ENGLISH SUMMARY : Background. Pulmonary embolism (PE) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Effective intervention requires prompt diagnosis. Computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) is sensitive and ...

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Background. Despite the very high background prevalence of HIV and smoking-related diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, very little is known about the presentation of lung cancer in HIV-infected individuals. ...

Approximately 5% of the ~3 million asthmatics in South Africa have severe asthma that is associated with substantial morbidity, cost, absenteeism, preventable mortality, and the requirement for costly chronic medication ...

Background. Integrated positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET-CT) is a well-validated modality for assessing mediastinal lymph node metastasis in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which determines management ...

Pathognomonic features of advanced emphysema include a markedly reduced alveolar surface area due to the formation of blebs and bullae and significantly reduced elastic recoil. The aim of lung volume reduction, which can ...

An almost uniformly neglected area of respiratory disease management is the non-pharmacological component. Most patients with chronic respiratory illnesses will lose their exercise capacity (deconditioning) as the illness ...

The importance of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as a global health problem cannot be overstated. According to the latest World Health Organization statistics (2005), 210 million people suffer from COPD ...

Background. There is a paucity of data on the pharmacokinetics of fixed-dose combination enteral antituberculosis treatment in critically ill patients. Objectives. To establish the pharmacokinetic profile of a fixed-dose ...

Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) has become a standard procedure worldwide, used in conjunction with bronchoscopy to obtain biopsies for mediastinal disorders. A 67-year-old man ...

There are approximately 3 million asthma suffers in South Africa, and the national death rate is ranked as one of the highest in the world. Approximately 5% have severe asthma (uncontrolled despite being adherent on maximal ...

Tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) overdose necessitating intensive care unit (ICU) admission remains a significant problem in the Western Cape. In this retrospective study, we reviewed the course of life-threatening TCA ...

Background: Xpert MTB/RIF has been shown to have a superior sensitivity to microscopy for acid fast bacilli (AFB) in sputum and has been recommended as a standard first line investigation for pulmonary tuberculosis ...

Background. There is a paucity of data on the determinants of mortality due to tuberculosis (TB) in the intensive care unit (ICU). Objective. To develop a simple severity-of-illness score for use in patients with TB admitted ...