Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: relevance of a dedicated dyspnoea clinic.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a syndrome with a heterogeneous presentation. This study provides an in-;depth description of haemodynamic and metabolic alterations revealed by systematic assessment through cardiopulmonary exercise testing combined with exercise echocardiography (CPETecho) within a dedicated dyspnoea clinic. METHODS AND RESULTS: Consecutive patients (n = 297), referred to a dedicated dyspnoea clinic using a standardized workup including CPETecho, with HFpEF diagnosed through a H2FPEF score ≥6 or HFA-PEFF score ≥5, were evaluated. A median of four haemodynamic/metabolic alterations was uncovered per patient: impaired stroke volume reserve (73%), impaired chronotropic reserve (72%), exercise pulmonary hypertension (65%), and impaired diastolic reserve (64%) were the most frequent cardiac alterations. Impaired peripheral oxygen extraction and a ventilatory limitation were present in 40% and 39%, respectively. In 267 patients (90%), 575 further diagnostic examinations were recommended (median of two tests per patient). Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, coronary or amyloidosis workup, ventilation-perfusion scanning, and pulmonology referral were each recommended in approximately one out of three patients. In 293 patients (99%), 929 cardiovascular drug optimizations were performed (median of 3 modifications per patient). In 110 patients (37%), 132 cardiovascular interventions were performed, with ablation as the most frequent procedure. CONCLUSION: Holistic workup of HFpEF patients within a multidisciplinary, dedicated dyspnoea clinic, including systematic implementation of CPETecho reveals various haemodynamic/metabolic alterations, leading to further diagnostic testing and potential treatment changes in the majority of cases.

Artificial intelligence outperforms pulmonologists in the interpretation of pulmonary function tests.

The interpretation of pulmonary function tests (PFTs) to diagnose respiratory diseases is built on expert opinion that relies on the recognition of patterns and the clinical context for detection of specific diseases. In this study, we aimed to explore the accuracy and interrater variability of pulmonologists when interpreting PFTs compared with artificial intelligence (AI)-based software that was developed and validated in more than 1500 historical patient cases.120 pulmonologists from 16 European hospitals evaluated 50 cases with PFT and clinical information, resulting in 6000 independent interpretations. The AI software examined the same data. American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society guidelines were used as the gold standard for PFT pattern interpretation. The gold standard for diagnosis was derived from clinical history, PFT and all additional tests.The pattern recognition of PFTs by pulmonologists (senior 73%, junior 27%) matched the guidelines in 74.4±5.9% of the cases (range 56-88%). The interrater variability of κ=0.67 pointed to a common agreement. Pulmonologists made correct diagnoses in 44.6±8.7% of the cases (range 24-62%) with a large interrater variability (κ=0.35). The AI-based software perfectly matched the PFT pattern interpretations (100%) and assigned a correct diagnosis in 82% of all cases (p<0.0001 for both measures).The interpretation of PFTs by pulmonologists leads to marked variations and errors. AI-based software provides more accurate interpretations and may serve as a powerful decision support tool to improve clinical practice.

Sjögren's Syndrome Caused by PD-1 Inhibition in a Lung Cancer Patient.

In this report, we present a patient with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer who developed Sjögren's syndrome secondary to immune checkpoint inhibition. This patient had a typical clinical presentation as well as biochemical signature, developing only 18 months after the start of treatment with PD-1 inhibition (pembrolizumab).

Triple Trouble: A Case of Multiple Resistance Mechanisms after First Generation EGFR-TKI in NSCLC.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted therapy has become standard of care in advanced stages EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer. Acquired resistance to first-line EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) and subsequent disease progression is a common problem and mostly due to a secondary mutation (T790M) in EGFR. We report a case of a patient with EGFR-mutated lung adenocarcinoma who developed a complex resistance profile: T790M mutation, HER2 mutation and HER2 amplification after first-line EGFR-TKI. This patient was safely treated with a combination of osimertinib and trastuzumab and achieved a clinically meaningful and clear molecular response. This is the first reported case of acquired resistance to first-line EGFR-TKI based on three resistance mechanisms, treated with molecular targeted combination therapy.

Staging of lung cancer.

Imaging techniques play a vital role in the diagnosis, staging, and follow-up of patients who have lung cancer. For this purpose, PET has become an important adjunct to conventional imaging techniques such as chest radiography, CT, ultrasonography, and MR imaging. The ability of PET to differentiate the metabolic properties of tissues allows more accurate assessment of undetermined lung lesions, mediastinal lymph nodes, or extrathoracic abnormalities, tumor response after induction treatment, and detection of disease recurrence.