Effect of perioperative sigh ventilation on postoperative hypoxemia and pulmonary complications after on-pump cardiac surgery (E-SIGHT): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Medical Minute: Pleurisy Linked To Common Viral Infections Often Goes Undiagnosed In Children
The winter season is notorious for a surge in illnesses like the flu, COVID-19, and RSV, which can trigger serious complications such as pleurisy, an inflammatory lung condition causing sharp chest pain.Sunday, February 23rd 2025, 11:33 am
By: LeAnne Taylor
TULSA, Okla. -The winter season is infamous for its rise in illnesses such as the flu, COVID-19, and RSV. These viral infections can lead to other medical conditions such as Pleurisy.
Pleurisy is an inflammation of the lung lining, which causes sharp pain particularly during large breaths, coughing, or resting in certain positions. Additional symptoms of pleurisy include coughing, shortness of breath, fever, and difficulty swallowing.
Pleurisy often goes unidentified in children due to a common struggle to explain their pain accurately for diagnosis.
Pleurisy is commonly associated with viral infections, but additional causes may lead to its development. These include bacterial infections, blood clots, autoimmune disorders, and certain medications.
While symptoms for pleurisy are mild and heal on their own, severe symptoms should be evaluated by a doctor in order to rule out other long-lasting conditions which may be life-threatening.
LeAnne Taylor co-hosts the 6 a.M., 7 a.M. & 9 a.M. Newscasts of 6 In The Morning on weekdays. LeAnne joined the News On 6 team in January 1998.
What Is Chronic Lung Disease, The Condition Pope Francis Suffers From?
In just a matter of weeks, Pope Francis has faced several new challenges in his long-running battle with chronic lung disease. The spiritual leader's condition has been critical, with news of his well-being waxing and waning since Feb. 14 given his age and fragility.
Here's a breakdown of what 88-year-old Francis is facing:
What conditions does Pope Francis have?As of Tuesday afternoon, Francis was in critical but stable condition at Rome's Gemelli hospital, where he had already spent nearly a dozen days in treatment. The Argentine pope was battling double pneumonia, as only his latest bout with lung infection.
He already suffered from preexisting chronic lung disease. As a young man, a portion of one of his lungs was ultimately removed after a severe respiratory infection.
ExplorePope Francis shows slight improvement and resumes some work, while still critical, Vatican saysFrancis initially entered the hospital following a weeklong bout with chronic bronchitis. The double pneumonia diagnosis quickly followed. By the end of his first week of treatment, he was facing double pneumonia and chronic bronchitis, as well as bacterial, viral and fungal lung infections.
Credit: NYT
Credit: NYT
What is chronic lung disease?According to the American Lung Association, chronic lung disease prevents the lungs and respiratory system from working correctly. It manifests in three ways: restrictive lung diseases, obstructive lung diseases and pulmonary vascular lung diseases.
Restrictive lung diseases include conditions that inflame or scar the lungs, including pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis. Obstructive lung diseases include asthma and chronic bronchitis, diseases that often cause thick mucus buildup along the lungs' air sacs. Pulmonary vascular lung diseases, which include pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary embolism, concern the organ's blood vessels.
While there is no cure, there are ways to improve your symptoms and manage chronic lung disease. According to the ALA, people living with the disease should stay up to date on vaccinations that prevent respiratory infections like flu or pneumonia, eat healthy foods and continue to stay active.
What is bronchitis?Stuffy nose, chest congestion, wheezing — bronchitis symptoms range from light fatigue to coughing up mucus. The ALA reported that the lung infection can often go away on its own after running its natural course for several weeks.
However, Francis is prone to bronchitis in winter because of his preexisting lung disease. As a viral infection, antibiotics are not an effective treatment so it's important to rest and drink plenty of water, which can help loosen chest congestion.
ExploreHow the extreme cold can affect your lungsChronic bronchitis is a more serious condition that develops over time. While symptoms may get better or worse, the ALA reports they will never completely go away.
What is double pneumonia?According to the ALA, pneumonia can have mild, even unnoticeable, symptoms. Other times, however, the signs are severe. The lung disease sometimes causes coughs that produce mucus (sometimes blood), fever, sweating, shaking, rapid breathing, sharp chest pain, loss of appetite, nausea and confusion. Fevers can reach as high as 105 degrees.
When the disease affects both lungs, it is referred to as double (or bilateral) pneumonia. The lungs become infected, inflaming the air sacs within. The inflammation leads to a buildup of fluid, which makes breathing difficult.
According to the American Thoracic Society, adults who survive pneumonia sometimes still face long-term effects, including cognitive decline and an overall worsening quality of life for months to years.
From 1999 to 2019, an estimated 2.1% of all U.S. Deaths were caused by pneumonia. It remains the single largest infection-related cause of death among children worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
When should you call a doctor about lung disease?Different lung diseases come with different symptoms, but there are commonalities between them. According to the Yale School of Medicine, patients should consider making an appointment with a pulmonologist if they are experiencing shortness of breath, a persistent cough, recurring chest infections, loud snoring at night or excessive sleepiness during the day.
