Australia urgently needs a model of care for public-funded long COVID clinics in each state and territory, a respiratory physician has told a government inquiry. A National Long COVID registry is also essential to provide accurate estimates of the numbers and...

Australia urgently needs a model of care for public-funded long COVID clinics in each state and territory, a respiratory physician...

SARS‐CoV‐2 infection is associated with higher incidences of hospitalisation for several respiratory and non‐respiratory conditions. A Victorian study comprised 20,594 laboratory-confirmed COVID‐19 cases notified between January 2020 and May 2021, ahead of the Delta and Omicron variants and widespread COVID-19 vaccination. Using...

SARS‐CoV‐2 infection is associated with higher incidences of hospitalisation for several respiratory and non‐respiratory conditions. A Victorian study comprised 20,594 laboratory-confirmed...

The COVID-19 pandemic, antimicrobial resistance and climate change are conspiring to increase the health risk from pathogenic fungi, especially in people with underlying conditions. According to a new WHO report, the critical priority fungal pathogens include the respiratory pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus...

The COVID-19 pandemic, antimicrobial resistance and climate change are conspiring to increase the health risk from pathogenic fungi, especially in...

New treatment and risk stratification strategies are “urgently needed” for pleural infection as well as ongoing research efforts to improve antibiotic stewardship, a European Respiratory Society (ERS) taskforce has warned. In a statement reviewing the most up...

New treatment and risk stratification strategies are “urgently needed” for pleural infection as well as ongoing research efforts...

A significant drop in the incidence of adult pleural infections during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic was most likely because of reduced viral transmission from social distancing measures, researchers at Oxford University have concluded. A team led...

A significant drop in the incidence of adult pleural infections during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic was...

Use of IL-6 receptor antagonist monoclonal antibodies (mAb) and JAK inhibitors for the management of COVID-19 in hospitalised patients has received strong backing from the European Respiratory Society (ERS). In the second version of the ERS Living Guideline on...

Use of IL-6 receptor antagonist monoclonal antibodies (mAb) and JAK inhibitors for the management of COVID-19 in hospitalised patients...

Novel Australian research has confirmed the presence of bacterial biofilm in bronchoalveolar lavage specimens from children with protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB) or bronchiectasis. Two of the researchers, Dr Ruth Thornton and Dr Robyn Marsh, provide some insight into their study,...

Novel Australian research has confirmed the presence of bacterial biofilm in bronchoalveolar lavage specimens from children with protracted bacterial bronchitis...

COVID-19 infection does not appear to affect the lung function of young adults according to two studies presented at this year's European Respiratory Society virtual Congress (ERS 2021). In one study that followed up 661 young people before and after...

COVID-19 infection does not appear to affect the lung function of young adults according to two studies presented at this...

Frequently misdiagnosed and undertreated, protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB) remains the most common cause of chronic cough in children referred to specialist respiratory care, a WA study shows. And the fact that little has changed in 15 years indicates that early diagnosis...

Frequently misdiagnosed and undertreated, protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB) remains the most common cause of chronic cough in children referred to...

Respiratory physicians and other TSANZ members have been asked to step up and become COVID-19 vaccination advocates to their patients and in the broader community. In the latest TSANZ newsletter, TSANZ president Professor John Upham called for members to use their...

Respiratory physicians and other TSANZ members have been asked to step up and become COVID-19 vaccination advocates to their patients...

Pleural procedures such as chest drains and thoracoscopy do not need to be classed as aerosol generating in relation to transmission risk of SARS-CoV-2, say UK researchers. A study looking at aerosol emissions in several pleural procedures...

Pleural procedures such as chest drains and thoracoscopy do not need to be classed as aerosol generating in...

A one-page multidisciplinary guideline on vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) has been made available for frontline doctors including respiratory physicians. Dr Andrew Burke was the TSANZ representative on the development of the guideline. The communication document for GPs, various physician specialities,...

A one-page multidisciplinary guideline on vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) has been made available for frontline doctors including respiratory...

The European Medicines Agency has said the AstraZeneca vaccine does not increase the risk of thromboembolic events but it cannot rule out a link with a rare cases of cerebral vein/cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. Based on vaccine safety surveillance reports from...

The European Medicines Agency has said the AstraZeneca vaccine does not increase the risk of thromboembolic events but it cannot...

