presentation, a history of choking is often absent, resulting in delayed diagnosis and significant morbidity. Common presenting features in adults include nonresolving cough with or without fever, hemoptysis, or wheezing and may mimic infectious, inflammatory, or neoplastic disorders. We present a case of a 64-year-old man with 80-pack-year smoking history who had a nonresolving left lower lobe infiltrate on chest radiograph after treatment for community-acquired pneumonia. His insidious-onset symptoms included cough, decreased exercise tolerance, and localized wheezing. Computed tomography of the chest showed a left lower lobe consolidation, with narrowing of the bronchus. Flexible bronchoscopy revealed a fleshy endobronchial mass, prompting endobronchial needle aspiration and biopsies, all of which revealed acute inflammation on rapid onsite evaluation. After multiple biopsies, a white pearly object with a detached brown cover was revealed; the object was found to be an aspirated almond. The almond and its peel were retrieved. The patient acknowledged that he had frequently eaten almonds in the supine position while recovering from a previous injury. His symptoms completely resolved at 3-month follow up, and he has ceased smoking and no longer consumes food while supine.

Pulmonary Artery Pseudoaneurysm: A Rare Cause of Fatal Massive Hemoptysis.

Pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm (PAPA), an uncommon complication of pyogenic bacterial and fungal infections and related septic emboli, is associated with high mortality. The pulmonary artery (PA) lacks an adventitial wall; therefore, repeated endovascular seeding of the PA with septic emboli creates saccular dilations that are more likely to rupture than systemic arterial aneurysms. The most common clinical presentation of PAPA is massive hemoptysis and resultant worsening hypoxemia. Computed tomography angiography is the preferred diagnostic modality for PAPA; typical imaging patterns include focal outpouchings of contrast adjacent to a branch of the PA following the same contrast density as the PA in all phases of the study. In mycotic PAPAs, multiple synchronous lesions are often seen in segmental and subsegmental PAs due to ongoing embolic phenomena. The recommended approach for a mycotic PAPA is prolonged antimicrobial therapy; for massive hemoptysis, endovascular treatment (e.g., coil embolization, stenting, or embolization of the feeding vessel) is preferred. PAPA resection and lobectomy are a last resort, generally reserved for patients with uncontrolled hemoptysis or pleural hemorrhage. We present a case of a 28-year-old woman with necrotizing pneumonia from intravenous drug use who ultimately died from massive hemoptysis and shock after a ruptured PAPA.

A 47-Year-Old Man With Fever, Dry Cough, and a Lung Mass After Redo Lung Transplantation.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 47-year-old man who was a redo double lung transplant recipient (cytomegalovirus [CMV] status: donor positive/recipient positive; Epstein-Barr virus status: donor positive/recipient positive) presented to the hospital with 1 week of generalized malaise, low-grade fevers, and dry cough. His redo lung transplantation was necessitated by bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome, and his previous lung transplantation 5 years earlier was for silicosis-related progressive massive fibrosis. He denied any difficulty breathing or chest pain. There was no history of GI or urinary symptoms, and the patient had no anorexia, weight loss, night sweats, sick contacts, or history of travel. He had a history of 1 earlier episode of CMV viremia that was treated with valganciclovir. His immunosuppressive regimen included tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and prednisone, and his infection prophylaxis included trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, itraconazole, and valganciclovir. Results of a chest radiograph 8 weeks earlier were normal.

A 68-Year-Old Lung Transplant Recipient With Shortness of Breath, Weight Loss, and Abnormal Chest CT.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 68-year-old man presented to our ED with shortness of breath, weakness, and a 25-lb unintentional weight loss. He had undergone bilateral lung transplantation (cytomegalovirus [CMV]: donor+, recipient+; Epstein-Barr virus: donor+; recipient+) for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) 18 months prior. His posttransplant course was fairly unremarkable until 1 month earlier, when he was admitted for breathlessness and weakness. CT of the chest during that admission revealed mild intralobular and interlobular septal thickening. A bronchoscopy with BAL and transbronchial biopsies did not show acute cellular rejection, but the BAL fluid was positive for coronavirus. His cortisol level was undetectable; he was diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency and fludrocortisone was initiated. He was taking prednisone, tacrolimus, and everolimus for immunosuppression and valganciclovir, itraconazole, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for antimicrobial prophylaxis. His 25-lb weight loss occurred over the span of just one month.

Incidental extensive adenocarcinoma in lungs explanted from a transplant recipient with an idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis flare-up: A clinical dilemma.

Patients under consideration for lung transplantation as treatment for end-stage lung diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) often have risk factors such as a history of smoking or concomitant emphysema, both of which can predispose the patient to lung cancer. In fact, IPF itself increases the risk of lung cancer development by 6.8% to 20%. Solid organ malignancy (non-skin) is an established contraindication for lung transplantation. We encountered a clinical dilemma in a patient who presented with an IPF flare-up and underwent urgent evaluation for lung transplantation. After transplant, the patient's explanted lungs showed extensive adenocarcinoma in situ, with the foci of invasion and metastatic adenocarcinoma in N1-level lymph nodes, as well as usual interstitial pneumonia. Retrospectively, we saw no evidence to suggest malignancy in addition to the IPF flare-up. Clinical diagnostic dilemmas such as this emphasize the need for new noninvasive testing that would facilitate malignancy diagnosis in patients too sick to undergo invasive tissue biopsy for diagnosis. Careful pathological examination of explanted lungs in patients with IPF is critical, as it can majorly influence immunosuppressive regimens, surveillance imaging, and overall prognosis after lung transplant.