ALA advised patients to seek a pulmonologist in consultation with their primary care provider if their cough persists for more than three weeks or becomes severe.
"A simple cough associated with allergies or a cold shouldn't send you looking for a pulmonary specialist," according to the association's website. "Urgent care or your primary care doctor should be your first stop, and then on to an allergist or ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist."
Some diseases come with extra caution signs, however. Because it can be deadly, especially to children, the ALA advises anyone who believes they have pneumonia to seek medical treatment before it gets worse.
"And see your doctor right away if you have difficulty breathing, develop a bluish color in your lips and fingertips, have chest pain, a high fever, or a cough with mucus that is severe or is getting worse," states the ALA website.
Adults older than 65, children 2 or younger and people with underlying medical conditions or weakened immune systems are considered high-risk groups.
Bronchitis, on the other hand, is something the ALA is only as concerned with when its chronic.
"On average, the symptoms of acute bronchitis last only a couple of weeks," the website said. "However, if you have a cough that won't go away, or if you get sick with bronchitis frequently, it may be the sign of a more serious disease and you should visit your doctor."
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Pope Francis Shares Message After A Peaceful Night In The Hospital: "Thank You For Your Closeness"
Pope Francis, who is in critical condition with a complex lung infection, offered his thanks for the "many messages of affection" he has received since he was hospitalized earlier this month.Sunday, February 23rd 2025, 11:53 am
By: CBS News
ROME -Pope Francis, who is in critical condition with a complex lung infection, offered his thanks for the "many messages of affection" he has received since he was hospitalized earlier this month.
"I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children," the pope's official account on X shared on Sunday. "Thank you for your closeness, and for the consoling prayers I have received from all over the world!"
The 88-year-old's message came hours after the Vatican offered a brief update on the pope's condition.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni's one-line statement early Sunday didn't mention if Francis was out of bed or eating breakfast. "The night passed quietly, the pope rested," Bruni said.
The brief update came hours after doctors said the pontiff, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, was in critical condition after he suffered a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis.
Francis has been hospitalized for a week while being treated for pneumonia and a complex lung infection. He was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14 after a weeklong bout of bronchitis worsened.
On Saturday, the pope received "high flows" of oxygen to help him breathe as well as blood transfusions after tests showed low counts of platelets, which are needed for clotting, the Vatican said in a late update.
The Saturday statement also said the pontiff "continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair although in more pain than yesterday." Doctors said the prognosis was "reserved."
"We feel Pope Francis close to us"Francis was supposed to have celebrated Mass on Sunday morning in St. Peter's Basilica and ordained hundreds of deacons as part of the Vatican's yearlong Holy Year commemoration.
The organizer of the Holy Year, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, celebrated the Mass in his place and offered a special prayer for Francis from the altar before delivering the homily the pope had prepared.
"Even though he is in a hospital bed, we feel Pope Francis close to us, we feel him present among us," Fisichella told the hundreds of white-robed deacons. "And this compels us to make even stronger and more intense our prayer that the Lord will assist him in his time of trial and illness.
The Deacons Jubilee, a day of the Holy Year dedicated to deacons, will attract over 6,000 pilgrims from about 100 countries to Rome.
Vatican hierarchy tamps down resignation speculationMeanwhile, the Vatican hierarchy went on the defensive to tamp down rumors and speculation that Francis might decide to resign. There is no provision in canon law for what to do if a pope becomes incapacitated. Francis has said that he has written a letter of resignation that would be invoked if he were medically incapable of making such a decision.
In an interview with CBS News in May 2024, Francis said the idea of stepping down has never occurred to him.
"Maybe if the day comes when my health can go no further," Francis said. "Perhaps because the only infirmity I have is in my knee, and that is getting much better. But it never occurred to me."
Francis, took on the papacy in 2013 at the age of 76, after his predecessor, Benedict XVI, became the first pope to retire in about 600 years, citing his declining health before stepping down. He died in 2022 at age 95.
The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, gave a rare interview to Corriere della Sera to respond to speculation and rumors about a possible resignation. It came after the Vatican issued an unusual and official denial of an Italian media report that said Parolin and the pope's chief canonist had visited Francis in the hospital in secret. Given the canonical requirements to make a resignation legitimate, the implications of such a meeting were significant, but the Vatican flat-out denied that any such meeting occurred.
Parolin said such speculation seemed "useless" when what really mattered was the health of Francis, his recovery and return to the Vatican.
"On the other hand, I think it is quite normal that in these situations uncontrolled rumors can spread or some misplaced comment is uttered. It is certainly not the first time it has happened," Parolin was quoted as saying. "However, I don't think there is any particular movement, and so far I haven't heard anything like that."
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