BACKGROUND Dyspnea, or shortness of breath, is a common symptom in patients with advanced cancer. Pharmacologic management is of proven benefit, but it does not help all patients. Preliminary data suggest that acupuncture can relieve dyspnea in a variety of populations, including cancer patients. We conducted a pilot study (ISRCTN89462491) preparatory to a fully powered randomized, placebo-cont...

Background Dyspnea is one of the most frequent causes of access to the Emergency Department (ED). A major challenge for the emergency physician lies in differentiating diagnosis between cardiogenic and respiratory dyspnea. Currently, the instrument mainly used for the diagnosis of acute pulmonary disease is a chest X-ray: however, chest ultrasounds (US) are proving their potential in the diagno...

BACKGROUND Dyspnea relief constitutes a major treatment goal and a key measure of treatment efficacy in decompensated heart failure. However, there are no data with regard to the relationship between hemodynamic measurements during treatment and dyspnea improvement. METHODS AND RESULTS We studied 233 patients assigned to right heart catheterization in the Vasodilation in the Management of Acu...

BACKGROUND Dyspnea is an unpleasant feeling of breathing difficulty, shortness of breath and inability to satisfy the hunger for air. The role of family physicians is to be prepared to recognise dyspnea as a symptom of acute respiratory infections (ARI), to perform triage and managing of children with acute dyspnea and make continuous education of parents. In the treatment of acute dyspnea more...

PURPOSE Study the repeatability of the evaluation of the perception of dyspnea using an inspiratory resistive loading system in healthy subjects. METHODS We designed a cross sectional study conducted in individuals aged 18 years and older. Perception of dyspnea was assessed using an inspiratory resistive load system. Dyspnea was assessed during ventilation at rest and at increasing resistive ...

PURPOSE Dyspnea is a common and distressing symptom for patients with lung cancer (LC) because of disease burden, therapy toxicity, and comorbid illnesses. Acupuncture is a centuries-old therapy with biological plausibility for relief of dyspnea in this setting. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of acupuncture for dyspnea among patients with LC. ...

Effective management of dyspnea in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) requires a clearer understanding of its underlying mechanisms. This roundtable reviews what is currently known about the neurophysiology of dyspnea with the aim of applying this knowledge to the clinical setting. Dyspnea is not a single sensation, having multiple qualitative descriptors. Primary sources of dyspnea i...

BACKGROUND Dyspnea is a distressing and functionally limiting symptom that patients with heart failure commonly experience. A valid instrument to quantify dyspnea for comparison of groups and for illness management is important. OBJECTIVE To validate the Chinese version of the Modified Pulmonary Functional Status and Dyspnea Questionnaire. METHODS The Chinese version was developed by using ...

OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of asthma among pregnant women with dyspnea. METHODS Pregnant women referred for prenatal care visits who had complaints of dyspnea were included. All pregnant women were evaluated by a respiratory specialist. Spirometry was performed by a single trained physician. RESULTS Asthma was diagnosed in 38.8% of participants. Dyspnea was diagnosed as being phys...