Pulmonology
Q&A
Tapering inhaled steroids effective for chronic asthma
BACKGROUND: Asthma management guidelines recommend a reduction in steroid use once control is obtained.
Q&A
Oral prednisone prevents relapse in COPD exacerbations
BACKGROUND: The management of a COPD exacerbation is generally directed at relieving symptoms and restoring functional capacity.
Q&A
Educational interventions improve outcomes for children with asthma
BACKGROUND: A previously published meta-analysis suggested that asthma education programs for children do not affect asthma-related morbidity or...
Q&A
Heliox of minimal benefit in acute asthma
BACKGROUND: During an asthmatic attack, not all patients respond to treatment with bronchodilators and corticosteroids. Heliox, because of its low...
Q&A
Use of sputum eosinophil count decreases asthma exacerbations
BACKGROUND: Asthma exacerbations are preceded by airway hyperresponsiveness; proinflammatory cells, including eosinophils, are implicated as the...
Q&A
Nebulized 3% saline effective for viral bronchiolitis
BACKGROUND: Viral bronchiolitis is a common cause of illness in children aged <24 months. Studies have found no benefit in treatment with...
Q&A
Negative ELISA D-dimer assay can miss pulmonary embolism
BACKGROUND: In patients with clinically suspected acute pulmonary embolism, does a negative ELISA D-dimer assay correctly exclude pulmonary...
Q&A
Nortriptyline effective for smoking cessation
da Costa CL, Younes RN, Lourenco MT. Stopping smoking: a prospective, randomized, double-blind study comparing nortriptyline to placebo. Chest...
Q&A
How accurate is the D-dimer assay in diagnosing pulmonary embolism?
Brown MD, Rowe BH, Reeves MJ, Bermingham JM, Goldhaber SZ. The accuracy of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay D-dimer test in the diagnosis of...
Q&A
Vitamin E may worsen acute respiratory tract infections in the elderly
Gratt JM, Schouten EG, Kok FJ. Effect of daily vitamin E and multivitamin-mineral supplementation on acute respiratory tract infections in elderly...
Q&A
Azithromycin no more effective than vitamin C for acute bronchitis
Evans AT, Husain S, Durairaj L, et al. Azithromycin for acute bronchitis: a randomised, double-blind, controlled trial. Lancet 2002; 359:1648–54...