CHEST Physician
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Complementing, not competing
As we enter summer, it’s hard to believe that we’re halfway through my presidency. Registration for CHEST 2024 (October 6 to 9) is now open, and October will be here before we know it. We’re thrilled to host the CHEST Annual Meeting in Boston for the first time ever and hope to see you there…
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Military burn pits: Their evidence and implications for respiratory health
Military service is a hazard-ridden profession. It’s easy to recognize the direct dangers from warfighting, such as gunfire and explosions, but the risks from environmental, chemical, and other occupational exposures can be harder to see. Combustion-based waste management systems, otherwise known as “burn pits,” were used in deployed environments by the US military from the…
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A word of caution on e-cigarettes: Retracted paper
Editor’s note: On March 29, 2024, the authors of the study, “Efficacy of Electronic Cigarettes vs Varenicline and Nicotine Chewing Gum as an Aid to Stop Smoking: A Randomized Clinical Trial,” published in JAMA Internal Medicine, issued a formal retraction of their article. The CHEST Physician Editorial Board apologizes for any confusion this may have…
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Fellow to use diversity scholar mentorship to strengthen care in pediatric-to-adult transitions
During residency training at the Rush University Medical Center in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Esha Kapania, MD, quickly became interested in the pulmonary pathologies that span the life of a patient, beginning in childhood and lasting into adulthood. Now in her first year of fellowship at the University of Louisville and as the recipient of…
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Making invisible problems visible
For Erika Mosesón, MD, a pulmonologist and ICU doctor, advocacy for clean air and climate action started small: signing petitions and writing letters. Even as she attended conferences and learned about the health impacts of air pollution, her impression was that experts were handling it. “I didn’t really think my voice was worth highlighting,” Dr.…
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The pendulum swings in favor of corticosteroids
The pendulum swings in favor of corticosteroids and endorses the colloquialism among intensivists that no patient shall die without steroids, especially as it relates to sepsis and septic shock. In 2018, we saw divergence among randomized controlled trials in the use of glucocorticoids for adults with septic shock such that hydrocortisone without the use of…
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Fighting for fresh air: RSV’s connection to environmental pollution
Poor air quality has numerous health hazards for patients with chronic lung disease. Now mounting evidence from pediatric studies suggests a concerning link between air pollution and viral infections, specifically respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Multiple studies have shown increased incidence and severity of disease in children with exposure to air pollutants such as particulate matter…
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Is it time to embrace a multinight sleep study?
Since the 1960s, sleep researchers have been intrigued by the first-night effect (FNE) in polysomnography (PSG) studies. A meta-analysis by Ding and colleagues revealed FNE’s impact on sleep metrics, like total sleep time and REM sleep, without affecting the apnea-hypopnea index, highlighting PSG’s limitations in simulating natural sleep patterns.1 Lechat and colleagues conducted a study…
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Transesophageal ultrasound: The future of ultrasound in the ICU
Historically, transesophageal ultrasound (TEE) has been regarded as a diagnostic and management tool for structural heart disease in relatively stable patients. However, TEE is more commonly being utilized by intensivists as a first-line tool in the diagnostics and management of patients in the ICU. TEE, with its unobstructed superior cardiac views, facilitates rapid diagnosis in…
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Home ventilation consult
Philips Respironics released a public statement on January 25, 2024, that would dramatically change the landscape of home mechanical ventilation and sleep-disordered breathing management in the United States. The company announced that, effective immediately in the US and US territories, Philips Respironics would stop production and sale of all hospital and home mechanical ventilation products,…
