Background: From November 2006, The national health insurance system in the Republic of Korea began to cover prescribed long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) in patients with chronic respiratory insufficiency. This study examined the current status of LTOT after national health insurance coverage. Methods: Between November 1, 2006 and June 30, 2008, the medical records of patients who were prescribed LTOT by chest physicians were reviewed. The data was collected from 13 university hospitals. Results: 197 patients (131 male and 66 female) were prescribed LTOT. The mean age was 64.3±13.0 years. The most common underlying disease was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n=103, 52.3%). Chest physicians prescribed LTOT using arterial blood gas analysis or a pulse oxymeter (74.6%), symptoms (14%), or a pulmonary function test (11.2%). The mean oxygen flow rate was 1.56±0.68 L/min at rest, 2.08±0.91 L/min during exercise or 1.51±0.75 L/min during sleep. Most patients (98.3%) used oxygen concentrators. Only 19% of patients used ambulatory oxygen supplies. The oxygen saturation before and after LTOT was 83.18±10.48% and 91.64±7.1%, respectively. After LTOT, dyspnea improved in 81.2% of patients. The mean duration of LTOT was 16.85±6.71 hours/day. The rental cost for the oxygen concentrator and related electricity charges were 48,414±15,618 won/month and 40,352±36,815 won/month, respectively. Approximately 75% of patients had a regular visit by the company. 5.8% of patients had personal pulse oxymetry. 54.9% of patients had their oxygen saturation checked on each visit hospital. 8% of patients were current smokers. The most common complaint with LTOT was the limitation of daily activity (53%). The most common complaint with oxygen concentrators was noise (41%). Conclusion: The patients showed good compliance with LTOT. However, only a few patients used an ambulatory oxygen device or had their oxygen saturation measured.
Background: The pathophysiologic mechanisms of early acute lung injury (ALI) differ according to the type of primary insult. It is important to differentiate between direct and indirect pathophysiologic pathways, and this may influence the approach to treatment strategies. NF-κB decoy oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) is a useful tool for the blockade of the expression of NF-κB-dependent proinflammatory mediators and has been reported to be effective in indirect ALI. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of NF-κB decoy ODN in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced direct ALI model. Methods: Five-week-old specific pathogen-free male BALB/c mice were used for the experiment. In the preliminary studies, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukine (IL)-6 and NF-κB activity peaked at 6 hours after LPS administration. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and ALI score were highest at 36 and 48 hours, respectively. Therefore, it was decided to measure each parameter at the time of its highest level. The study mice were randomly divided into three experimental groups: (1) control group which was administered 50 μL of saline and treated with intratracheal administration of 200 μL DW containing only hemagglutinating virus of Japan (HVJ) vector (n=24); (2) LPS group in which LPS-induced ALI mice were treated with intratracheal administration of 200 μL DW containing only HVJ vector (n=24); (3) LPS＋ODN group in which LPS-induced ALI mice were treated with intratracheal administration of 200 μL DW containing 160 μg of NF-κB decoy ODN and HVJ vector (n=24). Each group was subdivided into four experimental subgroups: (1) tissue subgroup for histopathological examination for ALI at 48 hours (n=6); (2) 6-hour bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) subgroup for measurement of TNF-α and IL-6 in BAL fluid (BALF) (n=6); (3) 36-hour BAL subgroup for MPO activity assays in BALF (n=6); and (4) tissue homogenate subgroup for measurement of NF-κB activity in lung tissue homogenates at 6 hours (n=6). Results: NF-κB decoy ODN treatment significantly decreased NF-κB activity in lung tissues. However, it failed to improve the parameters of LPS-induced direct ALI, including the concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 in BALF, myeloperoxidase activity in BALF and histopathologic changes measured by the ALI score. Conclusion: NF-κB decoy ODN, which has been proven to be effective in indirect models, had no effect in the direct ALI model.
