August 2007

Three Great Ways to Promote Respiratory Care
We’d all like more people to know who respiratory therapists are and what they do. The AARC has three great ways to get the job done, and they’re all heating up right now: we’ve just launched a new web page for National Respiratory Care Week, the ARCF’s Ventilator 5K is seeking participants, and the brand new AARC Life & Breath video is up for preview and purchase in the AARC Store. Check them out and see how you can use these great events and tools to let more people in on the best kept secret in health care today (your profession!). RC WEEK VENTILATOR 5K LIFE & BREATH

New Journal Devoted to Breath Research
IOP Publishing has just launched a new online journal devoted completely to the study of exhaled breath in physiology and medicine. According to the web site, the Journal of Breath Research: Volatiles for Medical Diagnosis, will cover research on:

• The use of breath science for diagnosing and monitoring systemic health, lung- and oesophageal cancer, lung and bronchial disease and infection.
• Monitoring alcohol intake.
• Detecting exposure to smoke and to workplace and home contaminants.
• Diagnosing and treating halitosis and oral diseases.
• Testing physiological aspects of breathing and respiration (oxygenation, carbon dioxide, moisture, capacity, rate).
• Testing for oxidative stress and psychological stress and anxiety.
• Identifying sleep apnea and investigating acid reflux cough.

Journal papers will be available free of charge throughout 2007. READ PRESS RELEASE VISIT JOURNAL WEB SITE

Statins Lower Age-Related Lung Function Decline
Harvard investigators have found statins reduce lung function decline in the elderly, but the response is blunted for smokers. The research stems from previous studies linking decreased lung function with increased inflammation and oxidative stress, two factors that can be minimized with statins. The authors measured FEV1 and FVC in 803 elderly men two to four times over a ten year period. The estimated decline in FEV1 was 23.9 mL/yr in men who didn’t use statins versus 10.9 mL/yr in those who did. While statins benefited all groups, including smokers, the size of the benefit varied according to smoking status. Results were similar for FVC. The authors conclude, “Our results indicate that statin use attenuates decline in lung function in the elderly, with the size of the beneficial effect modified by smoking status.” The report appeared in the August 2 Epub edition of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. READ ABSTRACT

Low eNO Negative Predictor for EIB
Japanese researchers who set out to clarify the relationship between exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in 20 asthmatic children find the mean baseline eNO value was significantly correlated with the mean maximum percent fall in FEV1 and FEF25-75% after exercise. In children who were positive for exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB), eNO was significantly higher than in those without EIB. “We demonstrated that the most important lung parameter assessed the occurrence of EIB by a bicycle ergometer exercise test was not only FEV1 but FEF25-75%, which significantly correlated with eNO,” write the authors. “This suggests that not only FEV1 but FEF25-75% can be used to evaluate the correlations between BHR (EIB) and airway inflammation (eNO) in asthmatic children.” The research was published in the July issue of the Journal of Asthma. READ ABSTRACT

When to Use Which Type of Bronchoscopy
A new study out of France looked at flexible and rigid bronchoscopy in the diagnosis of foreign body aspiration (FbA) in children, concluding rigid bronchoscopy is indicated only for asphyxia, finding of a radiopaque Fb, or in the presence foreign body aspiration syndrome associated with unilaterally decreased breath sounds, localized wheezing and obstructive radiological emphysema, or atelectasis. Flexible bronchoscopy should be the initial procedure in all other cases. The investigation is based on a review of 70 cases involving children with a median age of two. The report is scheduled to appear in the September issue of the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. READ ABSTRACT