Dejan Radovanovic

• MD, PhD
• Assistant Professor at University of Milan

Lung collapse, commonly associated with conditions such as atelectasis, pneumonia, and acute respiratory distress syndrome, significantly impairs gas exchange and respiratory function. Monitoring lung re-aeration is therefore crucial in evaluating the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions, including non-invasive ventilation, invasive mechanica...

Background: Chest physical exam (CPE) is based on the four pillars of classical semiotics. However, CPE’s sensitivity and specificity are low, and is affected by operators’ skills. The aim of this work was to explore the contribution of chest ultrasound (US) to the traditional CPE. Methods: For this purpose, a survey was submitted to US users. They...

Respiratory viral infections trigger immune and inflammatory responses that can be associated with excessive oxidative stress, glutathione (GSH) depletion, and a cytokine storm that drives virus-induced cell/tissue damage and severe disease. Erdosteine is a thiol-based drug with proven mucolytic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial pr...

Objective: It remains unclear whether baseline FeNO levels can predict response to anti-IL5/5R biologic treatment in patients with severe asthma. Methods: We recruited 104 patients with severe eosinophilic asthma treated with anti-IL5/anti-IL5R for at least one year who had measured FeNO values before the beginning of anti-eosinophilic treatment...

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) represents a significant public health problem in Italy, with a high prevalence and a substantial economic burden on the National Health Service (NHS). Effective management of the disease is crucial for reducing exacerbations and improving patients’ quality of life. Methods: This study employ...

Which patients should be monitored for coinfections or should receive empirical antibiotic treatment, in patients with an acute viral respiratory infection, is largely unknown. We evaluated the prevalence, characteristics, outcomes of coinfected patients, and risk factors associated with a coinfection among patients with an acute viral infection. A...

Background Patients with severe asthma frequently have comorbid chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with or without nasal polyps, that can increase the symptom burden and complicate treatment. Real-life clinical data on the impact of biologic treatments on CRS-specific quality-of-life questionnaires are still lacking. Materials and methods In this retros...

Introduction: The proportion of elderly people among hospitalized patients is rapidly growing. Between 7% to 25% of ICU patients are aged 85 and over and noninvasive respiratory support is often offered to avoid the risks of invasive mechanical ventilation or in patients with a 'do-not-intubate' order. However, while noninvasive respiratory suppor...

N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) was initially introduced as a treatment for mucus reduction and widely used for chronic respiratory conditions associated with mucus overproduction. However, the mechanism of action for NAC extends beyond its mucolytic activity and is complex and multifaceted. Contrary to other mucoactive drugs, NAC has been found to exhib...

Background Glutathione (GSH) depletion characterizes several viral infections and various molecules have been suggested to restore GSH levels1. Erdosteine (ERD) seems to be useful in treating patients with these infections such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)2. Aims The main objective was to evaluate effects of ERD in RSV in vitro infection....

Objective. The aims of this study was to analyse fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) findings in tube-fed patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods. Seventeen patients who had been intubated during intensive care unit (ICU) stay were enrolled. Pooling of secretions, dysphagia phenotype, penetration/aspiration and...

Objective To describe the burden of moderate to severe exacerbations and all-cause mortality; the secondary objectives were to analyze treatment patterns and changes over follow-up. Design Observational, multicenter, retrospective, cohort study with a three year follow-up period. Setting Ten Italian academic secondary- and tertiary-care centers....

Artificial intelligence (AI) can make intelligent decisions in a manner akin to that of the human mind. AI has the potential to improve clinical workflow, diagnosis, and prognosis, especially in radiology. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a very diverse illness that is characterized by interstitial opacities, mostly in the dependent ar...

Over the last 20 years, scientific literature and interest on chest/lung ultrasound (LUS) have exponentially increased. Interpreting mixed—anatomical and artifactual—pictures determined the need of a proposal of a new nomenclature of artifacts and signs to simplify learning, spread, and implementation of this technique. The aim of this review is to...

Background: Tracheal stenosis represents a fearsome complication that substantially impairs quality of life. The recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic increased the number of patients requiring invasive ventilation through prolonged intubation or tracheostomy, increasing the risk of tracheal stenosis. Study design and methods: In this prospective, observation...