Background: Solitary pulmonary nodules (SPN) are encountered incidentally in 0.2% of patients who undergo chest X-ray or chest CT. Although SPN has malignant potential, it cannot be treated surgically by biopsy in all patients. The first stage is to determine if patients with SPN require periodic observation and biopsy or resection. An important early step in the management of patients with SPN is to estimate the clinical pretest probability of a malignancy. In every patient with SPN, it is recommended that clinicians estimate the pretest probability of a malignancy either qualitatively using clinical judgment or quantitatively using a validated model. This study examined whether Bayesian analysis or multiple logistic regression analysis is more predictive of the probability of a malignancy in SPN. Methods: From January 2005 to December 2008, this study enrolled 63 participants with SPN at the Kangnam Sacred Hospital. The accuracy of Bayesian analysis and Bayesian analysis with a FDG-PET scan, and Multiple logistic regression analysis was compared retrospectively. The accurate probability of a malignancy in a patient was compared by taking the chest CT and pathology of SPN patients with ＜30 mm at CXR incidentally. Results: From those participated in study, 27 people (42.9%) were classified as having a malignancy, and 36 people were benign. The result of the malignant estimation by Bayesian analysis was 0.779 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.657 to 0.874). Using Multiple logistic regression analysis, the result was 0.684 (95% CI, 0.555 to 0.796). This suggests that Bayesian analysis provides a more accurate examination than multiple logistic regression analysis. Conclusion: Bayesian analysis is better than multiple logistic regression analysis in predicting the probability of a malignancy in solitary pulmonary nodules but the difference was not statistically significant.
Background: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) by oxidative stress may play an important role in the pathogenesis of various chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, obesity, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and malignancy that are linked to metabolic syndrome. Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We examined the relationship between IPF and presenting factors associated with metabolic disorders. Methods: One hundred fourteen patients who met the current consensus of IPF definition were enrolled from March 2000 to April 2006 in Gil Hospital and Samsung Medical Center in Korea. One hundred thirty-four control subjects without pulmonary diseases were selected from subjects who visited Gil hospital for routine medical examinations, including low-dose chest computed tomography from January 2002 to July 2006. Retrospectively, we analyzed the clinical characteristics, the results of blood examinations, and lung function tests from medical records of both groups. Results: IPF patients and control subjects differed in the prevalence of diabetes mellitus as assessed by univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that diabetes mellitus and obesity were associated with IPF. The adjusted odds ratios for diabetes mellitus were 2.733 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.282∼5.827) and 2.001 (95% [CI], 1.063∼3.766) for obesity. The remaining factors tested showed no differences between the patient group and the control. Conclusion: Diabetes mellitus and obesity may be associated with IPF development.
Background: Pemetrexed has been prescribed newly as a second line chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). The aim of study was to determine the efficacy and toxicity of pemetrexed in advanced NSCLC. Methods: Patients with histologically or cytologically confirmed NSCLC were evaluated from June 2006 to December 2008. The patients had relapsed or progressed after prior chemotherapy treatment. They were treated with intravenous pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 for 10 min on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle. Results: A total of 89 patients were eligible for analysis. The response rate and disease control rate were 11% and 66%. Non-squamous cell carcinoma histology was significantly associated with a superior response rate (p= 0.035) and disease control rate (p=0.009) than squamous cell carcinoma histology. The median survival time was 13 months and the median progression free survival time was 2.3 months. The median survival time of patients with ECOG PS 0∼1 was 13.2 months, whereas median survival time was 11.6 months for patients with PS 2 (p=0.002). The median progression free survival time of patients with PS 0∼1 were 3.8 months, but 2.1 months for patients with PS 2 (p=0.016). The median progression free survival time of smokers with non-squamous cell carcinoma was 3.4 months, which was significant (p=0.014). Grade 3∼4 neutropenia were seen in 7.9% patients. Conclusion: Pemetrexed has efficacy in patients who had prior chemotherapy with advanced NSCLC and less hematologic toxicity.
