Month: July 2011

Some U.S. soldiers have returned from war with a rare lung disease, new research has found. Doctors who did the study reported on 80 soldiers who had breathing problems. The cause was unclear. The soldiers had served in Iraq or Afghanistan. While there, they had been exposed to toxins in the air. They had breathing problems when they exercised. But standard tests showed normal lung function. Doctors did lung biopsies on 49 of the soldiers. All of them had abnormal lung tissue. Doctors diagnosed 38 of them with constrictive bronchiolitis. This condition causes very narrow airways in the lungs. In all, 28 of those with the condition had been exposed to a sulfur-mine fire in Iraq. But other things, such as dust storms, may have played a role, doctors said. The New England Journal of Medicine published the study. The Associated Press wrote about it July 21.

It takes longer for do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders to be written in the hospital when a spouse, relative or family member (“surrogate”) rather than the patient is making the decision, according to a new study. A do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order means that if the heart stops, a patient does not want cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or other live-saving measures. The study looked at the hospital records of 668 people 65 and older that had a DNR order placed by a doctor. Doctors prefer to have patients make the decision regarding DNR. However, many patients are too ill or have impaired brain function to make this decision. Researchers asked doctors to indicate if the DNR order came following discussion with the patient, a surrogate or both.