Category: Pulmonology

Specialty: Pulmonary & Thoracic Surgery

Study Reveals New Insights Into Source of Certain Long-Haul COVID Symptoms

doctor speaking with patient

Results of an invasive cardiopulmonary exercise test (iCPET) explain why patients with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS), also known as long-haul COVID, suffer from fatigue, shortness of breath and lightheadedness when exerting themselves. A recent study published in the journal CHEST found that PACS patients without cardiopulmonary disease demonstrate a marked reduction in aerobic activity and impaired systemic oxygen extraction, along with an exaggerated hyperventilatory response during exercise.

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Brigham Ahead of the Curve on Implementing New Asthma Care Guidelines to Transform Patients’ Lives

Woman sitting on bed with hand to chest as if having trouble breathing

When new clinical care guidelines are issued, it often can take years before they are widely inculcated among practicing physicians. However, in the case of new asthma care guidelines issued in 2020, Brigham and Women’s Hospital has been implementing the recommended new treatment approaches for several years.

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Innovating Lung Transplant Protocols During the COVID-19 Surge

illustration of lung interiorHospitals across the country pushed the pause button on elective surgeries and non-emergency procedures during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, patients requiring lifesaving organ transplants couldn’t wait. To meet these patients’ urgent needs, the transplant team at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Lung Center sprang into action, quickly creating new protocols to help the sickest of the sick.

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New ECMO Transport Program at the Brigham

clinicians with EMCOAt Brigham and Women’s Hospital, The Lung Center has launched a new extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) Transport Program to provide lifesaving ECMO treatment to hospitalized patients at community hospitals in New England. The unique program arranges for ECMO specialists at the Brigham to travel to hospitals in the community, put patients on ECMO and bring them back to The Lung Center for complex pulmonary care.

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The Lung Center Provides Specialized Treatment for TBM

Chest CT scan
Chest CT: 62-year-old woman with tracheomalacia and emphysema.

An often-misdiagnosed lung condition is receiving special attention from a multidisciplinary team of specialists at The Lung Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

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Focus on Family Members Points to New Clues About IPF

scans

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is more common than once thought. According to the American Lung Association, over 130,000 people are affected in the United States and about 50,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.

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Research Efforts Focus on Asthma-COPD Overlap

Person using inhaler

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) each affect millions of people in the United States. So it’s not unexpected that a subset of patients would have both lung conditions. Yet surprisingly, little is known about the science of what’s called asthma-COPD overlap, or ACO. Experts at Brigham and Women’s Hospital are focused on changing that.

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Thoracic and Cardiac Surgeons Perform Innovative Resection

Cross-sectional view of yolk sac tumor (YST) surrounding the aorta.
Cross-sectional view of yolk sac tumor (YST) surrounding the aorta.

In the summer of 2019, Paul Pezzote, 67, learned he had Stage 4 cancer. Pezzote, who has Parkinson’s disease, had undergone treatments in 2010 at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center (DF/BWCC). However, the cancer had returned and spread.

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The Brigham Expands Use of ECMO During COVID-19

extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine

In March of 2020, Brigham and Women’s Hospital purchased four additional extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machines to prepare for a possible surge of COVID-19. It wasn’t yet clear if ECMO could support critically ill COVID-19 patients, but early reports from China had shown promise.

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Lungs of Deceased COVID-19 Patients Show Vascular Damage

Illustration of lungs with covid in them

SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A (H1N1) are in the same category of virus and both infect the respiratory tract. However, research has shown distinctive vascular changes in the lungs of patients with COVID-19 compared to those with H1N1.

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