Top news of July: COVID-19 lasting impacts, OSA treatment linked to mental health visits

Healio has compiled the most-read news in pulmonology posted in July.

Highlights include patients continuing to have either non-fibrotic-like or fibrotic-like lesions 2 years after COVID-19 hospitalization; children treated for obstructive sleep apnea facing reduced odds for mental health care visits; persistent lung cancer risk with e-cigarette use after quitting tobacco smoking; elevated omega-3 levels linked to better quality of life and low exacerbation odds in COPD; CPAP therapy lowering mortality risk in OSA; and more.

Read these and other top stories in pulmonology below:

Over 90% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients have lung lesions 2 years following discharge

Two years after COVID-19 hospitalization, 92% of patients continued to have either non-fibrotic-like or fibrotic-like lesions on CT scans, according to results published in The Lancet Regional Health — Americas. Read more.

Children treated for OSA less likely to have mental health care visits

Children with obstructive sleep apnea treated with adenotonsillectomy/positive airway pressure faced reduced odds for mental health care visits vs. before treatment, according to results published in Annals of the American Thoracic Society. Also, Shalini Paruthi, MD, spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, shares her Perspective. Read more.

Lung cancer risks persist with e-cigarette use after quitting tobacco smoking

Smokers who used electronic cigarettes after quitting had more risk for lung cancer than those who quit but did not use e-cigarettes, according to a study presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference. Read more.

Elevated omega-3 levels linked to better quality of life, low exacerbation odds in COPD

Respiratory-specific quality of life and exacerbation odds in former smokers with COPD may improve with elevated omega-3 levels, according to research published in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation. Also, Bonnie Patchen, PhD, RD, postdoctoral research associate in the division of nutritional sciences at Cornell University, shares her Perspective. Read more.

CPAP therapy lowers all-cause, cardiovascular mortality risk in OSA

Among adults with obstructive sleep apnea, positive airway pressure therapy reduced the risk for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, according to a presentation at the American Thoracic Society International Conference. Read more.

Blood biomarker identifying benign lung nodules performs well across subgroups

A blood biomarker used to identify benign vs. malignant pulmonary nodules displayed “excellent” performance regardless of sex, smoking status, screen detection and nodule size, according to a research letter published in CHEST. Read more.

Obesity does not impact survival following ECMO

Among patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, the presence of obesity did not impact mortality after the procedure, according to results published in BMC Pulmonary Medicine. Also, Rachael Alexis Jividen, DNP, APRN-CNS, ACCNS-AG, CCRN-CSC-CMC, acute care clinical nurse specialist/Cleveland Clinic Health System ECMO/ECLS coordinator, shares her Perspective. Read more.

Lung donation from hospital-based care unit extends transplant recipient survival

Lung transplant recipients lived for a longer time if they received lungs from a donor cared for in a hospital-based vs. independent donor care unit, according to results published in JAMA Network Open. Read more.

Occupational benzene exposure heightens lung cancer likelihood

Having been exposed to benzene during work heightened the odds for lung cancer development, according to results published in American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Read more.

Childhood air pollutant exposures raise odds for adult bronchitic symptoms

Individuals exposed to nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter less than 10 µm as a child faced elevated odds for bronchitic symptoms as an adult, according to results published in American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Read more.