Respiratory News

Finally a positive report about e-cigarettes! A study from the University of California in San Diego found e-cigarettes just may help people stop smoking. The researchers found that 8.2 percent of smokers who used e-cigarettes successfully quit cigarettes while only 4.8 percent of smokers who did not use e-cigarettes were successful.

Oxygen users face barriers that can reduce their quality of life according to the results of a survey of almost 2,000 people to gauge the challenges of oxygen use from the user’s perspective. The American Thoracic Society Nurse Assembly Working Group found oxygen users struggle with insurance coverage, inappropriate equipment, inade- quate supply and heavy tanks. People don’t necessarily always get what is prescribed. Providers may not know different types of equipment are available. Education is the key for the oxygen user, the prescribing physician and for the medical equipment company.

image158-1Vitamin D supplements reduce asthma flare ups that require treatment with sys- temic corticosteroids, regardless of person’s age, ethnicity, body-mass index, use of in- haled corticoids, or vitamin D levels before starting supplements, a study in the journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine showed.

Researchers in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine find the practice of pranayama, or yoga breathing, can lead to positive outcomes in those with COPD. The study was conducted among

43 people who were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of pranayama plus education or education alone. The 6 minute walk distance increased in the pranayama group and decreased in the control group. Pran- ayama also resulted in small improvements in inspiratory capacity and air trapping.

An expert panel of chest physicians has updated its guidelines for low-dose CT lung cancer screening based on a review of results from various trials. Lung cancer accounts for 25 percent of all cancers. In the year 1986, more women died of lung cancer than breast cancer – 30 years later that number has doubled. Lung cancer mortality each year continues to increase and surpasses that of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined.

The four key eligibility requirements for screening are:

  • 55M-8u0stybeaers of age (or between the ages of 55 and 77 years for those with Medicare);
  • Must have a 30 pack-per-year history of smoking. (That is one pack a day for 30 years, two packs a day for 15 years, );
  • Must be a current smoker or have quit within the last 15 years; and
  • No history of lung cancer with no signs or symptoms of lung desease.
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