Pneumatosis intestinalis in solid organ transplant recipients.

Pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) is an uncommon medical condition in which gas pockets form in the walls of the gastrointestinal tract. The mechanism by which this occurs is poorly understood; however, it is often seen as a sign of serious bowel ischemia, which is a surgical emergency. Since the early days of solid organ transplantation, PI has been described in recipients of kidney, liver, heart, and lung transplant. Despite the dangerous connotations often associated with PI, case reports dating as far back as the 1970s show that PI can be benign in solid organ transplant recipients. This is an important observation, as operative intervention in these patients carries greater risk than surgical procedures in the general population. The higher operative risks in the transplant population are partly due to their immunosuppressed status and poor wound healing. Furthermore, no clear consensus exists on the optimal management of PI. Various treatment strategies such as bowel rest, antibiotics, and parenteral feeding have been implemented with similar levels of success. With the increasing use of solid organ transplantation, PI is being recognized with increasing frequency. In this review, we provide a summary of the incidence, presentation, diagnosis, and management of PI, particularly as it affects recipients of solid organ transplantation.

Pulmonary Mycobacterial Spindle Cell Pseudotumor: A Report of 3 Cases Including a Practical Approach to Histopathologic Recognition of This Unusual Entity.

Mycobacterial spindle cell pseudotumor (MSP) is a rare benign spindle cell lesion containing acid-fact mycobacteria. These lesions are most commonly identified in the lymph nodes, skin, spleen, or bone marrow of immunocompromised patients and only rarely involve the lungs. We report 3 cases of pulmonary MSP, which include 2 patients who are known to be HIV-positive. The histopathological diagnosis of MSP in the lung lends itself to many challenges due to its rare incidence and its spindled tumor-like appearance. The differential diagnosis is broad and includes both benign and malignant entities. We highlight the importance of the clinical context in which these lesions typically present and the morphologic spectrum of features seen, and we offer a practical approach to the workup of pulmonary mycobacterial pseudotumor. Appropriate recognition of this entity should lead to an accurate diagnosis of a treatable benign condition despite the clinical presentation often favoring malignancy.

Coexistent Non-Small Cell Carcinoma and Small Cell Carcinoma in a Patient Presenting with Hyponatremia.

Despite recent advances in screening methods, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. By the time lung cancer becomes symptomatic and patients seek treatment, it is often too advanced for curative measures. Low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening has been shown to reduce mortality in patients at high risk of lung cancer. We present a 66-year-old man with a 50-pack-year smoking history who had a right upper lobe (RUL) pulmonary nodule and left lower lobe (LLL) consolidation on a screening CT. He reported a weight loss of 45 pounds over 3 months, had recently been hospitalized for hyponatremia, and was notably cachectic. A CT of the chest showed a stable LLL mass-like consolidation and a 9 × 21 mm subsolid lesion in the RUL. Navigational bronchoscopy biopsy of the RUL lesion revealed squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration of the LLL lesion revealed small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The final diagnosis was a right-sided Stage I NSCLC (squamous) and a left-sided limited SCLC. The RUL NSCLC was treated with stereotactic radiation; the LLL SCLC was treated with concurrent chemotherapy and radiation. In patients with multiple lung nodules, a diagnosis of synchronous multiple primary lung cancers (MPLCs) is crucial, as inadvertent upstaging of patients with MPLC (to T3 and/or T4 tumors) can lead to erroneous staging, inaccurate prognosis, and improper treatment. Recent advances in the diagnosis of small pulmonary nodules via navigational bronchoscopy and management of these lesions dramatically affect a patient's overall prognosis.

Primary Nocardia Infection Causing a Fluorodeoxyglucose-Avid Right Renal Mass in a Redo Lung Transplant Recipient.

Immunosuppression after lung transplantation may increase susceptibility to opportunistic infection and is associated with early and delayed deaths in lung transplant recipients. Factors that may predispose lung transplant recipients to opportunistic bacterial and fungal infections include prolonged corticosteroid use, renal impairment, treatment of acute rejection, and post-transplant diabetes mellitus. We present a unique case of a 63-year-old woman with diabetes mellitus who underwent redo lung transplantation. Three years after her right-sided single redo lung transplant, she presented with right-sided abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Upon examination, computed tomography showed a 4.5 × 3.3 cm heterogeneous, enhancing right renal mass with a patent renal vein. Magnetic resonance imaging confirmed a T1/T2 hypointense, diffusion-restricting, right mid-renal mass that was fluorodeoxyglucose-avid on positron emission tomography. We initially suspected primary renal cell carcinoma. However, after a right nephrectomy, no evidence of neoplasia was observed; instead, a renal abscess containing filamentous bacteria was noted, raising suspicion for infection of the Nocardia species. Special stains confirmed a diagnosis of Nocardia renal abscess. Computed tomography of the chest and brain revealed no lesions consistent with infection. We initiated a long-term therapeutic regimen of anti-Nocardia therapy with imipenem and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.