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Sunday, January 3, 2021

Lung

Is there a role for inhaled ciclesonide in the treatment of COVID-19?
Sundeep Santosh Salvi

Lung India 2021 38(1):1-4



Survival predictors of interstitial lung disease in India: Follow-up of Interstitial Lung Disease India registry
Sheetu Singh, Mohan Bairwa, Bridget F Collins, Bharat Bhushan Sharma, Jyotsana M Joshi, Deepak Talwar, Nishtha Singh, Khushboo Pilania, Parthasarathi Bhattacharya, Neeraj Gupta, Ravindran Chetambath, Aloke G Ghoshal, Surya Kant, Parvaiz A Koul, Raja Dhar, Rajesh Swarnakar, Virendra Singh, Ganesh Raghu

Lung India 2021 38(1):5-11

Background: Predictors of survival for interstitial lung disease (ILD) in the Indian population have not been studied. The primary objective of the study was to assess the Modified-Gender Age and Physiology (M-GAP) score to predict survival in patients with ILD seen in clinical practice. We also analyzed the role of demographic and radiological characteristics in predicting the survival of patients with ILD. Materials and Methods: In the ILD India registry, data were collected from 27 centers across 19 cities in India between March 2012 and June 2015. A single follow-up was conducted at 18 centers who agreed to participate in the follow-up in 2017. M-GAP score (range 0–5) was calculated with the following variables: age (≤60 years 0, 61–65 years 1, and >65 years 2), gender (female 0, male 1), and forced vital capacity% (>75% 0, 50%–75% 1, and >75% 2). A score of 0–3 and score of 4 and 5 were classified into Stage 1 and 2, respectively. Other predictors of survival, such as the history of tuberculosis, smoking, and the presence of honeycombing on computed tomography scan, were also evaluated. Results: Nine hundred and seven patients were contacted in 2017. Among them, 309 patients were lost to follow-up; 399 were alive and 199 had died. M-GAP was significantly associated with survival. Similarly, other predictors of survival were ability to perform spirometry (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.49, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.34–0.72), past history of tuberculosis (HR: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.07–2.29), current or past history of smoking (HR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.06–2.16), honeycombing (HR: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.29–2.55), a diagnosis of connective tissue disease -ILD (HR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.22–0.76), and sarcoidosis (HR: 0.24, 95% CI: 0.08–0.77). Conclusion: In a subgroup of patients with newly diagnosed ILD enrolled in ILD India registry and who were available for follow-up, M-GAP score predicted survival. Honeycombing at the time of diagnosis, along with accurate history of smoking, and previous history of tuberculosis were useful indices for predicting survival.


Co-existing obstructive sleep apnea among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Loganathan Nattusami, Vijay Hadda, Gopi C Khilnani, Karan Madan, Saurabh Mittal, Pawan Tiwari, Anant Mohan, Maroof Ahmad Khan, Randeep Guleria

Lung India 2021 38(1):12-17

Background and Objectives: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common airway disease that is frequently associated with comorbidities. In this study, we assessed the co-existence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) among patients with stable COPD. Methodology: This cross-sectional study included patients with stable COPD who were screened with Epworth&#39;s Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Those with ESS score of &#62;10 were subjected to in-lab polysomnography (PSG). PSG was manually analyzed and reported. Patients with apnea&#8211;hypopnea index of &#62;5/h were diagnosed as OSA. Results: This study included 301 patients (78.1&#37; male, 76.4&#37; smokers, age 59.6 &#177; 10 years) with stable COPD. ESS score of &#62;10 was observed in 47 (15.6&#37;) patients. Among patients with ESS score of &#62;10, OSA was observed in 34 (72.3&#37;) patients. The overall prevalence of OSA among patients with COPD was 10.9&#37;. Patients with co-existing OSA were older and had thicker neck and higher body mass index (BMI) as compared to COPD alone. In addition, patients with associated OSA had worse health-related quality of life (QOL) as shown by higher St. George&#39;s Respiratory Questionnaire score (42.42 &#177; 7.22 vs. 25.22 &#177; 8.66;P < 0.001). Conclusions: Co-existing OSA is common among patients with COPD and has a significant adverse effect on the QOL. Among COPD patients, older age, thick neck, and high BMI may predict co-existing OSA and require PSG for the confirmation.


