A worldwide look into long COVID-19 management: an END-COVID survey.

Background: Long COVID is a heterogeneous clinical syndrome characterised by a variety of reported symptoms and signs. Its clinical management is expected to differ significantly worldwide.

Methods: A survey-based study investigating long COVID-related standard operating procedures (SOPs) has been conducted by the European Respiratory Society (ERS) END-COVID clinical research collaboration with the support of other international societies (ALAT, APSR, CHEST, ESCMID and PATS).

Treatment of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Immunocompromised Adults: A Consensus Statement Regarding Initial Strategies.

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) guidelines have improved the treatment and outcomes of patients with CAP, primarily by standardization of initial empirical therapy. But current society-published guidelines exclude immunocompromised patients.

Research Question: There is no consensus regarding the initial treatment of immunocompromised patients with suspected CAP.

Prognostic Value of Frequent Exacerbations in Bronchiectasis: The Relationship With Disease Severity.

Introduction: Bronchiectasis is a very heterogeneous disease but some homogeneous groups with similar clinical characteristics and prognosis have been identified. Exacerbations have been shown to have a negative impact on the natural history of bronchiectasis. The objective of this study was to identify the definition and characteristics of the "frequent exacerbator patient" with the best prognostic value and its relationship with the severity of bronchiectasis.

The annual prognostic ability of FACED and E-FACED scores to predict mortality in patients with bronchiectasis.

http://ow.ly/albl30i11bv.

Latin America validation of FACED score in patients with bronchiectasis: an analysis of six cohorts.

Background: The FACED score is an easy-to-use multidimensional grading system that has demonstrated an excellent prognostic value for mortality in patients with bronchiectasis. A Spanish group developed the score but no multicenter international validation has yet been published.

Methods: Retrospective and multicenter study conducted in six historical cohorts of patients from Latin America including 651 patients with bronchiectasis.

Risk Factors for Drug-Resistant Cap in Immunocompetent Patients.

Purpose Of Review: The increase in drug-resistant community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is an important problem all over the world. This article explores the current state of antimicrobial resistance of different bacteria that cause CAP and also assesses risk factors to identify those pathogens.

Recent Findings: In the last two decades, it has been documented that there is a significant increase in drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae and other bacteria causing CAP.

[Recommendations of health care users and professionals to achieve a timely access to HIV diagnosis].

Background: Early HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) diagnosis optimizes therapies aimed at reducing viral load, increasing survival, lowering health costs and reducing the number of people infected with the virus. In Chile, despite widespread and readily available HIV testing, infected people continue to get tested in a late fashion and are usually diagnosed in advanced stages of the disease.

Aim: To determine the elements that facilitate or impede a timely HIV testing and to evaluate how to improve the access to HIV testing.

Importance of Legionella pneumophila in the etiology of severe community-acquired pneumonia in Santiago, Chile.

Background: In US and European literature, Legionella pneumophila is reported as an important etiologic agent of severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), but in Chile this information is lacking. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and identify predictors of severe CAP caused by L pneumophila in Santiago, Chile.

Methods: A multicenter, prospective clinical study lasting 18 months was conducted; it included all adult patients with severe CAP admitted to the ICUs of four hospitals in Santiago.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with 2009 influenza A(H1N1) virus infection with respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of critically ill patients with 2009 influenza A(H1N1).

Methods: An observational study of patients with confirmed or probable 2009 influenza A(H1N1) and respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation was performed.

Results: We studied 96 patients (mean age, 45 [14] years [mean, SD]; 44% female).

Influenza A pandemics: clinical and organizational aspects: the experience in Chile.

Recently, the World Health Organization declared a pandemic mediated by the novel A H1N1 influenza virus. Soon after the first report from Mexico, the disease arrived in Chile, where it spread quickly from south to north, mimicking cold weather progression through the country. Between May and September 2009, 366,624 cases of H1N1 were reported; 12,248 were confirmed by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and 1562 were hospitalized.

Microbial airway colonization is associated with noninvasive ventilation failure in exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Objective: Abnormal airway colonization in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) needing invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) is considered a first step in the acquisition of nosocomial pneumonia. Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) could potentially avoid this, but airway colonization has not been studied in patients who undergo NIV. We hypothesized that patients undergoing NIV would have lower rates of colonization than patients undergoing IMV.

Noninvasive ventilation during persistent weaning failure: a randomized controlled trial.

To assess the efficacy of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in patients with persistent weaning failure, we conducted a prospective, randomized, controlled trial in 43 mechanically ventilated patients who had failed a weaning trial for 3 consecutive days. This trial was stopped after a planned interim analysis. Patients were randomly extubated, receiving NIV (n = 21), or remained intubated following a conventional-weaning approach consisting of daily weaning attempts (n = 22).

Community-acquired pneumonia due to gram-negative bacteria and pseudomonas aeruginosa: incidence, risk, and prognosis.

Background: Initial empirical antimicrobial treatment of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is based on expected microbial patterns. We determined the incidence of, prognosis of, and risk factors for CAP due to gram-negative bacteria (GNB), including Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Methods: Consecutive patients with CAP hospitalized in our 1000-bed tertiary care university teaching hospital were studied prospectively.