Pulmonology

Nurse-delivered home education lowered indoor PM2.5 and improved short-term spirometry in older adults.

In a 6-week cluster non-randomized pilot (n=59, intervention n=30), a nurse-delivered education program lowered final-week indoor PM2.5 to 11.1 µg/m3 versus 19.6 µg/m3 in controls. The intervention group had significant improvements in predicted FEV1% and FEV6% over baseline. Behavioral protective measures increased more in the intervention arm, though most behavior differences lacked statistical significance. This model was feasible within municipal home-visit services but requires larger, longer trials before recommending scale-up. 1

PROGNOSIS registry participation associated with fewer exacerbations and stable lung function in bronchiectasis.

In >1500 CT-confirmed adults across 38 German sites, median exacerbations declined from 2 (IQR 1–4) to 1 (1–3) during registry participation (p<0.001). Hospitalisations also decreased and median FEV1% predicted remained stable over follow-up. Detection of pathogens, notably Pseudomonas, increased and idiopathic aetiologies fell, reflecting more thorough phenotyping. Findings support comprehensive, registry-aligned care to reduce events and enable aetiology-directed management. 2

Fan therapy provides small, short-term dyspnea relief.

This systematic review (15 studies, 623 participants) found a short-term dyspnea reduction within 5–10 minutes (SMD -0.41; 95% CI -0.70 to -0.11). No consistent effects were seen on physiological measures, activity, or sustained symptom control. Qualitative data show good acceptability among patients and clinicians. Given low cost and portability, fan therapy is a reasonable adjunct for immediate symptomatic relief. 3