Lung preservation in mucoepidermoid carcinoma of tracheobronchial tree: A case series
Sukhram Bishnoi, Harsh Vardhan Puri, Belal Bin Asaf, Mohan Venkatesh Pulle, Akhil Kumar, Arvind Kumar

Lung India 2021 38(1):18-22

Introduction: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is a primary salivary gland tumor also arising from nonsalivary gland organs of the body such as submucosal glands of tracheobronchial tree. Surgical resection with negative margins is the treatment of choice. All efforts should be made to preserve as much lung parenchyma as possible, by various bronchoplastic procedures. We present our experience with mucoepidermoid tumors and review their management options including lung preservation techniques and outcome of surgery. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of prospectively maintained data of 14 patients who underwent surgery for MEC. Their demographic data; clinical presentation; and preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative details were recorded. All patients underwent contrast-enhanced computed tomography of chest and bronchoscopy as part of workup for diagnosis and to assess the location, size, and extent of tumor; extraluminal component; and status of distal lung parenchyma. Results: There were eight male and six female patients. The median age at the time of surgery was 28.36 years (range 22&#8211;45 years). The procedures performed included right upper lobectomy and right pneumonectomy in one patient each, left main bronchus sleeve resection in six patients, left upper sleeve lobectomy in three patients, and carinal resection and reconstruction of neo carina in three patients. Twelve (85.7&#37;) of our patients underwent lung-preserving surgery. The median hospital stay and chest tube removal duration was 4 and 3 days, respectively. The median tumor size was 1.91 cm (range 1&#8211;8 cm). The median follow-up was 24 months (ranging from 6 to 78 months). Conclusion: Radical surgery to achieve R &#8220;0&#8221; resection with aggressive emphasis on lung preservation is the mainstay of treatment of MEC. Greater awareness of these tumors is necessary to avoid misdiagnosis and to prevent delaying of potential complete resection of MEC.


A survey of medical thoracoscopy practices in India
Karan Madan, Pawan Tiwari, Balamugesh Thankgakunam, Saurabh Mittal, Vijay Hadda, Anant Mohan, Randeep Guleria

Lung India 2021 38(1):23-30

Background: Medical thoracoscopy (MT) is a useful diagnostic and therapeutic procedure for a variety of pleural conditions. There is a lack of literature on prevalent practices of MT in India. Aims and Objectives: The objective of the study was to study the prevalent practices of MT in India. Materials and Methods: A structured online survey on various aspects of thoracoscopy was designed on the &#8220;Google Forms&#8221; web software. Results: One hundred and eight responses were received, of which 100 respondents performed MT. The majority were pulmonologists, and most had started performing thoracoscopy within the last 5 years. Rigid thoracoscope was the most commonly used instrument. The common indications of procedure included undiagnosed pleural effusion, talc pleurodesis, and adhesiolysis. Local anesthesia with conscious sedation was the preferred anesthetic modality. Midazolam, along with fentanyl, was the most widely used sedation combination. 2&#37; lignocaine was the most commonly used concentration for local infiltrative anesthesia. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents reported having encountered any complication of thoracoscopy. Significant reported complications included empyema, incision/port-site infection, re-expansion pulmonary edema, and procedure-related mortality. Conclusion: MT is a rapidly evolving interventional pulmonology procedure in India. There is, however, a significant variation in practice and variable adherence to available international guidelines on thoracoscopy. Formal training programs within India and national guidelines for pleuroscopy considering the local resources are required to improve the safety and yield of this useful modality.


