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Publications (82)
(1) Background: Mortality is a major outcome in research on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with various predictors described. However, the dynamic courses of important predictors over time are disregarded. This study evaluates if longitudinal assessment of predictors provides additional information on the mortality risk in COPD when c...
Background:
A significant proportion of patients with obstructive lung disease have clinical and functional features of both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), referred to as the asthma-COPD overlap (ACO). The distinction of these phenotypes, however, is not yet well-established due to the lack of defining clinical and/or fun...
Background and objective:
Whether immunological biomarkers combined with clinical characteristics measured during an exacerbation-free period are predictive of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) frequency and severity is unknown.
Method:
We measured immunological biomarkers and clinical characteristics in 271 st...
Objective
To evaluate the clinical implementation of pharmacotherapy recommendations for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) based on the Global Initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease (GOLD) guidelines, in a longitudinal setting.
Methods
This is a sub-analysis of a prospective, non-interventional cohort study including patients w...
Skeletal muscle dysfunction, functional exercise capacity impairment and reduced physical activity are characteristic features in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Assessments addressing muscle strength of the upper limb, such as measurement of handgrip strength (HGS), are rarely performed and reported. We aimed to analyze...
Background and objective:
Reduced physical capacity (PC) and physical activity (PA) are common in COPD patients and associated with poor outcome. However, they represent different aspects of physical functioning and interventions do not affect them in the same manner. To address this, a new PC-PA quadrant concept was recently generated to identify...
Pulmonary Rehabilitation Abstract. Pulmonary rehabilitation is a comprehensive therapeutic approach for patients with advanced chronic lung diseases which leads to a decline of dyspnea, an increase of exercise capacity and an increase of quality of life. Further effects are a reduction of frequency of hospitalisations and an increase of physical ac...
Introduction
COPD exacerbations are associated with a concomitant profound reduction in daily physical activity (PA). Thereby, exacerbation frequency and severity may have an amplifying effect. Whether the reduced level of PA returns to the level prior to exacerbation or has a sustained negative impact on activity behavior over time is unclear.
Me...
The Swiss National Guidelines 2013 for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have been revised in order to acknowledge recent progress in diagnosis and management of this disease. The resulting new Swiss recommendations are based on best evidence from the literature, the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2018 report and...
Background and objective:
Daily physical activity (PA) and exercise capacity are reduced in patients with COPD. Whether the natural longitudinal course of both appears synchronically or one precedes the other is currently unclear. The aim was to assess the longitudinal relationship between exercise capacity and physical activity and their changes...
Background
Evidence from longitudinal studies on the impact of exacerbation symptoms on physical activity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is lacking. The aim of this first exploratory study was to assess the association between exacerbation symptoms and physical activity, and to quantify the relative influence of specific symptoms....
Introduction
L’incontinence urinaire touche environ 200 millions de personnes au niveau mondial ; environ 400 000 personnes en Suisse. En Allemagne, 12 % de la population est incontinente (femmes 15 %, hommes 9 %). Les études montrent une prévalence plus élevée d’incontinence chez les patients atteints de maladies pulmonaires obstructives : 19–68 %...
Introduction:
Smoking is still the most preventable cause of disease and premature death in Switzerland, as elsewhere. We aimed to assess the main determinants of smoking cessation in the population-based cohort of SAPALDIA (Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung and Heart Diseases in Adults).
Methods:
The SAPALDIA study was initiated in 1...
Background and objective
Physical activity (PA) is an important outcome parameter in patients with COPD regarding hospitalizations and mortality. Both objective assessment by accelerometers and self-evaluation by questionnaires were used in studies investigating PA in COPD. Whether self-reported questionnaires can adequately reflect PA and its chan...
Our aim was to comprehensively validate the 1-min sit-to-stand (STS) test in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and explore the physiological response to the test.
We used data from two longitudinal studies of COPD patients who completed inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation programmes. We collected 1-min STS test, 6-min walk test (...
Background
There are few studies comparing diagnostic accuracy of different lung function parameters evaluating dose–response characteristics of methacholine (MCH) challenge tests (MCT) as quantitative outcome of airway hyperreactivity (AHR) in asthmatic patients. The aim of this retrospectively analysis of our database (Clinic Barmelweid, Switzerl...
Background: The 1-minute sit-to-stand test (STS) is a simple exercise capacity test, but has not yet been thoroughly validated in COPD.
Aims: We aimed to assess the measurement properties and physiological response to the STS.
Methods: Patients with COPD who took part in an inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programme were included from 2 stud...
