Daily Respiratory Research Analysis

The increasing global incidence of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pulmonary disease highlights the need for rapid diagnostic methods to guide timely treatment and prevent antibiotic misuse. While bacterial culture remains the gold standard for diagnosis, its extended turnaround time compromises clinical decision-making. Computed tomography (CT), with its high sensitivity for lung lesions and rapid imaging capabilities, has emerged as a critical diagnostic tool. AI-assisted CT interpretation shows particular promise for improving NTM detection, yet progress has been hindered by limited datasets due to disease rarity. We address this gap by introducing the first comprehensive CT dataset combining 430 NTM and 871 tuberculosis cases, supplemented with clinical parameters including demographics, symptoms, and mycobacterial species data. This resource aims to catalyze AI algorithm development for differential diagnosis, ultimately enhancing precision in NTM management through advanced machine learning applications.

BACKGROUND: The anaesthesia regimen may affect the risk of postoperative respiratory complications. However, the optimal anaesthetic choice for oesophagectomy remains unclear. This retrospective study compared the effect of desflurane, sevoflurane, and propofol anaesthesia on short-term outcomes after oesophagectomy. METHODS: Data of patients who underwent oesophagectomy for cancer during April 2012-March 2022 were extracted from a nationwide Japanese inpatient database. Propensity score matching weight analysis was conducted to compare respiratory complications, ventilatory failure, and in-hospital mortality between desflurane, sevoflurane, and propofol anaesthesia, adjusting for potential confounders. Sensitivity analyses were performed using multivariable logistic regression and instrumental variable analyses. RESULTS: Among 21 080 included patients (desflurane group 7823, sevoflurane group 8932, and propofol group 4325 patients), respiratory complications and ventilatory failure occurred in 3399 (16.1%) and 960 (4.6%) patients respectively. Upon matching weight analysis, sevoflurane and propofol anaesthesia were significantly associated with higher incidences of respiratory complications (OR 1.13, 95% c.i. 1.03 to 1.24 and OR 1.43, 95% c.i. 1.28 to 1.58 respectively) and ventilatory failure (OR 1.21, 95% c.i. 1.02 to 1.43 and OR 1.29, 95% c.i. 1.06 to 1.56 respectively) compared with desflurane anaesthesia. In-hospital mortality after desflurane anaesthesia was the lowest of the three anaesthesia (1.6% and 1.8% versus 1.2%; OR 1.30, 95% c.i. 0.98 to 1.73 and OR 1.49, 95% c.i. 1.08 to 2.06 respectively). Multivariable logistic regression and instrumental variable analyses demonstrated similar results. CONCLUSIONS: Sevoflurane and propofol anaesthesia for oesophagectomy were associated with worse respiratory outcomes compared with desflurane anaesthesia.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Recent work indicates no increased mortality risk with concurrent gabapentin and opioid use when using an active comparator control design. However, concurrent gabapentin and opioid prescriptions have been associated with greater risk of respiratory depression in some studies. PURPOSE: To compare the risk of respiratory events among Medicare enrollees with histories of spine-related diagnoses treated with gabapentin+opioids versus those treated with tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) or duloxetine+opioids. We hypothesized that enrollees treated with gabapentin+opioids would have increased risk of adverse respiratory events compared to those treated with an active control+opioids. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: Propensity score-matched cohort study with an incident user, active comparator (TCA/duloxetine) control design. The primary analysis included those who concurrently (within 30 days) filled ≥1 incident gabapentin+≥1 opioid or ≥1 incident TCA/duloxetine+≥1 opioid prescription. PATIENT SAMPLE: US Medicare beneficiaries with histories of spine-related diagnoses 2017 to 2019. People treated with gabapentin+opioids (n=66,860) were matched on demographic and clinical factors to people treated with TCAs/duloxetine+opioids (n=66,860). OUTCOME MEASURES: Time to a composite respiratory outcome consisting of mechanical ventilation, intubation, respiratory failure, pneumonia, or acute respiratory distress syndrome. METHODS: Cox proportional hazard regression was used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). RESULTS: Among 133,720 Medicare enrollees (median age 73.3 years; 66.9% female), 6277 (4.7%) experienced respiratory events before the end of follow-up. A total of 3,469 (5.2%) of people who were treated with gabapentin+opioids (median initial dose/day of gabapentin was 300 mg) had respiratory events compared to 2808 (4.2%) of those treated with an active control+opioids. The increased risk in those treated with gabapentin+opioids was statistically significant after adjustment (HR 1.19; 95% CI 1.13, 1.25; p<.0001). The most common respiratory events were pneumonia (3.7% of people in the gabapentin+opioids group versus 3.0% of people in the TCA/duloxetine+opioids group) and respiratory failure (2.3% in the gabapentin+opioids group versus 1.8% in the TCA/duloxetine+opioids group). Results were similar in analyses (a) restricted to ≤30-day follow-up and (b) that required ≥2 fills of each prescription. CONCLUSIONS: While recent work indicates no increased mortality risk with concurrent gabapentin and opioid use in this population, the current findings suggest clinicians should exercise caution in prescribing gabapentin to older adults with spine conditions who are using opioids, due to possible impacts on respiratory events. However, we cannot be certain that unmeasured confounding may explain these results and replication is needed.