Respiratory Exchange

In this episode, we will explore the impact of RSV on transplant and immunocompromised population, emphasizing the critical role of vaccination. Dr. Gonzalez and Dr. Koval will discuss the risk factors associated with RSV and outline effective prevention strategies to protect this vulnerable population.

Vaccine Hesitancy and Proposed Strategies - Dr. Tosin Goje and Dr. Aanchal Kapoor discuss vaccine hesitancy as techniques used to communicate with patients and families include empathic listening, finding trusted sources, and addressing fears and myths.

Dr. Gregory Poland explains the different aspects and limitations of immunity, such as innate, humoral, cellular, and durable immunity, and the need for booster doses and personalized vaccinology to optimize vaccine responses.

Dr. Kristen Highland speaks with Drs. Peter Mazzone and Vickram Tejwani about the recent 2024 American Thoracic Society Conference. Topics discussed include exposure-related mutations in non-smokers' lungs, doing better at getting the right people to be screened and new tools in development like circulating tumor DNA methylation-based tools, mutation-based tools, proteins and combinations of all these things in blood. They review the need to address disparities in access to screening, a potential new medication for COPD flares, new data on eosinophilic COPD, potentially using bronchoscopes to ablate early-stage cancer and more.

Dr. Frank Esper will discuss the impact of RSV on children. He will review the burden of RSV infection in children, the history and challenges of RSV vaccine development, and the recent breakthroughs and innovations in RSV prevention. The episode will conclude with recommendations and resources for RSV prevention and surveillance.

Measurement of lung volume is used routinely by pulmonologists and according to the Global Lung Initiative (GLI) regression, women as a population have different lung volumes than men.  Dr. Philippe Haouzi, medical director of Cleveland Clinic’s Pulmonary Function Testing Lab, discusses the lack of clear evidence for this assumption and why it’s time to re-evaluate the inclusion of sex as a parameter in developing reference values for spirometry.

Dr. Trate DeVolld and Dr. Katie Rivard will explore the efficacy of RSV vaccines and discuss preventive strategies aimed at reducing the occurrence of severe RSV respiratory illness in infants, children, and older adults.

Thomas Gildea, MD, section head of Interventional Pulmonary and Bronchoscopy, discusses Excessive Dynamic Airways Collapse (EDAC) and Tracheobronchomalacia (TBM). He talks about breathing issues that may indicate airway collapse, as well as possible connections with asthma and COPD, long-term corticosteroid use and obesity. Dr. Gildea covers using dynamic CT as a diagnostic tool and treatment possibilities that range from using CPAP to placement of a custom 3D stent.

Dr. Hannah Wang and Dr. Christopher Attaway will explore emerging RSV testing as it pertains to understanding the capabilities and limitations of different diagnostic tests.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized the management of many cancers. However, adverse events and side effects on various organs, including pneumonitis in the lungs, can be caused by these therapies. This episode of Respiratory Exchange Podcast covers patient or therapy side effect risk factors, using tools such as CT scans and bronchoscopy to assist in diagnosis through exclusion and the use of steroid and non-steroids as treatment.