Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pulmonology for April 2015. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Low Health Literacy Ups Mortality Risk Post Heart Failure Admission
THURSDAY, April 30, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Patients with low health literacy hospitalized for acute heart failure have an increased mortality risk, according to a study published online April 29 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
3-D Printing Method Successfully Treats Tracheobrochomalacia
THURSDAY, April 30, 2015 (HealthDay News) — An implant created with a three-dimensional (3-D) printer has demonstrated success in three patients, from 3 to 16 months old, with tracheobronchomalacia, according to trial results published in the April 29 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
Two New Lung Cancer Meds Show Promise in Advanced Disease
THURSDAY, April 30, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Two experimental drugs may help patients whose lung cancer has become resistant to the latest available treatments, according to separate studies published in the April 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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COPD May Increase Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death
WEDNESDAY, April 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is already the third leading cause of death in the world, and the condition might also raise a patient’s odds for sudden cardiac death, according to a new study published online April 28 in the European Heart Journal.
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Vena Cava Retrievable Filters No Help in Pulmonary Embolism
WEDNESDAY, April 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients with acute, symptomatic pulmonary embolism, the use of retrievable vena cava filters with anticoagulation does not offer any benefit over anticoagulation alone, according to a study published online April 28 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Physician Compensation Up for Most Specialties
TUESDAY, April 28, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Physician compensation has gone up for almost all specialties, according to a 2015 report published by Medscape.
CDC: Surveillance System Can Help Reduce Health Care Injuries
TUESDAY, April 28, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A surveillance system for health care facilities can be used to identify and help reduce the number of preventable injuries among health care personnel, according to research published in the April 24 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Cigar Smoking Poses Much the Same Danger As Cigarettes
MONDAY, April 27, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Smoking cigars carries the same health risks as smoking cigarettes, according to a new review published online April 24 in BMC Public Health.
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Proximal, Distal Filter Embolic Protection Devices Comparable
MONDAY, April 27, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients undergoing elective carotid artery stenting (CAS), stroke/death rates are similar with use of proximal embolic protection devices (P-EPDs) and distal filter embolic protection devices (F-EPDs), according to a study published in the April 20 issue of JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.
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Most Interventional Pulmonology Grads in Academic Practices
FRIDAY, April 24, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Interventional pulmonology (IP) graduates most often find positions in academic IP practices, according to research published in the April issue of the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
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VNN1 Gene Potentially Useful Biomarker in Childhood Asthma
THURSDAY, April 23, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Researchers say they’ve identified a gene that affects whether children with asthma respond to corticosteroids. The study was published online April 21 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Second Primaries for Over 25% With Metastatic Prostate Cancer
THURSDAY, April 23, 2015 (HealthDay News) — More than one-quarter of patients with metastatic prostate cancer present with a synchronous second primary malignancy, according to a review published in the April issue of The Journal of Urology.
Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Asthma Meds Ups ER Use
THURSDAY, April 23, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of asthma medications is associated with increased emergency department utilization among commercially insured patients, according to a study published online April 16 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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ACP Supports Ban on Flavoring, Ads for E-Cigarettes
WEDNESDAY, April 22, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration should ban flavorings and television advertisements for e-cigarettes, according to a position paper released by the American College of Physicians (ACP) and published in the April 21 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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EHR Data Mining Helps With Quality Improvement
WEDNESDAY, April 22, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Electronic health records (EHRs) are a valuable source of data that can be mined to help practices with quality improvement performance, according to a study published in Medical Economics.
EHR Decision Support Ups Radiologic Test Appropriateness
TUESDAY, April 21, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Computerized clinical decision-support (CCDS) capabilities of electronic health records may improve appropriate use of diagnostic radiologic test ordering and reduce test use, according to a review published in the April 21 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
CPAP Tied to Improved A-Fib Outcomes for Those With OSA
TUESDAY, April 21, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Patients with both atrial fibrillation and obstructive sleep apnea are less likely to have a recurrence of atrial fibrillation if they use continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, a new report says. The results were published in the March 1 issue of JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology.
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Guidance Offered for Managing Conflict With Patients
MONDAY, April 20, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Good communication is key to managing conflict with patients, according to an article published April 1 in Medical Economics.
