Imaging
Those who care for patients with pulmonary, critical care or sleep disorders rely heavily on chest radiology and pathology to determine diagnoses. The Southwest Journal of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep publishes case-based articles with characteristic chest imaging and related pathology.
The editor of this section will oversee and coordinate the publication of a core of the most important chest imaging topics. In doing so, they encourage the submission of unsolicited manuscripts. It cannot be overemphasized that both radiologic and pathologic images must be of excellent quality. As a rule, 600 DPI is sufficient for radiographic and pathologic images. Taking pictures of plain chest radiographs and CT scans with a digital camera is strongly discouraged. The figures should be cited in the text and numbered consecutively. The stain used for pathology specimens and magnification should be mentioned in the figure legend. Those who care for patients with pulmonary, critical care or sleep disorders rely heavily on chest radiology and pathology to determine diagnoses. The Southwest Journal of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep publishes case-based articles with characteristic chest imaging and related pathology. The editor of this section will oversee and coordinate the publication of a core of the most important chest imaging topics. In doing so, they encourage the submission of unsolicited manuscripts. It cannot be overemphasized that both radiologic and pathologic images must be of excellent quality. As a rule, 600 DPI is sufficient for radiographic and pathologic images. Taking pictures of plain chest radiographs and CT scans with a digital camera is strongly discouraged. The figures should be cited in the text and numbered consecutively. The stain used for pathology specimens and magnification should be mentioned in the figure legend.
Medical Image of the Week: Healthcare-associated Pneumonia Secondary to Aspiration
Figure 1. Panel A: Axial computed-tomography image demonstrating a foreign body within the right main-stem bronchus, with consolidation and volume loss of right lung. Panel B: Coronal view.
Figure 2. Panel A: bronchoscopy revealing an ingested foreign body in the right main-stem bronchus. Panel B: forceps retrieval yielded a large piece of broccoli.
A 57 year-old bedbound paraplegic man developed a worsening productive cough after being hospitalized for several days. He was brought to the radiology suite for a CT scan of the chest, revealing a soft tissue density within his right main-stem bronchus, with volume loss of his right lung (Figure 1). Bronchoscopy was performed, yielding a 2 cm piece of broccoli, successfully removed with forceps (Figure 2). Culture from the bronchial aspirate was positive for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The patient’s respiratory status dramatically improved after removal of the foreign body and commencement of pathogen-directed antibiotics. This study illustrates a dramatic example of healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) secondary to aspiration, as described by the American Thoracic Society / Infectious Diseases Society of America (1).
Lavi Nissim MD, Sam Alnajjar MD and Edward Vivio RT
Phoenix Baptist Hospital
2000 W. Bethany Home Road
Phoenix, AZ 85015
Reference
- American Thoracic Society; Infectious Diseases Society of America. Guidelines for the management of adults with hospital-acquired, ventilator-associated, and healthcare-associated pneumonia. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2005;171(4):388-416. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Reference as: Nissim L, Alnajjar S, Vivio E. Medical image of the week: healthcare-associated pneumonia secondary to aspiration. Southwest J Pulm Crit Care. 2015;11(1):1-2. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13175/swjpcc065-15 PDF