The artificial intelligence (AI) is a machine or computing platform that is capable of making intelligent decision similarly to the human mind. The AI could improve diagnosis, treatment prognosis, and clinical workflow, particularly in the field of radiology. Concerning acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a rather heterogeneous syndrome c...

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) impacts lung function and exercise capacity in adults, but limited information is available in children. We hypothesize that T1D causes alterations in pulmonary function and cardiorespiratory fitness, i.e., exercise capacity, at early stages of the disease, due to the presence of inflammation and vascular damage. Therefore, we...

Background: Predictors of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infection and determinants of RSV unfavorable outcomes are still unclear. We assessed RSV burden and investigated the risk factors associated with RSV positive swab and RSV severe disease. Methods: A retrospective, single center, cohort study included all consecutive patients referred t...

The initial alterations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) involve the small airways. Small airway disease (SAD) is related to lung hyperinflation and air trapping. Several lung function tests may detect the presence of SAD, namely forced mid-expiratory flows, residual volume (RV), RV/total lung capacity (TLC) ratio, functional residua...

Acute dyspnea represents one of the most frequent symptoms leading to emergency room evaluation. Its significant prognostic value warrants a careful evaluation. The differential diagnosis of dyspnea is complex due to the lack of specificity and the loose association between its intensity and the severity of the underlying pathological condition. Th...

Lung transplantation is a key therapeutic option for several end-stage lung diseases. Interventional pulmonology techniques, mostly bronchoscopy, play a key role throughout the whole path of lung transplantation, from donor evaluation to diagnosis and management of post-transplant complications. We carried out a non-systematic, narrative literature...

Acute respiratory failure (ARF) is a common life-threatening medical condition, with multiple underlying etiologies. In these cases, many factors related to systemic inflammation, prolonged use of steroids, and lung mechanical abnormalities (such as hyperinflation or increased elastic recoil due to pulmonary oedema or fibrosis) may act as synergic...

Objective: It is unclear whether Benralizumab effectiveness in severe eosinophilic asthma can be influenced by nasal polyposis (NP) or allergic status associations. We evaluated whether Benralizumab long-term efficacy in asthma outcomes could be different in subjects with atopy (SAEA) compared to the effectiveness in those without allergies (SNAEA...

It is not known if the degrees of improvement in oxygenation obtained by CPAP can predict clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. This was a retrospective study conducted on patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia treated with CPAP in three University hospitals in Milan, Italy, from March 2020 to March 2021. Arterial gas analysis was...

This article explores current evidence on the role of oxidative stress in viral infections, and on the use of antioxidant drugs as adjunctive treatment. MEDLINE/PubMed was searched for appropriate keywords, and preclinical and clinical studies with reviews were retrieved and examined by authors. Old and current evidence shows that GSH content red...

Objective: Long-term efficacy of Benralizumab in real life is not clearly known. We assessed the long-term effectiveness persistence to anti-IL-5R treatment in a group of severe eosinophilic asthmatics. Patients and methods: We retrospectively analyzed 95 individuals affected by severe asthma (36 males ̶ 37.9%; mean age 58.1 ± 12.2) treated with...

While lung ultrasonography (LUS) proved to be a useful diagnostic and prognostic tool in acute phase of COVID 19 pneumonia, its role in detecting long-term pulmonary sequelae has yet to be explored. In our prospective observational study we assessed the potential of LUS in detecting the presence of computed tomography (CT) fibrotic-like changes aft...

Introduction Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and asthma are two diseases with a high epidemiological impact that may often coexist. Both diseases have underlying pathogenic mechanisms (chronic inflammation, genetic predisposition, etc.); it is still unclear whether or not their coexistence is due to a specific pathophysiological factor. In...

The elderly population represents a high percentage of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia and severe respiratory failure, for whom CPAP may be a treatment option. The aim of this study was to describe the CPAP support modalities and to explore factors associated with CPAP failure. In this retrospective study, 110 consecutive patients aged...

Introduction: In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), static and dynamic hyperinflation, together with expiratory flow limitation and gas exchange abnormalities, is one of the major causes of dyspnea, decreased exercise performance and ventilatory failure. An increase in functional residual capacity (FRC) is accompanied by a...