Gene Variation May Impact Smoking Cessation Efforts
MONDAY, April 20, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A gene variation associated with smoking longer and getting lung cancer at a younger age has been identified by researchers. The study was published in the May issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Allergy Season Predicted to Be One of the Worst, but Shorter
FRIDAY, April 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Experts are predicting that this allergy season may be one of the worst in years.
Suboptimal Prescribing Attitudes Could Signal Personal Distress
FRIDAY, April 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Medical students in personal distress may be more likely to have suboptimal attitudes about self-prescribing and personal responsibility for reporting impaired colleagues, according to a study published in the April issue of Academic Medicine.
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FDA Approves Corlanor for Chronic Heart Failure
THURSDAY, April 16, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Corlanor (ivabradine) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat chronic heart failure, the agency said in a news release.
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Cross-Protective T Cells Could Explain Asymptomatic Influenza
THURSDAY, April 16, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Naturally occurring cross-protective T-cell immunity may protect against disease in polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed influenza, according to a study published online April 6 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Combination Approach Could Help Rule Out PE in Primary Care
FRIDAY, April 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — To help rule out pulmonary embolism, general practitioners (GPs) can use the Wells rule for pulmonary embolism in combination with either a qualitative point-of-care (POC) D-dimer test or a quantitative D-dimer test, according to a study published online April 6 in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
Snoring, Sleep Apnea Linked to Dementia, but CPAP Helps
THURSDAY, April 16, 2015 (HealthDay News) — People with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) may be more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment (MCI) at younger ages than those without SDB, a new study suggests. The report was published online April 15 in Neurology.
Medicare Spending Down in Year One of Pioneer ACO
THURSDAY, April 16, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Medicare spending is down in year one of the Pioneer accountable care organization (ACO) program, according to a study published online April 15 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Ethical Implications for Looking Up Applicants on Facebook
THURSDAY, April 16, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Looking up students on Facebook and other social networking sites (SNS) is associated with ethical concerns, according to a perspective piece published in the March issue of the Journal of Graduate Medical Education.
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AMA Announces End of Sustainable Growth Rate Formula
WEDNESDAY, April 15, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Recently adopted legislation has repealed the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, according to a report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).
Lansoprazole Worsens Asthma Control in Poor Metabolizers
WEDNESDAY, April 15, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Children with poor metabolizer phenotype based on CYP2C19 have worse asthma control after six months of lansoprazole treatment, according to a study published online April 6 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
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Survey Looks at Patient Attitudes Regarding Informed Consent
WEDNESDAY, April 15, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Most U.S. adults would prefer to be asked for permission to participate in studies assessing usual medical practices, according to a study published online April 14 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Security Breaches of Health Records Up Over Past Decade
TUESDAY, April 14, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Breaches in data security exposed more than 29 million health records to potential criminal misuse between 2010 and 2013, according to a new study. Security breaches involving hacking have nearly doubled in recent years, rising to 8.7 percent in 2013 compared with 4.7 percent in 2010, according to the study, published as a research letter in the April 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Placebo Response May Depend on Individual DNA
TUESDAY, April 14, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The strength of the placebo effect may depend on particular DNA, according to a report published online April 13 in Trends in Molecular Medicine.
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NSAID-Exacerbated Respiratory Disease Prevalent With Asthma
MONDAY, April 13, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Among people with asthma, the prevalence of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-exacerbated respiratory disease (NERD) is about 9 percent, and asthma morbidity is increased among those with NERD, according to a review published online April 8 in Allergy.
Many Doctors Haven’t Started Dealing With ICD-10 Revision
FRIDAY, April 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Most physicians have barely begun to deal with issues relating to documentation associated with the transition to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10), according to an article published in Medical Economics.
Medical Debt Burden Higher in Texas, Florida
FRIDAY, April 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Significantly more adults in Florida and Texas struggle to pay medical bills or pay off medical debt over time compared with residents of New York and California, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report released Friday.
Art Program Hones Med Students’ Visual Observation Skills
FRIDAY, April 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — An innovative interdisciplinary program, Art Rounds, is effective for improving medical and nursing students’ physical observation skills, according to a study published in the April issue of the Journal of Nursing Education.
