Patients With OSA Could Benefit From Diuretics

Patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and diastolic heart failure may find relief in the form of diuretics, according to a new study. Italian researchers treated 15 patients hospitalized with severe OSA, hypertension, and diastolic heart failure, with intravenous diuretics. Patients were treated twice daily for 3 days, and polysomnography was used to assess apnea severity before and after diuretic treatment. After 3 days, researchers found significant improvement in sleep-disordered breathing and an increase in upper airway caliber. They also reported a substantial decrease in patients body weight and blood pressure. This study appears in the August issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.

Which Line of Antibiotics Is Best for Chronic Bronchitis?

First-line antibiotics traditionally consist of common agents, such as amoxicillin and ampicillin. But according to researchers from the United States and Greece, second-line antibiotic use in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis (AECB) is becoming greater, citing an increase in first-line drug resistance among the AECB population. In such instances, macrolides or quinolones are often administered as advanced or second-line antibiotics. To compare the effectiveness of first- and second-line antibiotics, researchers evaluated patients with AECB from 12 randomized control trials. They found that second-line antibiotics were more effective, and that there was no difference in mortality or safety, when compared with first-line antibiotics. This study appears in the August issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.

Gender Difference in CT-Measured Emphysema Identified

A new study reveals that in men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), at all stages of severity, men have more CT-measurable
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Contact: Jennifer Stawarz
jstawarz@chestnet.org
847-498-8306
American College of Chest Physicians
13-Aug-2007