A novel study was published on Current Opinion in Physiology to summarise the impact of COVID-19 infection on pulmonary function and to relate this to disease severity and to the clinico-radiological outcomes. In agreement with the findings of the respiratory community concerning the physiological assessment in patients following COVID-19 inf...

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread worldwide determining a dramatic impact on the healthcare system. Aim of this study is to evaluate mid-term clinical impact of COVID-19 on respiratory function. The respiratory system is subjected to major involvement during COVID-19 also due to the hyperactive host immune response and the inflam...

Acute kidney disease (AKD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are highly prevalent among hospitalized patients and they have important metabolic and nutritional consequences. Moreover, in case of kidney replacement therapy the possible impact on nutritional profiles, substrate balance, and nutritional treatment processes cannot be neglected. The ...

This is the first European study reporting on respiratory follow-up outcomes after SARS CoV-2 infection. In this study, reduced DLCO, decreased distance of 6MWT and desaturation during 6MWT were correlated to a severely impaired COVID-19 phenotype, and importantly this relationship was not confounded by age, sex, or BMI. This findings ...

A new validation study on Cosmed Q-box system including both in-vitro and in-vivo testing was published on ERS (European Respiratory Society) Journal. The usefulness of any diagnostic tool depends on the combination of accuracy, reproducibility and stability. The aim of this study was to conduct a validation of the COSMED Q-box system includin...

A new study was published on ERS (European Respiratory Society) Journal to provide LCI (Lung Clearance Index) reference values in pulmonary healthy adults. Lung clearance index (LCI) is the most commonly used MBW outcome parameter but normative data is scarce. LCI was derived from triplicate MBW measurements based on Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)...

This Concise Clinical Review published on the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine examines the problem and the prevalence of under-diagnosis and over-diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. COPD is regarded as one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality across the world, yet its proper diagnosis remai...

The Journal of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology focused on the multi-breath nitrogen washout test and its most important applications in Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The clinical properties of the Nitrogen Multi-breath washout test, which is a lung function test that measures ventilation inhomogeneity, a biomarker of small airwa...

The American Thoracic Society committee on Proficiency Standards for Pulmonary Function Laboratories has recognized the need for a standardized reporting format for pulmonary function tests. Although prior documents have offered guidance on the reporting of test data, there is considerable variability in how these results are presented to end u...

A new paper by ERS published on the ERJ aims to update previous publications on bronchial challenge testing and the performance of the methacholine challenge test. This report focuses on general considerations for bronchial challenge testing, then specifically on the performance of the methacholine challenge test (MCT). Direct airway challenge...

A new review study published on the ERS European Respiratory Review describes the importance of Cardio Pulmonary Exercise Test to evaluate dyspnoea symptoms in Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) patients. This review describes the respiratory physiology of ILD, both at rest and during exercise, and aims to provide comprehensive and updated evide...

A useful scientific review has been published in the Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine Journal describing how different physiological/pathological conditions can affect static lung volumes measurement. This review intends to update the reader with the physiological basis, clinical significance and interpretative approaches of the standard ...

ATS/ERS published on the European Respiratory Journal an update to the 2005 technical standards for single-breath carbon monoxide uptake in the lung. A joint taskforce appointed by the ERS and ATS reviewed the recent literature on the measurement of DLCO and surveyed the current technical capabilities of instrumentation being manufactured aroun...

A new paper published on Chest Journal investigated the role of Single Breath Nitrogen Washout (N2WO) as a marker to evaluate small airway disease in COPD patients. Given that current functional assessments do not allow a reliable assessment of small airways, One of the major causes of disease in COPD comes from small airways, which could not b...

This recent paper published on the Polish Pneumology and Allergology Journal provides a clear and useful overview of the importance and the different measurement methods for airway resistance. This paper illustrates characteristics, clinical utility and limitations of main three methods of airway resistance — plethysmography, FOT and the interr...

A new study on Liver Transplantation Journal focuses on the utility of Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT) in predicting post liver transplant (LT) mortality and morbidity outcomes. While PFT is routinely performed in patients during the pre-LT evaluation, their utility in post-LT. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of obstructive an...

The accuracy level of three different lung volumes techniques (body plethysmography, radiography with computerized tomography and dilution) were analyzed in the "Respiration - International Journal of Thoracic Medicine". Accurate measurement of lung volumes is of paramount importance to establish the presence of ventilatory defects and give ins...

The clinical usefulness of Forced Oscillation Technique has been investigated in a scientific article published in Paediatric Respiratory Reviews Journal. The Forced Oscillation Technique (FOT) is a lung function modality based on the application of an external oscillatory signal in order to determine the mechanical response of the respiratory ...

The prognostic importance of lung diffusion capacity testing in pulmonary hypertension patients has been analysed in this study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. This study sought to investigate the prognostic importance of a low diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) in patients with a catheter-...

Respiratory Research Journal published a study on the importance of Airway resistance (RAW) and specific airway conductance (sGAW) measurements through body plethysmography. This study, based on 975 patients tested, investigated the contribution of RAW and sGAW to a diagnosis of obstructive airways disease and their role in differentiating asth...