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Pharmacists Raise Concerns for Patient Access to Generic Drugs
THURSDAY, April 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Nearly all pharmacists have experienced upswings in the acquisition costs of generic drugs, with price spikes reported to be worse since 2013, according to a report published by the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA).
Limited Time Available to Review Sunshine Act Data
WEDNESDAY, April 8, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Physicians have only 45 days to review and dispute reports regarding their financial ties to drug and medical device manufacturers reported under the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, according to the American Medical Association (AMA).
Sedation Type Doesn’t Influence Diagnostic Yield in EBUS-TBNA
WEDNESDAY, April 8, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The diagnostic yield of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is not influenced by the type of sedation used, according to a study published in the April 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Model Predicts Cardiac Death After Life Support Withdrawal
WEDNESDAY, April 8, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A new model accurately identifies potential organ donors following cardiac death in neurocritical patients removed from life support. The findings were published online March 21 in the American Journal of Transplantation.
One Extra Stroke Risk Factor Ups Risk in Nonvalvular A-Fib
WEDNESDAY, April 8, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The presence of one additional stroke risk factor is associated with a significant increase in event rates among nonanticoagulated low-risk patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (CHA2DS2-VASc = 0 [male], 1 [female]), according to a study published in the April 14 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Med Students, Residents Rarely Perform Stethoscope Hygiene
TUESDAY, April 7, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Stethoscope hygiene is rarely performed by trainee physicians, according to a research letter published online April 2 in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
MRSA May Become More Aggressive With Smoke Exposure
TUESDAY, April 7, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Exposure to tobacco smoke prompts methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria to become even more aggressive, and makes it harder for the immune system to fight off the infection, according to a laboratory-based study published online March 30 in Infection and Immunity.
Nurse-Physician Collaboration Tied to Lower Infection Rates
MONDAY, April 6, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Collaborative relationships between nurses and physicians decrease rates of common health care-associated infections in intensive care units, according to a study published in the April issue of Critical Care Nurse.
DPP-4 Inhibitors Not Tied to Pneumonia Hospitalizations
MONDAY, April 6, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The use of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors is not associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for community-acquired pneumonia, according to a study published in the April issue of Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.
2014 Bronchiolitis Guidelines Focus on Avoiding Interventions
MONDAY, April 6, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The 2014 new and updated guidelines for management of bronchiolitis largely focus on tests or treatments to avoid, according to a perspective piece published online April 6 in Pediatrics.
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Article Highlights Legal Issues Linked to Physician Extenders
FRIDAY, April 3, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The use of physician extenders (PEs; mainly physician assistants and nurse practitioners) may bring added legal risks to a practice, according to an article published in Medical Economics.
Bleach Exposure May Increase Risk of Infections in Children
FRIDAY, April 3, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Bleach exposure is associated with increased risk of respiratory and other infections in school-aged children, according to a study published online April 2 in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Review: Opioids Reduce Breathlessness in COPD
FRIDAY, April 3, 2015 (HealthDay News) — In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), opioids can improve breathlessness, but not exercise capacity, according to a review published online March 24 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
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Patients May Be Modifying Meds Due to Trouble Swallowing
THURSDAY, April 2, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Some patients experience difficulties swallowing and modify medication dosage forms, without necessarily consulting health professionals, according to research published in the March issue of the Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research.
Legal Issues of Removing Patient From Practice Explored
WEDNESDAY, April 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The legal and ethical responsibilities of removing a patient from practice are discussed in an article published March 16 in Medical Economics.
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Outcomes No Worse for Macrolide-Resistant Pneumonia
WEDNESDAY, April 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients with Streptococcus pneumoniae pneumonia, macrolide-resistance is not associated with worse outcomes, according to a study published online March 25 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Amiodarone Linked to Lowest Risk of Hospitalization in A-Fib
WEDNESDAY, April 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For younger patients with atrial fibrillation, amiodarone is associated with the lowest risk of atrial fibrillation hospitalization, while dronedarone has the greatest risk, according to a study published online March 31 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
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