In 2020, COPD was the third leading cause of death worldwide. Lung function is central for the diagnosis of this disease, and COPD severity is still partially classified based on airflow obstruction, which can range from “mild” (GOLD 1 group, FEV₁ ≥80% predicted) to “very severe” (GOLD 4, FEV₁ <30% predicted). However, the ter...

Background: Mepolizumab and benralizumab are clinically effective biological treatments for severe eosinophilic asthmatic patients by hampering eosinophilic inflammation. The effects of these compound on the immunoglobulin (Ig)E T2 component are virtually unknown. Objectives: To evaluate the change in total IgE levels at 4 ± 2 months after initi...

Background: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) can be beneficial in acute respiratory failure (ARF) due to coronavirus (COVID-19) pneumonia, but delaying endotracheal intubation (ETI) in nonresponders may increase mortality. We aimed at investigating the performance of composite respiratory indexes as possible predictors of CPAP failure in...

Background: The effects of immunomodulators in patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia are still unknown. We investigated the cellular inflammatory and molecular changes in response to standard-of-care + pidotimod (PDT) and explored the possible association with blood biomarkers of disease severity. Methods: Clinical characte...

The best noninvasive respiratory strategy in patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia is still discussed. We aimed at assessing the rate of endotracheal intubation (ETI) in patients treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and noninvasive ventilation (NIV) if CPAP failed. Secondary outcomes were in-hospital mortali...

A substantial proportion of patients who have recovered from coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) experience COVID-19-related symptoms, even months after hospital discharge. We extensively immunologically characterized patients who recovered from COVID-19. In these patients, T cells were exhausted, with increased PD-1+ T cells, as compared to health...

Abstract Background: Who should be tested for viruses in patients with community acquired pneumonia (CAP), prevalence and risk factors for viral CAP are still debated. We evaluated the frequency of viral testing, virus prevalence, risk factors and treatment coverage with oseltamivir in patients admitted for CAP. Methods: Secondary analysis of GLIM...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients often experience tidal expiratory flow-limitation (tEFL), a condition causing respiratory and cardiovascular detrimental effects. As the appearance of tEFL should increase expiratory (Rexp) relative to inspiratory (Rins) resistance, we hypothesized that Rexp/Rins can be used to detect tEFL. Rexp...

If short acting β2-agonists and muscarinic antagonists (SABA/SAMA) may have proarrhythmic effects during acute COPD exacerbations (AECOPD) is still unknown. The primary objective of the study was to investigate the incidence of new onset arrhythmias in hospitalized patients shifted to SABA/SAMA during an AECOPD compared with continuing chronic inha...

Introduction The Italian Society of Anti-Infective Therapy (SITA) and the Italian Society of Pulmonology (SIP) constituted an expert panel for developing evidence-based guidance for the clinical management of adult patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outside intensive care units. Methods Ten systematic literature searches were perfor...

Introduction: To date, a shared international consensus on treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) with invasive or non-invasive respiratory support is lacking. Patients' management and outcomes, especially in severe and critical cases, can vary depending on regional standard operating procedures and local guidance. Evidence acquisition:...

Since its introduction in the clinical practice, body plethysmography has assisted pneumologists in the diagnosis of respiratory diseases and patients’ follow-up, by providing easy assessment of absolute lung volumes and airway resistance. In the last decade, emerging evidence suggested that estimation of alveolar pressure by electronically-compens...

Introduction and aim Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) have been widely employed to treat acute respiratory failure secondary to COVID-19 pneumonia, but their role in terms of efficacy and safety are still debated. The aim of this review was to analyse mortality and intubation rates in COVID-19 patients t...

Background Epidemiology of dysphagia and its drivers in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are poorly understood. The study aims to investigate the prevalence of dysphagia symptoms and their association with demographic and clinical factors in patients with OSA. Methods Patients with OSA referring to an Academic Sleep Outpatient Clinic were enrolled in...

Since March 2020, the outbreak of Sars-CoV-2 pandemic has changed medical practice and daily routine around the world. Huge efforts from pharmacological industries have led to the development of COVID-19 vaccines. In particular two mRNA vaccines, namely the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and the mRNA-1273 (Moderna), and a viral-vectored vaccine, i.e. C...

