Differential Diagnosis of Suspected COPD Exacerbations in the Acute Care Setting: Best Practice

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may suffer from acute episodes of worsening dyspnea, often associated with increased cough, sputum and/or sputum purulence. These exacerbations (ECOPDs) impact health status, accelerate lung function decline, and increase the risk of hospitalization. Importantly, close to 20% of patients are readmitted within 30 days after hospital discharge, with great cost to the person and to society. Approximately 25% and 65% of patients hospitalized for an ECOPD die within 1 and 5 years, respectively. Patients with COPD are usually older, and frequently have concomitant chronic diseases, including heart failure, coronary artery disease, arrhythmias, interstitial lung diseases, bronchiectasis, asthma, anxiety, and depression, and are also at increased risk of developing pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, and pneumothorax…

Puedes leer el artículo completo aquí: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36701677/

Autores: Bartolome R Celli, Leonardo M Fabbri, Shawn D Aaron, Alvar Agusti, Robert D Brook, Gerard J Criner, Frits M E Franssen, Marc Humbert, John R Hurst, Maria Montes de Oca, Leonardo Pantoni, Alberto Papi, Roberto Rodriguez-Roisin, Sanjay Sethi, Daiana Stolz, Antoni Torres, Claus F Vogelmeier, Jadwiga A Wedzicha.