Top pulmonology news from January: Surgeon general’s report on smoking cessation, critical care updates and more

Healio Pulmonology has you covered. The Editors have compiled a list of popular articles posted on Healio Pulmonology in January.

See below for links to news about the first surgeon general’s report on smoking cessation in 30 years, updates on the outbreak of vaping-related lung injuries, the latest research in critical care medicine and more.

Surgeon general releases first report on smoking cessation in 3 decades

The surgeon general today released a new report — the 34th report on tobacco and the first in 30 years to focus on smoking cessation — that details the latest science on comprehensive interventions to help people quit smoking. Read more

Vaping-related lung injuries declining, but new issues of concern arise

New data published in The New England Journal of Medicine and Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report suggest a decline in the number of new cases of e-cigarette- or vaping-associated lung injury, also referred to as EVALI, but health officials are now concerned about readmissions after hospital discharge. Read more

Adding vitamin C, thiamine to hydrocortisone fails to improve sepsis outcomes

When compared with hydrocortisone alone, treatment with a combination of IV vitamin C, thiamine and hydrocortisone did not prolong time alive and free of vasopressor administration for patients with septic shock, according to data from the VITAMINS trial. Read more

Hospital-based palliative care may reduce ICU use

The implementation of hospital-based palliative care services was associated with a modest decrease in ICU use during terminal hospitalizations in New York, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. Read more

Disparity in critical care deaths persists in minority-serving hospitals

Hospitals that see fewer minority patients have experienced a downward trend in ICU deaths during the past decade, but the same has not been true for hospitals with larger minority populations, researchers reported in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Read more

Mortality with two stress ulcer prophylaxis treatments did not differ in critically ill patients

Among critically ill patients requiring mechanical ventilation, 90-day in-hospital mortality rates did not differ significantly between those who received proton pump inhibitors and those who received histamine-2 receptor blockers for stress ulcer prophylaxis, new data published in JAMA indicate. Read more

Worldwide registry study identifies demographics of severe asthma

The International Severe Asthma Registry evaluated patients with asthma worldwide to describe demographic and clinical characteristics of these patients and the severity of the disease, according to a registry study published in CHEST. Read more

Lung microbiome may predict ICU outcomes

New data suggest that important features of the lung microbiome may predict ventilator-free days among critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients. Read more

Pitolisant reduces daytime sleepiness in OSA

Treatment with pitolisant, as compared with placebo, reduced excessive daytime sleepiness and improved several other outcomes among patients with obstructive sleep apnea who refuse CPAP, according to a study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care. Read more

Virtual education comparable to in-person inhaler education in asthma, COPD

New data indicate that patient-directed virtual education yielded similar improvements in inhaler technique as in-person education among patients with asthma or COPD. Read more