Radiological and functional sequelae of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia are still poorly understood. This was a prospective, observational, physiological, cohort study on consecutive adult patients with COVID-19 pneumonia admitted in April-May 2020 in the high dependency respiratory unit of L. Sacco University Hospital in Milan (Italy...

Background The therapeutic approach to COVID-19 and healthcare system preparedness improved during 2020. We compared characteristics and outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 patients during the first 28 days of the March and October pandemic waves in Milan, Italy. Material and Methods A prospective, observational study enrolling adult patients hospit...

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease in which airway inflammation is a key feature, even in the milder expressions of the disease. The conventional pharmacological approach to mild asthma has long relied on reliever therapy with as‐needed short‐acting beta‐agonists (SABA), while anti‐inflammatory maintenance with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) ha...

Background: In hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia, progression to acute respiratory failure requiring invasive mechanical ventilation (MV) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Severe dysregulated systemic inflammation is the putative mechanism. We hypothesize that early prolonged methylpredn...

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Background: To date, the effects of COVID-19 pneumonia on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and dyspnoea are unknown. Methods: In a real-life observational study, 20 patients with COVID-19-related pneumonia received usual care plus erdosteine (300 mg twice daily) for 15 days after hospital discharge following local standard operating proced...

Objectives COVID-19 causes lung parenchymal and endothelial damage that lead to hypoxic acute respiratory failure (hARF). The influence of hARF severity on patients’ outcomes is still poorly understood. Design Observational, prospective, multicentre study. Setting Three academic hospitals in Milan (Italy) involving three respiratory high dependen...

Background In hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, progression to acute respiratory failure requiring invasive mechanical ventilation (MV) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Severe dysregulated systemic inflammation is the putative mechanism. We hypothesize that early prolonged methylprednisolone (MP) treatment could...

During spontaneous breathing at rest the alveolar pressure (P alv ) - flow (V̇) relation exhibits a prominent expiratory loop in many COPD patients. Among the possible determinants of the loop, tidal expiratory flow-limitation (tEFL) may be the main responsible. To compare the characteristics of the expiratory loop in COPD patients with flow-limita...

To date, pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are part of consolidated standard operating procedures in thoracic surgery. PFTs are usually used to assess the pre-operative risk, post-operative outcomes and complications after pulmonary resections. The only functional parameter used in common practice is the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)....

Patients affected by severe coronavirus induced disease-2019 (Covid-19) often experience hypoxemia due to alveolar involvement and endothelial dysfunction, which leads to the formation of micro thrombi in the pulmonary capillary vessels. Both hypoxemia and a prothrombotic diathesis have been associated with more severe disease and increased risk of...

Since the beginning of March 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused more than 13,000 deaths in Europe, almost 54% of which has occurred in Italy. The Italian healthcare system is experiencing a stressful burden, especially in terms of intensive care assistance. In fact, the main clinical manifestation of COVID-19 patients...

Introduction: Cigarette smoking is the most important risk factor for Crohn's disease (CD). The effectiveness of smoking cessation programs (SCPs) in patients with CD is still poorly understood. Methods: This was a retrospective, observational, single-centre, cohort study of 136 active smokers with mean age 55 years (SD=11), 58% males, including...

COPD and asthma have different risk factors and pathogenesis, but they share a pathophysiologic hallmark characterized by small airways disease. Although difficult to explore and measure, modifications of distal airways' pathophysiology and biology represent an early sign of obstructive disease and should be researched and assessed in everyday clin...

Severe and poorly controlled asthma still accounts for a great portion of the patients affected. Disease control and future risk management have been identified by international guidelines as the main goals in patients with asthma. The need for new treatment approaches has led to reconsider anticholinergic drugs as an option for asthma treatment. T...

Mucus represents the first line of defense of our respiratory tract and mucociliary clearance is essential for maintaining the homeostasis of airway epithelium. The latter mechanisms are altered in asthma and mucus plugging of proximal and distal airways is the main cause of death in cases of fatal asthma. Starting from the influential review perfo...