Thoracic Key

Introduction Dyspnea (Greek dys, meaning “painful,” “difficult,” and pneuma, meaning “breath”) is a clinical term for the sensation of breathlessness or shortness of breath experienced by both normal subjects and…

Introduction Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer-related death in the Western world. Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer mortality for both men and women in…

Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure Hypoxemic respiratory failure has classically been defined as an arterial P o 2 of less than 60 mm Hg. It is distinguished from hypercapnic respiratory failure (P co 2…

Introduction Pneumomediastinum and mediastinitis are disorders that involve the potential spaces and tissues of the mediastinum. Although both may be present at the same time, for example, after esophageal rupture,…

Introduction Human lung transplantation was first attempted in 1963, but it was not until nearly 2 decades later that extended survival was achieved. Further refinements in patient selection, surgical technique,…

Introduction Both respiratory physiology and the respiratory tract’s susceptibility to disease are uniquely altered in gynecologic and obstetric conditions, including normal pregnancy. This chapter summarizes normal physiologic alterations during pregnancy…

Introduction Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a technique of life support that consists of diverting a fraction of the patient’s blood flow (BF) through an artificial lung for gas exchange…

Introduction The term interstitial lung disease (ILD), in general, implies the clinical manifestation of inflammatory-fibrotic infiltration of the alveolar walls (septa) resulting in profound effects on the capillary endothelium and…

Introduction Imaging plays a major role in the detection, diagnosis, and serial evaluation of thoracic disease. The appropriate use of imaging techniques requires some basic understanding of the technical aspects…

Introduction Stem cell transplantation (SCT) is the only known curative treatment for many patients with life-threatening hematologic and solid tumor malignancies. Likewise, solid organ transplantation (SOT) provides life-saving treatment for…