Background
There is limited knowledge on practice patterns in procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA), the use of propofol, and monitoring during flexible bronchoscopy (FB). The purpose of this study was to assess the current practice patterns of FBs and to focus on the use of propofol, the education of the proceduralist, and the involvement of ana...
There is little knowledge on sedation and monitoring during flexible bronchoscopy (FB) in Switzerland. In this nationwide survey, the current practice among Swiss pulmonologists with a focus on the use of propofol was recorded.
An anonymous questionnaire was sent to all Swiss pulmonologists (n=299). Only physicians who were in charge of the sedati...
Background and objectiveBoth comorbidities and physical inactivity have been shown to impair quality of life and contribute to hospital admissions and mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. We hypothesized that the comorbid status predicts the level of daily physical activity (PA) in COPD.Methods
In 228 patients with CO...
PURPOSE: Acute exacerbations (AE) in patients with COPD are associated with a decline in lung function, increased risk of hospitalization, and mortality. In this cross-sectional study we tested whether the level of objectively measured daily physical activity and exercise capacity are associated with the number of COPD exacerbations.
METHODS: In 21...
Psychological morbidity is common in chronic respiratory diseases. The diagnostic accuracy of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and risk factors for comorbid depression in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are addressed. Consecutive COPD patients (GOLD stage I–IV, 40–75 years old) were enrolled in a multicentre, cross-sect...
Seit der Einführung der DRGs werden die PatientInnen früher in die Rehabilitation verlegt, dies zeigt eine Beobachtungstudie aus der Klinik Barmelweid. Die Aufenthaltsdauer in der Rehabilitation blieb praktisch unverändert.
Im Vorfeld der Einführung des DRG-Systems auf 1. Januar 2012 wurden Befürchtungen geäussert, dass Patienten unter den Fallpaus...
The new Swiss Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Guidelines are based on a previous version, which was published 10 years ago. The Swiss Respiratory Society felt the need to update the previous document due to new knowledge and novel therapeutic developments about this prevalent and important disease. The recommendations and statements ar...
Physical exercise is highly effective to improve exercise capacity and quality of life of patients with COPD and to reduce the risk for hospital admissions in patients with exacerbations.The combination of physical exercise,patient education and pharmacotherapy,as typically performed during pulmonary rehabilitation, has become the modern disease ma...
SESSION TYPE: Physiology/PFTs/ Rehabilitation IIPRESENTED ON: Monday, October 22, 2012 at 11:15 AM - 12:30 PMPURPOSE: Early as well as late Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) are multidisciplinary therapies for treatment of chronic lung diseases. PR improves dyspnoea, physical endurance and quality of life. As since 2005, health insurance companies shou...
Around the world, the timing of referral of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients for pulmonary rehabilitation differs from immediately after exacerbation (early) to later on when patients are in a stable state (late). There are no trials comparing the different time points of referral for pulmonary rehabilitation.
Our aim was to co...
We investigated determinants of change in bronchial reactivity in the Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults (SAPALDIA), a population-based cohort with wide age range (29–72 yrs at follow-up).
The role of sex, age, atopic status, smoking and body mass index (BMI) on percentage change in bronchial reactivity slope from the b...
The aim of the present study was to measure age-specific prevalence of airflow obstruction in Switzerland in smokers and never-smokers using pulmonary function tests and respiratory symptoms from 6,126 subjects participating in the Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults.
The lower limit of normal of the forced expiratory vo...
Background:
The BODE index (including body-mass index, airflow obstruction, dyspnoea, and exercise capacity) was an important contribution to the prognostic assessment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, no study has assessed whether the risk of mortality predicted by the BODE index matches the observed mortalit...
Survey questionnaire. SOPRE study, Barriers to involvement in the study
The feasibility of randomized trials often depends on successful patient recruitment. Although numerous recruitment barriers have been identified it is unclear which of them complicate recruitment most. Also, most surveys have focused on the patients' perspective of recruitment barriers whereas the perspective of recruiting physicians has received...
Interpretation of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), commonly used to assess anxiety and depression in COPD patients, is unclear. Since its minimal important difference has never been established, our aim was to determine it using several approaches.
88 COPD patients with FEV1 </= 50% predicted completed the HADS and other patient-im...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with limited ability to follow exercise protocols may receive smaller benefits from rehabilitation. The association between the ability to follow exercise protocols and short-term outcomes of rehabilitation was assessed in COPD patients.
As a measure of the ability to follow exercise protocols,...