Small-bore catheter is more than an alternative to the ordinary chest tube for pleural drainage
Abdel-Mohsen Mahmoud Hamad, Seham Ezzat Alfeky

Lung India 2021 38(1):31-35

Background: Pleural collection is a common medical problem. For decades, the chest tube of different designs was the commonly used toll for pleural drainage. Over the past few years, small-bore catheter (SBC) has gained more popularity. We present our experience of using SBCs for the drainage of pleural collection of different etiologies. Patients and Methods: A total of 398 small-bore pleural catheters were inserted in 369 patients with pleural collection during the period from January 2013 to October 2019. Data were collected regarding the efficacy of drainage, experienced chest pain, duration of drainage, and the occurrence of complications. Results: Malignant associated (59.24&#37;) and parapneumonic (19.57&#37;) effusions constituted the most common causes. The drainage was successful in 382/398 (95.98&#37;) occasions; six cases had incomplete fluid evacuation that required decortications; five cases (1.26&#37;) had nonexpendable lung. Catheter reinsertion was needed due to dislodgment in 2 (0.50&#37;) cases and obstruction in 3 (0.75&#37;) cases. Sixty-two cases (15.58&#37;) experienced chest pain. No patient developed empyema or cellulites at the site of catheter insertion. The duration of drainage ranged from 2 to 7 days, with an average of 3.5 days. Conclusions: SBC is equivalent to conventional chest tube for the drainage of pleural collection. Moreover, it has the advantages of less associated pain, versatility of insertion site, and relative safety of the technique in some risky and difficult situations.


Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax: Results in 110 consecutive cases
Harsh Vardhan Puri, Belal Bin Asaf, Mohan Venkatesh Pulle, Sukhram Bishnoi, Arvind Kumar

Lung India 2021 38(1):36-40

Background: Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) results from the rupture of small blebs or bullae in a patient without any pre-existing lung disease. Last decade witnessed a paradigm shift in the surgical management of pneumothorax from open to video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) method. In this study, we aim to report our single center experience of surgical management of PSP along with surgical outcomes in 110 consecutive cases of PSP. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study of 110 operated cases of PSP over 5 years. Demography, computed tomography findings, operative technique, endoscopic classification (Vanderschueren), surgical duration, intraoperative and postoperative complications, duration of Intercostal Drain (ICD), hospital stay, and recurrence in follow-up were recorded. Results: The average age of patients was 27.59 years (range 9&#8211;68 years). The average number of episodes before the presentation was 2 (range 1&#8211;5). The average number of loss of working days because of symptoms, conservative management, or long-term intercostal drainage was 13.33 days (range 5&#8211;60 days). As per intra-operative findings, patients were categorized as per Vanderschueren&#39;s classification and managed accordingly. Conversion rate was in 1.8&#37; (n &#61; 2). Mean time to removal of chest tubes was 4 days (2&#8211;12 days). Mean hospital stay was 3.83 days (2&#8211;9 days). There were no postoperative deaths. The mean follow-up was 25.05 months (6&#8211;60 months). Overall complication rate was 3.6&#37; (n &#61; 4) and recurrence happened in 2.7&#37; (n &#61; 3) cases. Conclusions: VATS is an efficient and safe treatment modality for PSP with low recurrence rates and high level of patient satisfaction.


Percutaneous core needle biopsy in the diagnosis of lung lesions: An experience on 280 consecutive cases from a university hospital in southern India
Madhavi Parigi, Monalisa Hui, Shantveer G Uppin, Anu Kapoor, N Narendra Kumar, K Bhaskar, Bala Joseph Stalin, G Sadashivudu, GK Paramjyothi

Lung India 2021 38(1):41-52

Context: Percutaneous needle biopsy of lung (PCNBL) is advantageous over bronchoscopic biopsies to obtain adequate sample for peripheral lung lesions. Objective: The objective was to evaluate the diagnostic yield of image-guided PCNBL in the diagnosis of lung lesions and to classify lung carcinomas as per the recently proposed International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC)/American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society classification for small biopsies modified and adopted by the World Health Organization, 2015. Materials and Methods: A total of 280 image-guided PCNBL were analyzed. The radiological findings and routine hematoxylin and eosin (H&#38;E)-stained sections along with immunohistochemistry (IHC) were analyzed in all the cases. Molecular testing was done depending on tissue diagnosis and availability. Results: Majority (81&#37;) were diagnosed as malignant lesions, with adenocarcinoma (ADC) being the most common. More than 70&#37; were diagnosed on H&#38;E morphology alone, with thirty cases requiring IHC to categorize as ADC. Nearly 60&#37; were categorized as squamous cell carcinoma on morphology alone and the rest required IHC. Though TTF1 showed higher sensitivity than napsin A, the latter is more specific. Both p63 and p40 were found to be highly sensitive for squamous cell carcinoma, but p40 was more specific than p63. Epidermal growth factor receptor could be evaluated on 94.4&#37; of ADC samples, indicating good yield for molecular testing. Conclusion: PCNBL yields adequate sampling for tissue diagnosis and ancillary testing with minimal complications. The use of IHC markers reduces the number of non-small-cell not otherwise specified cases significantly.


