The high reproducibility and sensitivity/specificity in the ECC suggests that TNSS is a valuable outcome measure. While exhaled NO can be considered to monitor airway inflammation, nasal NO appears to be unspecific.

EvA (Emphysema versus Airway disease) is a multicentre project to study mechanisms and identify biomarkers of emphysema and airway disease in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The objective of this study was to delineate objectively imaging-based emphysema-dominant and airway disease-dominant phenotypes using quantitative computed tomography (QCT) indices, standardised with a novel phantom-based approach.441 subjects with COPD (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) stages 1–3) were assessed in terms of clinical and physiological measurements, laboratory testing and standardised QCT indices of emphysema and airway wall geometry.QCT indices were influenced by scanner non-conformity, but standardisation significantly reduced variability (p<0.001) and led to more robust phenotypes. Four imaging-derived phenotypes were identified, reflecting “emphysema-dominant”, “airway disease-dominant”, “mixed” disease and “mild” disease. The emphysema-dominant group had significantly higher lung volumes, lower gas transfer coefficient, lower oxygen (PO2) and carbon dioxide (PCO2) tensions, higher haemoglobin and higher blood leukocyte numbers than the airway disease-dominant group.The utility of QCT for phenotyping in the setting of an international multicentre study is improved by standardisation. QCT indices of emphysema and airway disease can delineate within a population of patients with COPD, phenotypic groups that have typical clinical features known to be associated with emphysema-dominant and airway-dominant disease.

For intraoperative ECLS, different modes may be applied depending on the intended procedures and required mechanical ventilation. In our experience, different settings of veno-venous ECLS provide sufficient partial or complete lung support, avoiding possible complications associated with other forms of extracorporeal support such as CPB or v-a-ECMO.

PurposeTo assess efficacy of our single-centre experience with inhalative steroids (IS) in lung cancer patients with symptomatic radiation pneumonitis (RP) grade II.Material and methodsBetween 05/09 and 07/10, 24 patients (female, n = 8; male, n = 16) with lung cancer (non-small cell lung carcinoma [NSCLC]: n = 19; small cell lung cancer [SCLC]: n = 3; unknown histology: n = 2) and good performance status (ECOG ≤1) received definitive radiotherapy to the primary tumour site and involved lymph nodes with concurrent chemotherapy (n = 18), sequential chemotherapy (n = 2) or radiation only (n = 4) and developed symptomatic RP grade II during follow-up. No patient presented with oxygen requiring RP grade III. The mean age at diagnosis was 66 years (range: 50–82 years). Nine patients suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) before treatment, and 18 patients had a smoking history (median pack years: 48). The mean lung dose was 15.5 Gy (range: 3.0–23.1 Gy). All patients were treated with IS. If a patient’s clinical symptoms did not significantly improve within two weeks of IS therapy initiation, their treatment was switched to oral prednisolone.ResultsAll 24 patients were initially treated with a high dose IS (budesonide 800 μg 1-0-1) for 14 days. Of the patients, 18 showed a significant improvement of clinical symptoms and 6 patients did not show significant improvement of clinical symptoms and were classified as non-responders to IS. Their treatment was switched to oral steroids after two weeks (starting with oral prednisolone, 0.5 mg/kg bodyweight; at least 50 mg per day). All of these patients responded to the prednisolone. None of non-responders presented with increased symptoms of RP and required oxygen and / or hospitalization (RP grade III). The median follow-up after IS treatment initiation was 18 months (range: 4–66 months). The median duration of IS treatment and prednisolone treatment was 8.2 months (range: 3.0–48.3 months) and 11.4 months (range: 5.0–44.0 months), respectively. Of the 18 IS treatment responders, 2 (11.1 %) patients with pre-existing grade 2 COPD still required IS (400 μg twice a day) 45.0 and 48.3 months after radiotherapy, respectively. For the remaining 16 responders (88.9 %), IS therapy was stopped after 7.7 months (range: 3.0–18.2 months). None of the patients treated with IS developed any specific IS-related side effects such as oral candidiasis.ConclusionThis single-centre experience shows that high-dose IS is an individual treatment option for radiation-induced pneumonitis grade II in patients with a good performance status.

Extracorporeal lung support (ECLS) represents an essential support tool especially for critically ill patients undergoing thoracic surgical procedures. Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) is an important treatment option for end-stage lung emphysema in carefully selected patients. Here, we report the efficacy of veno-venous ECLS (VV ECLS) as a bridge to or through LVRS in patients with end-stage lung emphysema and severe hypercapnia. Between January 2016 and May 2017, 125 patients with end-stage lung emphysema undergoing LVRS were prospectively enrolled into this study. Patients with severe hypercapnia caused by chronic respiratory failure were bridged to or through LVRS with low-flow VV ECLS (65 patients, group 1). Patients with preoperative normocapnia served as a control group (60 patients, group 2). In group 1, VV ECLS was implemented preoperatively in five patients and in 60 patients intraoperatively. Extracorporeal lung support was continued postoperatively in all 65 patients. Mean length of postoperative VV ECLS support was 3 ± 1 day. The 90 day mortality rate was 7.8% in group 1 compared with 5% in group 2 (p = 0.5). Postoperatively, a significant improvement was observed in quality of life, exercise capacity, and dyspnea symptoms in both groups. VV ECLS in patients with severe hypercapnia undergoing LVRS is an effective and well-tolerated treatment option. In particular, it increases the intraoperative safety, supports de-escalation of ventilatory strategies, and reduces the rate of postoperative complications in a cohort of patients considered “high risk” for LVRS in the current literature.