Top news of October: Muscle relaxant use in COPD, discharge setting after sepsis

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

Highlights include a link found between muscle relaxant use and an elevated risk for COPD exacerbations; readmission rates after sepsis hospitalization based on discharge setting; improved respiratory outcomes with GLP-1 agonist use in patients with both COPD and type 2 diabetes; improved sleep quality among patients with mild/moderate obstructive sleep apnea with mandibular advancement device plus expiratory positive airway pressure treatment; higher mortality risk in interstitial lung disease with close residential proximity to a major highway; and more.

Read these and other top stories in pulmonology below:

Common muscle relaxants associated with increased COPD exacerbation risk

Patients with COPD using the common muscle relaxants cyclobenzaprine or methocarbamol had increased risk for COPD exacerbations at follow-up, according to data presented at the CHEST Annual Meeting. Read more.

Discharge setting following sepsis hospitalization linked to readmission

Among adult sepsis survivors readmitted within 30 days, more than two-thirds had been previously discharged to a skilled nursing facility, home health care or home, according to results published in American Journal of Critical Care. Read more.

GLP-1 agonists may improve respiratory outcomes among patients with COPD, type 2 diabetes

Patients with both COPD and type 2 diabetes who used GLP-1 agonists or co-agonists had improved respiratory outcomes vs. those who used other type 2 diabetes medications, according to data presented at the CHEST Annual Meeting. Read more.

Mandibular advancement device plus expiratory positive airway pressure favorable in OSA

Patients with mild/moderate OSA treated with a mandibular advancement device plus expiratory positive airway pressure reported improved sleep quality at 6 months, according to a poster presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress. Read more.

Close residential proximity to major highway increases mortality risk in ILD

Among patients with ILD, the risk for mortality rose if they lived less than 200 m from a major highway, according to data presented at the CHEST Annual Meeting. Read more.

Q&A: Advantages, pitfalls of sleep-monitoring apps, trackers

In September, Apple received marketing clearance from the FDA for its sleep apnea feature within the Health app on the Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10 and Ultra 2, according to an FDA press release. Healio spoke with Seema Khosla, MD, FCCP, FAASM, American Academy of Sleep Medicine spokesperson and medical director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep, to learn more about sleep tracking/monitoring apps and how Apple’s system is perceived by sleep clinicians. Read more.

OSA risk in middle age linked to early childhood, adulthood BMI, weight gain

Adults who experienced BMI or weight gains between age 2 years and 5 years, as well as after age 11 years, faced increased odds for high OSA risk, according to data presented at the CHEST Annual Meeting. Read more.

Q&A: Asporin linked to ‘more favorable disease profile’ in patients with PAH

Asporin has been discovered as a potential new target that may be used when developing therapeutic interventions for pulmonary arterial hypertension, according to a University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) press release. Healio spoke with Jason Hong, MD, PhD, assistant clinical professor at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, to learn more about asporin, current targets in PAH therapeutic interventions and plans for future research. Read more.

Dietetic intervention trial in ILD feasible, helps stop weight loss

A 12-week dietetic intervention trial in patients with ILD and malnutrition was feasible and helped patients stop losing weight, according to a poster at the European Respiratory Society International Congress. Also, Meredith McCormack, MD, MHS, professor of medicine, associate director of the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine and director of the BREATHE Center at Johns Hopkins University, shares her Perspective. Read more.

Ensifentrine improves outcomes in both moderate, severe COPD

Lung function, symptoms and quality of life improved with receipt of ensifentrine in both adults with moderate COPD and adults with severe COPD, according to data presented at the CHEST Annual Meeting. Read more.