Home Pulmonology April 2018 Briefing – Pulmonology

April 2018 Briefing – Pulmonology

Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pulmonology for April 2018. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.

Flu Vaccines Have High Impact, Even With Relatively Low Efficacy

MONDAY, April 30, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Even relatively low-efficacy influenza vaccines can have a high impact, especially with optimal distribution across age groups, according to a study published online April 30 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Primary Care Can Effectively Manage Obstructive Sleep Apnea

MONDAY, April 30, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Primary care management of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is as effective and more cost-effective than in-laboratory diagnosis, according to a study published online April 17 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

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New Clinic Satisfaction Tool Provides Real-Time Feedback

THURSDAY, April 26, 2018 (HealthDay News) — A new clinic satisfaction tool improves communication and provides real-time feedback, according to a study published online April 14 in Neurosurgery.

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ALS by Physician May Improve Traumatic Arrest Outcomes

FRIDAY, April 27, 2018 (HealthDay News) — For patients with traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), pre-hospital advanced life support (ALS) provided by a physician is associated with increased likelihood of one-month survival, according to a study published online April 25 in JAMA Surgery.

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Improvement in Race-Based Disparities in Years of Life Lost

THURSDAY, April 26, 2018 (HealthDay News) — From 1990 to 2014 there was a decrease in race-based disparities in years of life lost (YLL) in the United States, according to a study published online April 25 in PLOS ONE.

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Pros and Cons for E-Cigarettes As Aid to Smoking Cessation

THURSDAY, April 26, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Evidence relating to the pros and cons of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) as helpful smoking cessation tools is presented and discussed in a head to head article published online April 25 in The BMJ.

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Saturday Is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

THURSDAY, April 26, 2017 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and local agencies are holding the 15th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day across the country this Saturday, April 28.

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Medicare Requiring Hospitals to Post Prices Online

WEDNESDAY, April 25, 2018 (HealthDay News) — U.S. hospitals will have to post their standard prices online and make it easier for patients to access their electronic medical records, Medicare officials said Tuesday.

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Disagreement Seen Over Barriers to Kids’ Daily Use of Asthma Meds

WEDNESDAY, April 25, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Children, caregivers, and physicians report different barriers to daily use of asthma medications, according to a study published recently in the Journal of Asthma.

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Lupus Is a Leading Cause of Death in Young Women

WEDNESDAY, April 25, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) is among the top 20 leading causes of death in females between the ages of 5 and 64 years in the United States, according to a study published online April 18 in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

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Patients Prefer Doctors Who Engage in Face-to-Face Visits

MONDAY, April 23, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Patients prefer physicians who engage in face-to-face (F2F) clinic visits, rather than those using an examination room computer (ERC), according to a research letter published online April 19 in JAMA Oncology.

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Medical Cannabis Not Recommended for Sleep Apnea

FRIDAY, April 20, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Medical cannabis and/or its synthetic extracts should not be used for treating patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to an American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement published in the April 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

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Triple Therapy Tied to Reduced Rate of COPD Exacerbations

WEDNESDAY, April 18, 2018 (HealthDay News) — For patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), triple therapy is associated with a reduced rate of exacerbations, according to a study published online April 18 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Recommendations Developed on Gender Equity in Medicine

MONDAY, April 16, 2018 (HealthDay News) — In a position paper published online April 17 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, recommendations are provided aimed at addressing gender equity in physician compensation and career advancement opportunities.

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Similar Outcomes for Transplant With Overdose-Death Donors

MONDAY, April 16, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Transplantation of organs from overdose-death donors (ODDs) is associated with similar five-year patient survival and graft survival as organs from trauma-death donors (TDDs) and medical-death donors (MDDs), according to a study published online April 17 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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Increased Pollution Exposure Ups Health Care Visits for Acute URI

MONDAY, April 16, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Short-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is associated with increased health care utilization for acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI), according to a study published online April 13 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

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Nonoptimized Drug Therapy Costs More Than $500 Billion Annually

MONDAY, April 16, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The estimated annual cost of drug-related morbidity and mortality resulting from nonoptimized medication therapy is more than half a trillion dollars in the United States, according to a study published online March 26 in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy.

