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The European Respiratory Journal May 2023Few studies have investigated the collaborative potential between artificial intelligence (AI) and pulmonologists for diagnosing pulmonary disease. We hypothesised that...
BACKGROUND
Few studies have investigated the collaborative potential between artificial intelligence (AI) and pulmonologists for diagnosing pulmonary disease. We hypothesised that the collaboration between a pulmonologist and AI with explanations (explainable AI (XAI)) is superior in diagnostic interpretation of pulmonary function tests (PFTs) than the pulmonologist without support.
METHODS
The study was conducted in two phases, a monocentre study (phase 1) and a multicentre intervention study (phase 2). Each phase utilised two different sets of 24 PFT reports of patients with a clinically validated gold standard diagnosis. Each PFT was interpreted without (control) and with XAI's suggestions (intervention). Pulmonologists provided a differential diagnosis consisting of a preferential diagnosis and optionally up to three additional diagnoses. The primary end-point compared accuracy of preferential and additional diagnoses between control and intervention. Secondary end-points were the number of diagnoses in differential diagnosis, diagnostic confidence and inter-rater agreement. We also analysed how XAI influenced pulmonologists' decisions.
RESULTS
In phase 1 (n=16 pulmonologists), mean preferential and differential diagnostic accuracy significantly increased by 10.4% and 9.4%, respectively, between control and intervention (p<0.001). Improvements were somewhat lower but highly significant (p<0.0001) in phase 2 (5.4% and 8.7%, respectively; n=62 pulmonologists). In both phases, the number of diagnoses in the differential diagnosis did not reduce, but diagnostic confidence and inter-rater agreement significantly increased during intervention. Pulmonologists updated their decisions with XAI's feedback and consistently improved their baseline performance if AI provided correct predictions.
CONCLUSION
A collaboration between a pulmonologist and XAI is better at interpreting PFTs than individual pulmonologists reading without XAI support or XAI alone.
Topics: Humans; Artificial Intelligence; Pulmonologists; Respiratory Function Tests; Lung Diseases
PubMed: 37080566
DOI: 10.1183/13993003.01720-2022 -
Pneumologie (Stuttgart, Germany) Jan 2018Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) offers improvement in lung function, quality of life and even survival in well selected patients with severe emphysema. Patients... (Review)
Review
Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) offers improvement in lung function, quality of life and even survival in well selected patients with severe emphysema. Patients with all types of emphysema morphology can profit from LVRS when certain selection criteria are present. Hyperinflation plays a key role in qualifying for the procedure. Candidate selection should be performed at high volume centers with a multidisciplinary emphysema board. Qualified thoracic surgeons together with pulmonologists and radiologists identify the suitable patient considering emphysema morphology with its target areas for resection, lung function parameters and cardiac comorbidities. This review outlines candidate selection, technique and results of LVRS to inform referring physicians how to screen und inform their patients.
Topics: Germany; Hospitals, High-Volume; Humans; Interdisciplinary Communication; Intersectoral Collaboration; Mass Screening; Patient Selection; Pneumonectomy; Pulmonary Emphysema; Respiratory Function Tests
PubMed: 29341033
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-103363 -
Breathe (Sheffield, England) Dec 2018The widely accepted and still increasing use of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) in pleuro-pulmonary pathology imposes the need to deal with two major pitfalls:... (Review)
Review
The widely accepted and still increasing use of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) in pleuro-pulmonary pathology imposes the need to deal with two major pitfalls: the first is to avoid its unselective use, while the second relates to inappropriate rejection of VATS on the basis of "insufficient radicality". Unlike a quite established role of VATS in lung cancer patients, in patients with pleural empyema, the role of VATS is less clearly defined. The current evidence about VATS in patients with pleural empyema could be summarised as follows: VATS is accepted as a useful treatment option for fibrinopurulent empyema, but the treatment failure rate increases with the increasing proportion of stage III empyema, necessitating further surgical options like thoracotomy and decortication. As both pulmonologists and surgeons deal with diagnosis and treatment of pleural empyema, this article is an attempt to highlight the existing evidence in a more user-friendly way in order to help practising physicians to optimise the use of VATS in these patients. In other words, in the absence of randomised studies comparing VATS and thoracotomy, the key question to be answered is: are there any pre-operative findings that can be used to select patients for initial VATS proceeding directly to a thoracotomy?
PubMed: 30519296
DOI: 10.1183/20734735.025718 -
Chest May 2021Advising patients before air travel is a frequently overlooked, but important, role of the physician, particularly primary care providers and pulmonary specialists....
Advising patients before air travel is a frequently overlooked, but important, role of the physician, particularly primary care providers and pulmonary specialists. Although physiologic changes occur in all individuals during air travel, those with underlying pulmonary disease are at increased risk of serious complications and require a specific approach to risk stratification. We discuss the available tools for assessment of preflight risk and strategies to minimize potential harm. We also present a case discussion to illustrate our approach to assessing patients for air travel and discuss the specific conditions that should prompt a more thorough preflight workup.
