The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a Class I recall of Vyaire’s AirLife Humidification Chamber & Heated Breathing Circuit Kits due to manufacturing errors. Class I recalls are the FDA’s most serious type of recalls. The FDA notes that the use of these products can cause serious injury or death. Recalled Product(s): Air Life … Read more
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine has released the results of its Congressionally-mandated report on the Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes. The report was introduced as a webinar, which can be viewed here: Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes – YouTube Video
A new Congressionally mandated report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine titled Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes has been released, and the results are mixed. David East, chairman of the committee that wrote the report, notes that e-cigarettes are difficult to categorize as either harmful or not harmful. ““E-cigarettes cannot be simply categorized as … Read more
Asthma is a chronic disease that affects the airways. Symptoms can be controlled with medication, however some people with asthma are less responsive to treatments. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are studying people with asthma to help understand why some people’s asthma is more difficult to treat than others. Compensation is provided … Read more
The Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) respiratory health research advocates Kenneth Benson and John Linnell recently participated in the evaluation of research applications submitted to the PRMRP sponsored by the Department of Defense. Benson and Linnell were nominated for participation in the program by the U.S. COPD Coalition, where they each serve on the … Read more
The National Institute of Health’s All of Us Research Program, an historic effort to gather data from at least a million volunteers nationwide, is seeking ideas for important research questions the program might address. This input will help the program identify new features that might be added to the All of Us platform as it continues to build its … Read more
The National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging (NIA) offers advice on getting the most our of your visit with your doctor. And the key to a productive visit is knowing how to talk with your healthcare provider. “Talking about your health means sharing information about how you feel physically, emotionally, and mentally. Knowing how to … Read more
Researchers at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) have identified genetic variations in the anatomy of the lungs that could offer insights into the risk of developing COPD. According to the study’s first author, Benjamin Smith, MD, MS, assistant professor at Columbia University Medical Center, “we found that central airway branches of the … Read more
A new study that has just been published in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation suggests that there is a need to improve the way COPD patients are evaluated for appropriate supplemental oxygen prescriptions prior to being discharged from the hospital. The Documentation and evaluation of Oxygen Requirements In COPD (DORIC) study found that “[i]n this … Read more