Browsing by Author "Ie, Susanti R."

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    A Case Series of E-cigarette or Vaping-Associated Lung Injury With a Review of Pathological and Radiological Findings
    Pourshahid, Seyedmohammad; Khademolhosseini, Sara; Hussain, Shahzad; Ie, Susanti R.; Cirino-Marcano, Maria Del Mar; Aziz, Sameh; Biscardi, Frank; Foroozesh, Mahtab (Cureus, 2022-05-08)
    There has been a recent outbreak of e-cigarette or vaping-associated lung injury (EVALI) but the exact pathophysiology remains unknown. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and vitamin E derivates are the major components in vaping-generated aerosols that are associated with EVALI. So far, there is no standard treatment for EVALI. Most cases are treated with antibiotics and steroids. Counseling for smoking cessation is an integral part of care for EVALI patients. Referral to addiction medicine may be beneficial. Considering the nonspecific presenting symptoms and the growing popularity of vaping devices, providers need to consider EVALI in the differential diagnosis of bilateral patchy ground-glass opacities with respiratory, constitutional, or gastrointestinal symptoms in patients using e-cigarettes. Here, we present four EVALI cases and review the pertinent imaging and pathological findings.
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    Cryobiopsy: Should This Be Used in Place of Endobronchial Forceps Biopsies?
    Rubio, Edmundo R.; Ie, Susanti R.; Whatley, Ralph E.; Boyd, Michael B. (Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2013)
    Forceps biopsies of airway lesions have variable yields. The yield increases when combining techniques in order to collect more material. With the use of cryotherapy probes (cryobiopsy) larger specimens can be obtained, resulting in an increase in the diagnostic yield. However, the utility and safety of cryobiopsy with all types of lesions, including flat mucosal lesions, is not established. Aims. Demonstrate the utility/safety of cryobiopsy versus forceps biopsy to sample exophytic and flat airway lesions. Settings and Design. Teaching hospital-based retrospective analysis. Methods. Retrospective analysis of patients undergoing cryobiopsies (singly or combined with forceps biopsies) from August 2008 through August 2010. Statistical Analysis. Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results. The comparative analysis of 22 patients with cryobiopsy and forceps biopsy of the same lesion showed the mean volumes of material obtained with cryobiopsy were significantly larger (0.696 cm(3) versus 0.0373 cm(3), P = 0.0014). Of 31 cryobiopsies performed, one had minor bleeding. Cryopbiopsy allowed sampling of exophytic and flat lesions that were located centrally or distally. Cryobiopsies were shown to be safe, free of artifact, and provided a diagnostic yield of 96.77%. Conclusions. Cryobiopsy allows safe sampling of exophytic and flat airway lesions, with larger specimens, excellent tissue preservation and high diagnostic accuracy.
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    The Lung Point Sign, not Pathognomonic of a Pneumothorax
    Aziz, Sameh G.; Patel, Brijesh B.; Ie, Susanti R.; Rubio, Edmundo R. (Ultrasound Quarterly, 2016-09-01)
    Since the development of portable ultrasonography equipment, this technology has provided clinicians the ability to evaluate a variety of lung pathology at the bedside, but we are still learning how to accurately interpret the acquired images. Adequate interpretation and recognition of certain signs is crucial to diagnosing pathological processes. In addition, such signs must be adequately correlated with the patient's medical condition. For instance, the "lung point sign" has been traditionally considered to be pathognomonic for the presence of a pneumothorax, yet such finding may be present in patients with bullous lung disease without a pneumothorax. We present a case of an 83-year-old man with underlying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Bedside ultrasonography identified a "lung point sign" initially suggesting a possible pneumothorax. Further evaluation demonstrated absence of pneumothorax, with the patient having a large bulla. To our knowledge, this is the first case reported demonstrating that the "lung point sign" is not always indicative of a pneumothorax. We discuss the importance of both clinical correlation and understanding of the underlying pathophysiology when reviewing ultrasound images to accurately interpret ultrasound findings.
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    Mucosal Airway Laceration Secondary To Endobronchial Ultrasonography
    Sandhu, Amarinder; Rubio, Edmundo R.; Ie, Susanti R.; Boyd, Michael B. (Hindawi, 2012-01-01)
    Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration is becoming the standard of care for mediastinal sampling to diagnose and stage lung cancer. It is considered to be safe and rivals the gold standard, mediastinoscopy, in safety and accuracy. The present article describes a mucosal airway laceration and pneumothorax associated with the procedure.
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    Spontaneous posterior lung herniation: A case report and literature review
    Kollipara, Venkateswara; Lutchmedial, Sanjiva; Patel, Brijesh; Ie, Susanti R.; Rubio, Edmundo E. (Indian Chest Society, 2021-09-01)
    Intercostal lung hernias are uncommon and usually a consequence of trauma or surgery. True spontaneous lung hernias are extremely rare, with only 51 cases identified over the past four-and-half decades. We report a case of nontraumatic chest wall ecchymosis secondary to spontaneous posterior-lateral lung herniation followed by a review of the literature. Interesting radiographic images are presented. The pathophysiology and therapeutic options of this condition are discussed. The case highlights that advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be an etiological factor for the development of this rare entity, with cough being the precipitating event. Given the increasing prevalence of COPD, the authors believe further awareness of this pathology is needed.
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    Utilization of a New Customizable Scoring Tool to Recruit and Select Pulmonary/Critical Care Fellows
    Ie, Susanti R.; Ratcliffe, Jessica L.; Rubio, Catalina; Zhang, Kermit S.; Shaver, Katherine; Musick, David W. (2021-06-02)
    Background: Finding the ideal candidate for a residency/fellowship program has always been difficult. Finding the "perfect" match has always been the ultimate goal. However, many factors affect obtaining that "perfect" match. In the past, we would have each attending physician review around 20 to 50 Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) applications and rank them into three categories: high, middle, or low. Depending on their ranking, the applicant would be invited for an interview. After the interview, the applicants' files (ERAS and interview) would he reviewed and ranked by the faculty as a group. This was time-consuming and fraught with too much subjectivity and minimal objectivity. We, therefore, sought to find a way to assess and rank applicants in a more objective and less time-consuming manner. By creating a customizable scoring tool, we were able to screen applicants to our pulmonary/critical care fellowship program in an efficient and a more objective manner. Objectives: A customizable scoring tool was developed weighting components in the ERAS and interview process, allowing residency/fellowship programs to create a final rank list consistent with the programs' desired applicants. Methods: Two hundred and sixty pulmonary/critical care fellowship applications were reviewed from 2013 to 2018. In 2018, we used our new scoring rubric to create a rank list and rescore previous applicants. The traditional and new lists were compared to the final rank list submitted to the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) for 2018. We wanted to ascertain which scoring method correlated best with the final rank list submitted to the NRMP. We obtained feedback from eight faculty members who had reviewed applicants with both scoring tools. Results: The novel customizable scoring tool positively correlated with the final rank list submitted to the NRMP (r = 0.86). The novel tool showed a better correlation to the final rank list than the traditional method. Faculties (6/6, 100%) responded positively to the new tool. Conclusions: Our new customizable tool has allowed us to create a final rank list that is efficient and more focused on our faculty's desired applicants. We hope to assess and compare the quality of applicants matched through this scoring system and the traditional method by using faculty evaluations, milestones, and test scores.