Topics: Aerospace Medicine; Air Travel; Altitude; Humans; Lung Diseases; Medical History Taking; Oxygen Inhalation Therapy; Physical Examination; Pulmonologists; Respiratory Function Tests; Risk Assessment
PubMed: 33212136
DOI: 10.1016/j.chest.2020.11.002 -
Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2022Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is a complicated and heterogeneous interstitial lung disease (ILD) caused by an excessive immune response to an inhaled antigen in... (Review)
Review
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is a complicated and heterogeneous interstitial lung disease (ILD) caused by an excessive immune response to an inhaled antigen in susceptible individuals. Accurate diagnosis of HP is difficult and necessitates a detailed exposure history, as well as a multidisciplinary discussion of clinical, histopathologic, and radiologic data. We provide a pictorial review based on the latest American Thoracic Society (ATS)/Japanese Respiratory Society (JRS)/Asociación Latinoamericana del Tórax (ALAT) guidelines for diagnosing HP through demonstrating new radiologic terms, features, and a new classification of HP which will benefit radiologists and pulmonologists.
PubMed: 36428934
DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12112874 -
Chest Oct 2023Climate change adversely impacts global health. Increasingly, temperature variability, inclement weather, declining air quality, and growing food and clean water supply... (Review)
Review
Climate change adversely impacts global health. Increasingly, temperature variability, inclement weather, declining air quality, and growing food and clean water supply insecurities threaten human health. Earth's temperature is projected to increase up to 6.4 °C by the end of the 21st century, exacerbating the threat. Public and health care professionals, including pulmonologists, perceive the detrimental effects of climate change and air pollution and support efforts to mitigate its effects. In fact, evidence is strong that premature cardiopulmonary death is associated with air pollution exposure via inhalation through the respiratory system, which functions as a portal of entry. However, little guidance is available for pulmonologists in recognizing the effects of climate change and air pollution on the diverse range of pulmonary disorders. To educate and mitigate risk for patients competently, pulmonologists must be armed with evidence-based findings of the impact of climate change and air pollution on specific pulmonary diseases. Our goal is to provide pulmonologists with the background and tools to improve patients' health and to prevent adverse outcomes despite climate change-imposed threats. In this review, we detail current evidence of climate change and air pollution impact on a diverse range of pulmonary disorders. Knowledge enables a proactive and individualized approach toward prevention strategies for patients, rather than merely treating ailments reactively.
Topics: Humans; Air Pollutants; Air Pollution; Allergens; Climate Change; Pulmonologists; Lung Diseases
PubMed: 37054776
DOI: 10.1016/j.chest.2023.04.009 -
Medicina 2018Acromegaly is generally considered a benign and uncommon disease. However, some recent data bring support to the idea that it is more frequent than previously thought....
Acromegaly is generally considered a benign and uncommon disease. However, some recent data bring support to the idea that it is more frequent than previously thought. Besides, acromegaly can significantly shorten the length of life due to its cardiovascular and metabolic complications. Since its clinical signs are insidiously progressive for many years, there is a considerable delay in its detection. Usually, many different specialists have been consulted before reaching diagnosis of acromegaly. Those specialists include cardiologists, pulmonologists, dentists, rheumatologists, and diabetes specialists. Possible means to achieve earlier detection are based on increasing awareness of doctors and the public in general. In this paper, the author analyzes the factors related to delayed diagnosis and the potential ways to ameliorate awareness of the disease with particular attention to screening procedures.
Topics: Acromegaly; Delayed Diagnosis; Europe; Humans; Pituitary Neoplasms; Rare Diseases
PubMed: 29659356
DOI: No ID Found -
Lung India : Official Organ of Indian... 2016
PubMed: 26933332
DOI: 10.4103/0970-2113.173075 -
Sarcoidosis, Vasculitis, and Diffuse... 2022Although interstitial pneumonia is an important respiratory manifestation in microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), no studies have examined the detailed pathogenesis of... (Review)
Review
Although interstitial pneumonia is an important respiratory manifestation in microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), no studies have examined the detailed pathogenesis of interstitial pneumonia during the clinical course of MPA. In addition, it is considered that MPA develops at a certain incidence rate from myeloperoxidase (MPO)- antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) positive interstitial pneumonia. However, there is a lack of consensus among pulmonologist and rheumatologist regarding whether MPO-ANCA positive interstitial pneumonia, which does not accompany other organ damage related to ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) other than interstitial pneumonia, should be included in AAV. In this review article, the clinical questions regarding MPO-ANCA positive interstitial pneumonia have been set, and evidence to date and problems to be solved in future are outlined.
PubMed: 35115752
DOI: 10.36141/svdld.v38i4.11808 -
European Respiratory Review : An... Dec 2023Interventional pulmonologists require a unique set of skills including precise motor abilities and physical endurance, but surprisingly the application of ergonomic... (Review)
Review
Interventional pulmonologists require a unique set of skills including precise motor abilities and physical endurance, but surprisingly the application of ergonomic principles in the field of bronchoscopy remains limited. This is particularly intriguing when considering the significant impact that poor ergonomics can have on diagnostic aptitude, income potential and overall health. It is therefore imperative to provide comprehensive education to physicians regarding the significance of ergonomics in their work, especially considering the introduction of advanced diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. By implementing simple yet effective measures ( maintaining neutral positions of the wrist, neck and shoulder; adjusting the height of tables and monitors; incorporating scheduled breaks; and engaging in regular exercises), the risk of injuries can be substantially reduced. Moreover, objective tools are readily available to assess ergonomic postures and estimate the likelihood of work-related musculoskeletal injuries. This review aims to evaluate the current literature on the impact of procedure-related musculoskeletal pain on practising pulmonologists and identify modifiable factors for future research.
Topics: Humans; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Bronchoscopy; Occupational Diseases; Pain; Ergonomics
PubMed: 37852660
DOI: 10.1183/16000617.0139-2023