In connective tissue diseases, autoantibodies cause pulmonary interstitial inflammation and fibrosis, and patients require treatment with an immunosuppressive agent such as a steroid. Dermatomyositis is an incurable, uncommon form of connective tissue disease that occasionally causes diffuse pulmonary inflammation leading to acute severe respiratory failure. In such cases, the prognosis is very poor despite treatment with high-dose steroid. In the present case, a 46-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with dyspnea. He was diagnosed with dermatomyositis combined with cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP) with respiratory failure and underwent treatment with steroid and an immunosuppressive agent, but the COP was not improved. However, the respiratory failure did improve after treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin, which therefore can be considered a treatment option in cases where steroids and immunosuppressive agents are ineffective.
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A Case Report of Steroid-Resistant Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia Managed with Intravenous Immunoglobulins Christian Akem Dimala, Urvi Patel, Benjamin Lloyd, Anthony Donato, William B. Kimmel, Robert Hallowell, Caitlyn Moss, Tun-Chieh Chen Case Reports in Pulmonology.2021; 2021: 1. CrossRef
BACKGROUND Fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) is known as a marker of inflammation in asthma, cystic fibrosis and exacerbation of COPD. However, its importance has not been established in patients using mechanical ventilation. We assessed whether FENO is elevated in patients with ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP), and physiologic or pathologic factors affecting levels of FENO in patients with mechanical ventilation. METHODS All patients (over 18-year-old) using mechanical ventilation were included, and among them, VAP patients were diagnosed on the basis of clinical pulmonary infection score (CPIS). We measured FENO in air collected during the end-expiratory pause via an off-line method. We compared the levels of FENO between patients with VAP and without, and assessed the relationship between FENO and other physiologic or pathologic characteristics; age, gender, PaO2, oxygenation index, CPIS. RESULTS A total of 43 patients (23 male, mean age 67.7 +/- 10.7) in an ICU were enrolled; 19 of them were VAP-patients (10 male, mean age 64.8 +/- 12.9). The level of FENO in the VAP-patients was substantially higher than in the non-VAP group (55.8 +/- 25.3 ppb Vs. 31.8 +/- 13.5 ppb, p < 0.001).
CPIS on day 1 and day 3, and duration of mechanical ventilation, were associated with the level of FENO, but oxygenation index, PaO2, PaO2/FiO2, and the mean PEEP were not. CONCLUSIONS FENO may be useful for the diagnosis of VAP, and is related to CPIS, as well as the duration of mechanical ventilation.
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Exhaled nitric oxide in intubated ICU patients on mechanical ventilation—a feasibility study Andreas Kofoed, Mathias Hindborg, Jeppe Hjembæk-Brandt, Christian Dalby Sørensen, Mette Kolpen, Morten H Bestle Journal of Breath Research.2023; 17(4): 046014. CrossRef
Clinical Application of Exhaled Nitric Oxide Measurements in a Korean Population Woo-Jung Song, Ji-Won Kwon, Eun-Jin Kim, Sang-Min Lee, Sae-Hoon Kim, So-Yeon Lee, Sang-Heon Kim, Heung-Woo Park, Yoon-Seok Chang, Woo Kyung Kim, Jung Yeon Shim, Ju-Hee Seo, Byoung-Ju Kim, Hyo Bin Kim, Dae Jin Song, Gwang Cheon Jang, An-Soo Jang, Jung-Won Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research.2015; 7(1): 3. CrossRef
Exhaled breath analysis in the differentiation of pneumonia from acute pulmonary oedema Silvie Prazakova, Nadine Elias, Paul S Thomas, Deborah H Yates Pulmonology and Respiratory Research.2015; 3(1): 3. CrossRef
Cardioversion used for the treatment of various cardiac arrhythmias is a safe and effective procedure with infrequent complication. The restoration of sinus rhythm is followed by a improvement in hemodynamics, but acute pulmonary edema has been reported as a rare complication following successful electrical reversion of various tachyarrhythmia to normal sinus rhythm. This report describes a 42-year-old woman with a history of schizophrenia who experienced pulmonary edema after cardioversion for torsade de pointes. She had taken chlorpromazine and haloperidol for schizophrenia. The antipsychotic drugs were suspected to induce QT interval prolongation and resultant torsade de pointes. Two hours after cardioversion, pulmonary edema developed on chest X-ray and chest computed tomography. She responded to conservative treatment including oxygen therapy and the pulmonary edema improved on the second hospital day. The mechanism of pulmonary edema after cardioversion is still uncertain and remains controversial.
BACKGROUND There are several METHODS: for auto-PEEP measurement during mechanical ventilation. The end-expiratory port occlusion (EEPO) method is simple and easy. Theoretically, auto- PEEP level can be also calculated by using trapped lung volume and static compliance. However, the relationship between measured auto-PEEP by EEPO method and the calculated auto-PEEP has not been studied. The purpose of this study is to observe the relationship between the measured and the calculated auto-PEEP. METHODS: 15 patients with auto-PEEP during mechanical ventilation were included. Auto-PEEP was measured by EEPO method, and calculated by using a formula; trapped lung volume/static compliance. All of the patients were paralyzed during the study. If the measured auto-PEEP is higher than calculated auto-PEEP, this patient was included in `high group'; in the opposite case, `low group'. We compared respiratory mechanics between these two groups. RESULTS: Measured auto-PEEP was 9.60+/-2.82 cmH2O, and calculated auto-PEEP was 9.78+/-2.90 cmH2O. There was statistically significant relationship between measured and calculated auto-PEEP (r=0.81, p<0.01). There was no difference on respiratory mechanics between `high group' and `low group'. CONCLUSIONS: The auto-PEEP obtained by calculation with trapped lung volume and static compliance showed a good correlation with that of using EEPO method in the paralyzed patients.