New ATS Clinical Guidelines
A new guideline to help clinicians manage malignant pleural effusions (MPEs) has been developed by the American Thoracic Society, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the Society of Thoracic Radiology. The clinical practice guideline is published online in the Oct. 1 American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Last month, the American Thoracic Society published a new clinical practice guideline to help physicians diagnose Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD), a rare, chronic disease that affects breathing, beginning very early in life. The ATS has also created a supplementary video.
ATS clinical practice guidelines make recommendations for patient care, based upon a systematic review or pragmatic evidence synthesis, and are then formulated and graded using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach. Guidelines are sources of continuing medical education questions that are developed by ATS and then approved by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
2018 Ziskind Awardees
The Ziskind Clinical Research Scholar Award is an ATS Foundation award that honors pulmonary and critical care fellows engaged in clinical research.
The award was named after Morton Ziskind, MD, a highly respected clinician-researcher from Tulane University who died in 1979. Dr. Ziskind was renowned for bringing his fellows to the ATS International Conference and exposing them to memorable learning experiences.
This year, the ATS Foundation is pleased to recognize Gwen Thompson, MD, MPH, Takashi Hirama, MD, PhD, and William Parker, MD, as recipients of the 2018 Ziskind Clinical Research Scholar Award.
Kidney Disease Biomarker May Also Be a Marker for COP
A commonly used biomarker of kidney disease may also indicate lung problems, particularly COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to new research published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
In “Albuminuria, Lung Function Decline, and Risk of Incident COPD: the NHLBI Pooled Cohorts Study,” Elizabeth C. Oelsner, MD, MPH, and co-authors report a link between albuminuria, the amount of the protein albumin in urine, and COPD.
Albuminuria indicates damage to the single layer of cells lining blood vessels, known as the endothelium, in the kidney. Previous studies have shown that this damage is associated with microvascular (small vessel) dysfunction throughout the body, including the lungs. However, according to the authors of the current study, no large-scale, prospective study has tested whether albuminuria is associated with the development of COPD.
Deadline Approaching: 2019 Respiratory Health Awards Nominations
Nominations for the 2019 Respiratory Health Awards, to be presented at the ATS 2019 International Conference in Dallas, Texas, are now being accepted.
Respiratory Health Awards are granted for outstanding work in various aspects of respiratory health. Learn more about the awards or view past awardees.
If you have questions, please e-mail conference@thoracic.org. Nominations must be received by Oct. 5, 2018.
New Podcast
The Association of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Division Directors (APCCSD) has recently published their newest podcast, “Recapping the 2017 Gender Equity Summit,” which goes hand-in-hand with their newest publication in the ATS Annals.
Despite the increasing proportion of women in U.S. medical schools, there are relatively few women in leadership positions, and a number of recent publications have highlighted many factors that could contribute to gender inequity and inequality in medicine. The podcast and manuscript address gender inequality in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine.
