CHEST Physician
-
Atypical pulmonary cysts: Why to care
Since the American College of Radiology (ACR) updated its Lung CT Screening Reporting & Data System (Lung-RADS) to include atypical pulmonary cysts in 2022, there has been little discussion among chest physicians regarding the significance of pulmonary cysts and why these changes were made. Lung-RADS 2022 defined atypical pulmonary cysts as single, unilocular cysts with…
-
Trauma epidemiology and the organization of trauma care in the US
Patients who are injured do better when treated at trauma centers. During CHEST 2023 in Honolulu last year, the Disaster Response and Global Health Section hosted a presentation to a packed audience highlighting the history of the trauma model system in America. Attendees learned about the emergence of trauma systems in the US and the…
-
Changing the tumor board conversation: Immunotherapy in resectable NSCLC
Without a doubt, immunotherapy has transformed the treatment landscape of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and enhanced survival rates across the different stages of disease. High recurrence rates following complete surgical resection prompted the study of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in earlier, operable stages of disease. This shift toward early application of ICI reflects the…
-
On 5 Ps: PSG, PM, PPG, PulseOx, and PAT
OSA is a very prevalent condition in the general population, but still many patients remain undiagnosed and untreated. Prolonged, untreated OSA is an independent risk factor for major cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Therefore, timely diagnosis and treatment are required. Polysomnography (PSG) remains to this day the gold standard for diagnosing sleep apnea. A standard PSG…
-
Bringing trainee wellness to the forefront: Researching the impact of reflection in medical training
Before the spread of COVID-19, and increasingly during the pandemic, Ilana Krumm, MD, noticed a burgeoning focus on wellness for trainees and how to combat burnout in the medical space. But Dr. Krumm also noticed that most of the existing programs focused on the individual level, rather than the system level. The onus was on…
-
Top reads from the CHEST journal portfolio – July 2024
Understanding RA with COPD, lung cancer prediction models, and chronic cardiac dysfunction
-
Coding & billing: A look into G2211 for visit complexities
To continue to bring awareness to our members, we once again discuss this new add-on Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System code finalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for January 1, 2024. This add-on code is for new (99202-99205) and established (99212-99215) office visits. CMS created this add-on code to address the…
-
Use of albumin in critically ill patients
Intravenous albumin is a human-derived blood product studied widely in a variety of patient populations. Despite its frequent use in critical care, few high-quality studies have demonstrated improvements in patient-important outcomes. It is important for intensivists to think critically about prescribing albumin and individualize the prescription for each patient, as albumin use is not without…
-
Expanding recommendations for RSV vaccination
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has been increasingly recognized as a prevalent cause of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) among adults in the United States. The risk of hospitalization and mortality from RSV-associated respiratory failure is higher in those with chronic lung disease. In adults aged 65 years or older, RSV has shown to cause up…
-
Short telomere length and immunosuppression: Updates in nonidiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, interstitial lung disease
Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are a diverse group of relentlessly progressive fibroinflammatory disorders. Pharmacotherapy includes antifibrotics and immunosuppressants as foundational strategies to mitigate loss of lung function. There has been a growing interest in telomere length and its response to immunosuppression in the ILD community. Telomeres are repetitive nucleotide sequences that “cap” chromosomes and protect…