Die wichtigsten Neuerungen in Kürze: 1. Die Indikationen zur langfristigen Sauerstoffheimtherapie wurden nach dem internationalen Standard aktualisiert und präzisiert. 2. Für Patienten mit erhaltener Mobilität ist die Behandlung mit Flüssigsauerstoff möglichst rund um die Uhr die idealste und wirksamste Verabreichungsform. 3. Indikationsstellung un...
Guidelines recommend high-intensity continuous exercise to reduce peripheral muscle dysfunction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease but acknowledge that interval exercise might be an equally effective alternative that is better tolerated by patients.
To assess whether interval exercise is no less effective than high-intensity con...
Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is associated with increased reports of respiratory symptoms and reduced lung function, but the long-term effects of ETS are unclear, notably in healthy individuals with bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR).
To assess the longitudinal effects of ETS exposure on the development of respiratory symptoms and...
Bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) is a common feature of asthma. However, BHR is also present in asymptomatic individuals and its clinical and prognostic significance is unclear. We hypothesised that BHR might play a role in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as well as asthma.
In 1991 respiratory symptoms and BHR to...
A pneumomediastinum is characterized by free air within the mediastinum. In most cases it is caused by an injury of the thorax. A spontaneous pneumomediastinum (sPM) occurred without any recognizable cause. By a sudden intraalveolar hypertension (caused by cough or physical exertion) a damage of alveoli is followed by diffusion of air along the bro...
Das Pneumomediastinum ist charakterisiert durch eine Luftansammlung im Mediastinum. Es entsteht meist infolge eines Thoraxtraumas. Ein spontanes Pneumomediastinum (sPM) tritt ohne eine erkennbare Ursache auf. Durch eine plotzliche Steigerung des intraalveolaren Druckes (verursacht durch Husten oder korperliche Anstrengung) kommt es zur Alveolarrupt...
At present, further investigations are needed in patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and either negative sputum smear or without sputum. The aim of the present study was to analyse the yield of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) smear and PCR in patients with confirmed pulmonary TB.
Patients with a positive culture for Mycobacteriu...
Physical exercise is an important component of respiratory rehabilitation because it reverses skeletal muscle dysfunction, a clinically important manifestation of COPD associated with reduced health-related quality of life (HRQL) and survival. However, there is controversy regarding the components of the optimal exercise protocol. A study was under...
The aim was to determine if effects from smoking on lung function measured over 11 years differ between men and women.
In a prospective population based cohort study (Swiss Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults) current smokers in 1991 (18-60 yrs) were reassessed in 2002 (n = 1792). Multiple linear regression was used to estimate effec...
To provide optimal care for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease physicians need to understand if their patients benefit from an intervention. The objective of this study was to assess agreement between patients and physicians on health-related quality of life (HRQL) changes in response to respiratory rehabilitation and to explore so...
Table 3: Internal validity of included studies
Table 4: Effect of assisted ventilation on HRQL and exercise capacity
Table 2: Characteristics of randomised controlled trials investigating drug and nutritional supplements
Appendix: The appendix lists all studies that were excluded after full text assessment. The full reference and the reason for exclusion are given.
Table 1: Characteristics of randomised controlled trials investigating supplemental oxygen and assisted ventilation
Table 5: Effect of drug and nutritional interventions on HRQL and exercise capacity
Physical exercise has become a cornerstone of management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) because it leads to clinically relevant improvements of exercise capacity and health-related quality of life (HRQL). Despite the scarcity of randomised trials directly comparing exercise protocols, current guidelines recommend high intensity con...
There is a controversy about the additional benefit of various supplemental interventions used in clinical practice to further enhance the effectiveness of respiratory rehabilitation in patients with Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of this research was to assess randomised controlled trials (RCTs) testing the additional benefi...
Assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQL) is important in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Despite the high prevalence of COPD in Germany, Switzerland and Austria there is no validated disease-specific instrument available. The objective of this study was to translate the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ),...
Pulmonary varicosity is a very rare entity. Beside congenital varices, most combined with other malformations of the pulmonary vessels, varicosities are described above all in connection with mitral insufficiency. Most cases with pulmonary varicosity are diagnosed by chance, because of absence of any symptoms or only slight symptoms respectively. W...
In a prospective series of 190 patients under the age of 70 with a first myocardial infarction, the risk profile for ischemia, heart function and arrhythmias was investigated at the time of hospital discharge. Fifteen of these 190 patients had had ventricular fibrillation within 24 hours after admission which could be converted into sinus rhythm. I...
The evidence suggest that its possible on the fourth day after myocardial infarction to identify a group of patients with near-zero mortality during the next 14 days. These patients can leave hospital on the fifth day if adequate home care is available. Since 66 of our series of 255 patients belonged to this fortunate group, a notable cost reductio...