Study of respiratory viruses and their coinfection with bacterial and fungal pathogens in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases
Rahat Jahan, Baijayantimala Mishra, Bijayini Behera, Prasanta Raghab Mohapatra, Ashok Kumar Praharaj

Lung India 2021 38(1):53-58

Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) develop acute exacerbations (AE), with varying natural history. The exacerbation is triggered by infection, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. The study on infectious aetiology of AECOPD is largely restricted to only viral or only bacterial aetiology. There are no studies from India that have investigated multiple viral, bacterial, and fungal associations from the same group of patients. This prospective study was conducted over 2 years to estimate the incidence and profile of viral infections in AECOPD patients, their coinfection with other bacterial and fungal agents, and association of the type and pattern of infective agent with the clinical severity. Materials and Methods: Seventy-four AECOPD cases were included in the study. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction was performed from nasopharyngeal swab using Fast Track Diagnostics Respiratory Pathogens 21 Plus Kit. Ziehl&#8211;Neelsen (ZN) stain, Modified ZN, and potassium hydroxide (KOH) mount were performed for Mycobacteria, Nocardia, and fungal elements. Bacterial cultures and fungal cultures were done as per the standard techniques. Serum samples were tested for Mycoplasma and Chlamydia pneumoniae immunoglobulin M enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The number of AECOPD events involving only viral infection, only bacterial infection, bacterial&#8211;viral coinfection, and no infection were 43 (58.1&#37;), 32 (43.2&#37;), 20 (27&#37;), and 19 (25.7&#37;), respectively. Influenza A virus was the most common virus (22/43, 51&#37;) identified. In 26 patients, monoviral infections were found, and in 17 patients, polyviral infections were identified, the most common pattern being influenza A and B virus, followed by human rhinovirus and human parainfluenza. The most common bacteria isolated were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (9/32,28&#37;) followed by Acinetobacter baumanii and Klebsiella pneumoniae (7/32, 21&#37;). Among the viral&#8211;bacterial coinfection, human coronavirus NL63 infection was always associated with a bacterial infection. Conclusion: This information on the various viral and bacterial etiologies of respiratory infections in AECOPD in this part of India will improve the understanding of the management of AECOPD using a timely institution of antivirals and reduce the overuse of antibiotics and the implementation of routine influenza vaccination.


Barriers to pulmonary rehabilitation – A narrative review and perspectives from a few stakeholders
Anulucia Augustine, Anup Bhat, K Vaishali, Rahul Magazine

Lung India 2021 38(1):59-63

Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) is an essential and comprehensive intervention recommended in the management of people with chronic respiratory diseases (CRD). Scientific evidence suggests significant health benefits with respect to repeated hospital admissions, exercise tolerance and Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). However, the uptake and completion of PR programs are globally low. In order to understand the factors contributing to underutilization of PR, it is important to review and recognize the barriers to PR program. A literature search was conducted on Medline (PubMed) database. After reviewing the title and abstracts, full text articles were scrutinized for their relevance. Twenty-two studies involving factors affecting the uptake, participation and completion of PR program were included in this review. Reported barriers to PR were healthcare system, healthcare professional and patient related factors. Primary factors related to healthcare system and healthcare professionals were fewer PR centers, accessibility inconvenience, lack of awareness of PR program, low knowledge of referral process and lack of interdisciplinary teamwork. Difficulties faced by patients to take up and/or to complete PR programs were lack of transportation, co-morbidities, lack of perceived benefits, socio-economic status and lack of funding facilities. Identified and reported barriers resulted into discontinuity between knowledge of health benefits and utilization of PR service for patients with CRDs. Addressing the barriers would accelerate the healthcare professionals&#39; referral and patients to avail the health benefits of rehabilitation service.



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