The lockdowns and handwashing policies introduced to curb COVID-19 have had the unexpected spin-off of a huge decrease in hospital admissions for paediatric acute respiratory illness, NSW figures show. Rates of paediatric emergency department attendances, RSV positive tests and admissions for...

The lockdowns and handwashing policies introduced to curb COVID-19 have had the unexpected spin-off of a huge decrease in hospital...

A novel anti-inflammatory treatment for bronchiectasis that targets neutrophils has shown promising results in a phase 2 trial. In findings presented at ATS 2020 virtual meeting, brensocatib, a reversible inhibitor of dipeptidyl peptidase-1 (DPP1 inhibitor) showed positive effects against bronchietasis...

A novel anti-inflammatory treatment for bronchiectasis that targets neutrophils has shown promising results in a phase 2 trial. In findings presented...

Respiratory researchers in the UK are launching a trial to test a novel treatment for inflammatory lung conditions in hospitalised Covid-19 patients. Brensocatib, a reversible inhibitor of dipeptidyl peptidase 1 (DPP1) currently being developed by biopharmaceutical company Insmed, will be tested...

Respiratory researchers in the UK are launching a trial to test a novel treatment for inflammatory lung conditions in hospitalised...

A long-term follow-up of Indigenous children with chronic suppurative lung disease (CSLD) or bronchiectasis across three countries has shown encouraging respiratory outcomes. The study was able to follow up 73% of 180 children from Australia, New Zealand and Alaska, at...

A long-term follow-up of Indigenous children with chronic suppurative lung disease (CSLD) or bronchiectasis across three countries has shown encouraging...

Co-existent COPD and bronchiectasis is a common finding in adult Aboriginal Australians living in regional and remote NT communities.  A five-year retrospective study identified 258 Aboriginal Australians living with COPD who also had a chest X-ray or...

Co-existent COPD and bronchiectasis is a common finding in adult Aboriginal Australians living in regional and remote NT...

Results from the Australian Bronchiectasis Registry (ABR) show a gap between guideline recommendations and real-world treatment of bronchiectasis, even in tertiary centres. Data from 589 patients with bronchiectasis enrolled with the registry suggest that treatment is often limited by lack of...

Results from the Australian Bronchiectasis Registry (ABR) show a gap between guideline recommendations and real-world treatment of bronchiectasis, even in...

Azithromycin is an attractive alternative to amoxicillin-clavulanate for the management of non-severe acute exacerbations of bronchiectasis in children but should be reserved as a second-line therapy in accordance with Australian and New Zealand guidelines. Dr Vikas Goyal, from the Department of...

Azithromycin is an attractive alternative to amoxicillin-clavulanate for the management of non-severe acute exacerbations of bronchiectasis in children but should...

Children with bronchiectasis should have access to dedicated multidisciplinary team (MDT) clinics similar to those routinely provided for children with cystic fibrosis (CF), NSW clinicians say. A study of care provided for 22 children with bronchiectasis at a tertiary centre...

Children with bronchiectasis should have access to dedicated multidisciplinary team (MDT) clinics similar to those routinely provided for children with...

Treatment guidelines for bronchiectasis may need review, say researchers after two studies on antibiotic use raised questions over current practice. In one meta-analysis, long-term macrolide antibiotic therapy was found to reduce the frequency of exacerbations across the board, even in patients...

Treatment guidelines for bronchiectasis may need review, say researchers after two studies on antibiotic use raised questions over current practice. In...

As respiratory clinicians, we have been conducting outreach clinics to the Kimberley, in northern Western Australia, for about ten years, treating children with bronchiectasis, a chronic lung disease in which the breathing tubes in the lungs are damaged. Our research, published...

As respiratory clinicians, we have been conducting outreach clinics to the Kimberley, in northern Western Australia, for about ten years,...

Clinicians should be aware that patients with moderate to severe bronchiectasis can still have normal spirometry, Australian respiratory specialists say. A first report on baseline data from 589 adults in the Australian Bronchiectasis Registry, has shown airflow obstruction was the...

Clinicians should be aware that patients with moderate to severe bronchiectasis can still have normal spirometry, Australian respiratory specialists say. A...