Bilateral interstitial infiltration in chest radiography, which may be fine granular, reticular or of ground glass opacity, is the typical radiographic findings of Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia. Recently, atypical radiographic features, including cystic lung disease, spontaneous pneumothorax or nodular opacity, have been reported intermittently in patients with P. jiroveci pneumonia. We report the case of a 29-year-old woman with a transplanted kidney whose simple chest radiography and HRCT scan showed numerous miliary nodules in both lungs, mimicking miliary tuberculosis (TB). Under the presumptive diagnosis of miliary TB, empirical anti-TB medication was started. However, Grocott methenamine silver nitrate staining of a transbronchial lung biopsy tissue revealed P. jiroveci infection without evidence of TB. These findings suggest that even in TB-endemic area other etiology such as P. jiroveci as well as M. tuberculosis should be considered as an etiology of miliary lung nodules in immunocompromised patients.
Pulmonary papillomas are rare benign epithelial neoplasms arising in bronchial surface epithelium. They are categorized by a variety of cell types including squamous, glandular, and mixed squamous and glandular type. Among them, glandular papilloma is extremely rare and has not been reported in Korea. The patient was a 52 year-old man presenting with a 4-months’ history of recurrent hemoptysis. Bronchofiberoscopy revealed a whitish, glistening, and polypoid mass lesion at the proximal bronchus in the basal segment of the left lower lung. Bronchoscopic biopsy was performed; papillary fronds lined by ciliated or nonciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium were noted on histologic findings. We present the first case of glandular papilloma in Korea. Two years later, the patient visited our hospital again due to hemoptysis. On follow-up bronchoscopy, a mass that had been found previously showed an increase in size.
Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a recently recognized human respiratory pathogen, which is known to be associated with upper and lower respiratory tract infections mainly in children, immunocompromised patients, and the elderly. The clinical manifestations of hMPV infections are similar to those of the human respiratory syncytial virus infection, which range from mild upper respiratory tract infection to severe bronchiolitis and pneumonia. Recently, hMPV has come to be thought of as the cause a similar spectrum of disease in adults as that seen in children; however, most of the reports of hMPV infections have focused on infection in children. We report a case of severe hMPV pneumonia requiring mechanical ventilation in an immunocompetent adult in Korea.
The majority of flexible bronchoscopies are performed under topical anesthesia with lidocaine being the most commonly used agent. Anaphylaxis rarely occurs after local administration of lidocaine, but can be a fatal complication. We experienced a case of unexpected anaphylaxis. A 66-year-old woman was scheduled for flexible bronchoscopy to evaluate a tracheal mass and stenosis. The oral and nasal mucosa were pretreated with lidocaine. About 2∼3 minutes later, the patient developed hypotension and we treated for anaphylaxis in the emergency room. Then, we decided to perform rigid bronchoscopy in this patient, under conditions of general anesthesia. A rigid bronchoscopy was performed in this patient, safely and successfully. The tracheal mass was determined to be squamous cell carcinoma.
Etoposide is a semi-synthetic derivative of podophyllotoxin that is effective against many cancers including small cell lung cancer. We report a case of etoposide-induced anaphylaxis in a 51-year-old woman who tolerated etoposide during her first cycle chemotherapy regimen. During the second cycle, she complained of generalized urticaria and dyspnea 5 minutes after being infused with etoposide. She recovered completely with antihistamine, corticosteroid and fluid replacement. The intradermal skin test with etoposide showed a clear positive immediate reaction. This case suggests that etoposide can induce IgE-mediated anaphylaxis.
Chemical pneumonitis induced by hydrocarbon aspiration is rare in Korea. Kerosene is a petroleum distillate with low viscosity and high volatility. We report two adult cases of chemical pneumonitis caused by the accidental aspiration of kerosene. They were treated successfully with antibiotics and systemic corticosteroids, and recovered without complications.
Lipomas are common soft tissue tumors that are located in the body tissues containing adipose tissues. However, lipomas arising from the walls of a vein are very rare. Intravascular lipomas have been described most commonly in association with the inferior vena cava. Intravascualar lipomas involving the subclavian vein are rare. We are reporting a case of an asymptomatic lipoma of the right subclavian vein, growing into the right brachiocephalic vein.