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Recent Years Saw Increase in Burden of Prior Authorization

THURSDAY, April 12, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The burden of prior authorization (PA) has increased over the past five years, and 92 percent of physicians report associated delays in access to care, according to the results of a survey published by the American Medical Association (AMA).

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Higher Mortality Risk Seen for ‘Night Owls’

THURSDAY, April 12, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Individuals with a later chronotype have increased mortality risk, according to a study published online April 12 in Chronobiology International.

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Cigarette Price Hike Would Provide More Gains for the Poor

THURSDAY, April 12, 2018 (HealthDay News) — An increase in the market prices of cigarettes would provide more health and financial gains to the poorest 20 percent of the population, according to a study published online April 11 in The BMJ.

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Sleep Deficiency Leads to Higher Number of Motor Vehicle Crashes

WEDNESDAY, April 11, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Sleep deficiency due to sleep apnea or sleep duration less than seven hours is associated with motor vehicle crashes independent of self-reported excessive sleepiness, according to a study published online March 20 in BMC Medicine.

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Smoke Exposure Tied to Higher CV, Cerebrovascular ER Visits

WEDNESDAY, April 11, 2018 (HealthDay News) — For all adults, and especially for those older than 65 years, smoke exposure is associated with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular emergency department visits, according to a study published online April 11 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

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Considerable Differences in Burden of Disease at State Level

TUESDAY, April 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) — There are considerable differences in the burden of disease at the state level, according to a study published in the April 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Suggestions Offered to Reduce Physician Frustration With EHRs

TUESDAY, April 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Changes can be implemented to help reduce physician frustration with electronic health records (EHRs), according to an article published in Medical Economics.

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Tai Chi Helps Improve Respiratory Function in COPD

TUESDAY, April 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Tai chi is as effective as pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study published online April 10 in CHEST.

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Whole Body CT Doesn’t Cut Mortality in Peds Blunt Trauma

TUESDAY, April 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Whole body computed tomography (WBCT) is not associated with reduced mortality compared with a selective CT approach among children with blunt trauma, according to a study published online April 9 in JAMA Pediatrics.

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Sirolimus May Be Beneficial in DIPNECH Syndrome

MONDAY, April 9, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Sirolimus may be beneficial for patients with diffuse idiopathic pulmonary neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia (DIPNECH), according to a research letter published online April 10 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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Interns’ Schedule Takes Toll on Sleep, Physical Activity, Mood

FRIDAY, April 6, 2018 (HealthDay News) — New interns’ intense and changing schedules take a toll on sleep, activity, and mood, according to a study published online March 14 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

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ACA Marketplaces Expand Coverage for Chronically Ill

THURSDAY, April 5, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The Affordable Care Act’s Marketplaces covered a disproportionate share of non-elderly adults with high health care risks in the 2014 to 2015 time period, according to a study published in the April issue of Health Affairs.

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Online Doc Reviews Don’t Reflect Patient Satisfaction Surveys

THURSDAY, April 5, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Online physician reviews do not reflect patient satisfaction surveys (PSSs), according to a study published in the April issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

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Medicare Program Narrows Racial Disparities in Readmissions

WEDNESDAY, April 4, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Medicare’s Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program is associated with a narrowing of racial disparities in hospital readmissions, according to a study published in the April issue of Health Affairs.

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Variations Identified in Free-Text Directions in E-Prescriptions

WEDNESDAY, April 4, 2018 (HealthDay News) — There is considerable variation in the quality of free-text patient directions (Sig) in electronic prescriptions (e-prescriptions), according to a study published online April 2 in the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy.

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Grief Symptoms Similar in Donor vs Non-Donor Decision Families

MONDAY, April 2, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Perceptions of the organ donation experience vary between relatives who decide to donate their relative’s organs and those who do not, but the decision does not appear to be associated with subsequent grief symptoms, according to a study published online March 19 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

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