Background: Concerns about medical errors due to sleep deprivation during residency training led the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education to mandate reductions in work schedules. Although call rotations with extended shifts continue, effects on resident sleepwake times and working memory capacity (WMC) have not been investigated. Objectives: The objective of this study was to measure effects of call rotations on sleep-wake times and WMC in internal medicine residents. Methods: During 2 months of an internal medicine training program adhering to ACGME work-hour restrictions (between April 2006 and June 2007), residents completed daily WMC tests, wore actigraphy watches, and logged their sleep hours. This observational study was conducted during a call month requiring 30-hour call rotations every fourth night, whereas the noncall month, which allowed sleep/wake cycle freedom, was used as the control. Main Outcome Measures: Sleep hours per night and WMC testing.Results: Thirty-nine residents completing the study had less sleep per night during their call month (6.4 vs 7.3 h per night noncall, p < 0.001) and sleep per night varied from 3.7 to 10.1 hours. Call rotation caused greater self-assessed sleepiness and reduced WMC recall scores (-2.6/test, p < 0.05), and more math errors occurred when on call (+1.07/test, p < 0.04). Full recovery of WMC did not occur until the fourth day after call. On-call rotation on the first month had a confounding detrimental effect on WMC. Conclusion:A month of call rotations reduced overall sleep per night; sleep hours per night were variable, and WMC was adversely affected. Decreased WMC could explain impaired judgment during sleep deprivation, although clinical error rates were not evaluated.

Congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM) is a rare congenital abnormality with unknown exact aetiology or clear genetic association. It is characterised by a failure of bronchial development and localised glandular overgrowth. Typically, it is diagnosed on prenatal ultrasound, only infrequently in children, and even less commonly in adults. We present a case of a 25-year-old man, with no previous lung diseases who presented with right-sided chest pain, fever and cough suggestive of pulmonary infection. Chest imaging, including CT scan, showed a large focal cystic mass within the right lower lobe along with ground glass opacities suggestive of CPAM. He was started on intravenous antibiotics. Bronchoscopy showed a large amount of pus in the right lung and bronchoalveolar lavage confirmed the microbiological diagnosis of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. He improved with antibiotic treatment. He was discharged with 6-week course of antibiotics and follow-up afterward.

Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) is an important tool in the management of acute and chronic respiratory failure. Traditionally, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and bilevel positive airway pressure (BPAP) have been the most commonly utilized modes for these purposes. Newer hybrid modes of NPPV, such as average volume-assured pressure support (VAPS), combine the properties of both volume- and pressure-controlled NPPV and represent another tool in the treatment of acute and chronic respiratory failure. Evidence demonstrating the superiority of VAPS over BPAP is sparse, but there have been studies that have demonstrated comparable efficacy between the two modes. The use of VAPS in acute hypercapnic respiratory failure has shown better clearance of CO2 compared to BPAP, due to its property of delivering a more assured tidal volume. This, however, did not lead to a decrease in hospital-days or improved mortality, relative to BPAP. The studies evaluating VAPS for chronic respiratory failure involve small sample sizes but have shown some promise. The benefits noted with VAPS, however, did not translate into increased survival, decreased hospitalizations or improved quality of life compared to BPAP. The limited evidence available suggests that VAPS is equally effective in treating acute and chronic respiratory failure compared to BPAP. Overall, the evidence to suggest superiority of one mode over the other is lacking. There is a need for larger studies before firm conclusions can be made.

Hepatic Hydrothorax (HH) is defined as a pleural effusion greater than 500 ml in association with cirrhosis and portal hypertension. It is an uncommon complication of cirrhosis, most frequently seen in association with decompensated liver disease. The development of HH remains incompletely understood and involves a complex pathophysiological process with the most acceptable explanation being the passage of the ascetic fluid through small diaphragmatic defects. Given the limited capacity of the pleural space, even the modest pleural effusion can result in significant respiratory symptoms. The diagnosis of HH should be suspected in any patient with established cirrhosis and portal hypertension presenting with unilateral pleural effusion especially on the right side. Diagnostic thoracentesis should be performed in all patients with suspected HH to confirm the diagnosis and rule out infection and alternative diagnoses. Spontaneous bacterial empyema and spontaneous bacterial pleuritis can complicate HH and increase morbidity and mortality. HH can be difficult to treat and in our review below we will list the therapeutic modalities awaiting the evaluation for the only definitive therapy, which is liver transplantation.