High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy in hypoxic infants with bronchiolitis should only be used as a rescue therapy when standard subnasal oxygen has failed, according to new recommendations. In an update to the Australasian bronchiolitis guidelines, the Paediatric Research in...

High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy in hypoxic infants with bronchiolitis should only be used as a rescue therapy when standard...

Undefined differences in pathophysiology between cystic fibrosis (CF) and bronchiectasis mean clinicians have to continue to exercise caution in extrapolating evidence from one group to another. Speaking at the TSANZSRS meeting on Why doesn’t treatment for CF bronchiectasis work in non-CF...

Undefined differences in pathophysiology between cystic fibrosis (CF) and bronchiectasis mean clinicians have to continue to exercise caution in extrapolating...

The Lung Foundation of Australia has welcomed government funding of $4 million for its National Strategic Action Plan for Lung Conditions, describing it as “a step in the right direction”. The Plan, launched in Canberra on by Federal Minister for...

The Lung Foundation of Australia has welcomed government funding of $4 million for its National Strategic Action Plan for...

E-cigarettes are nearly twice as effective as nicotine-replacement therapy at helping smokers to quit cigarettes, according to a new randomised trial. The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed the abstinence rate at one-year...

E-cigarettes are nearly twice as effective as nicotine-replacement therapy at helping smokers to quit cigarettes, according to a...

The risk of asthma linked to infant RSV infection is much greater if a child acquires the infection later in infancy, NSW researchers have shown. Children who contract severe RSV disease after the age of six months are more than twice...

The risk of asthma linked to infant RSV infection is much greater if a child acquires the infection later in...

There’s no doubt that bronchiectasis is becoming more recognised in clinical practice and evidence for its treatment is evolving, but questions remain around the burden of disease in Australia and the impact of long-term macrolides on bacterial resistance,...

There’s no doubt that bronchiectasis is becoming more recognised in clinical practice and evidence for its treatment is...

Routine use of beta-2 agonists, glucocorticoids, adrenaline, hypertonic saline and antibiotics have been ruled out in the first Australasian bronchiolitis guidelines. The guidelines, on behalf of the Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaborative (PREDICT) Network, involved an extensive literature...

Routine use of beta-2 agonists, glucocorticoids, adrenaline, hypertonic saline and antibiotics have been ruled out in the first Australasian bronchiolitis...

The apparent protective effect of prenatal omega-3 supplements against allergic wheeze and rhinitis in babies does not endure in children beyond one year of age, Australian research suggests. While studies have shown maternal omega-3 supplementation in pregnancy may protect offspring against...

The apparent protective effect of prenatal omega-3 supplements against allergic wheeze and rhinitis in babies does not endure in children...

The first study to characterise the pulmonary mycobiome in bronchiectasis has shown that it is distinct and that fungi, and specifically Aspergillus, appear to have a significant role in the disease. Screening for Aspergillus-associated disease should be considered, even...

The first study to characterise the pulmonary mycobiome in bronchiectasis has shown that it is distinct and that...

Macrolide antibiotics are an important growth area in prescribing for respiratory disease but should be kept as back-up therapy, delegates at the British Thoracic Society Summer Meeting have heard. Ten years ago almost no respiratory patients would have been on long...

Macrolide antibiotics are an important growth area in prescribing for respiratory disease but should be kept as back-up therapy, delegates...

Clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) have been updated in an effort to reduce the delay in diagnosis for a rare disease that nevertheless has well defined clinical features. Dr Adam Shapiro told ATS 2018 that...

Clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) have been updated in an effort to reduce the...

Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) antagonists may be useful antivirals for the treatment of viral bronchiolitis and possibly as primary preventatives for asthma. Queensland-led research has shown that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection up-regulates hematopoietic prostaglandin D synthase expression resulting in PGD2 release...

Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) antagonists may be useful antivirals for the treatment of viral bronchiolitis and possibly as primary preventatives for...

Almost half of Indigenous adults in Central Australia are infected with a virus which can cause lung disease and blood cancers yet many physicians are unaware of it, an infectious disease specialist warns. A prospective hospital-based study found patients with a...

Almost half of Indigenous adults in Central Australia are infected with a virus which can cause lung disease and blood cancers...

Ten years after their involvement as young children in the Multicenter Bronchiectasis Study, Indigenous adolescents are still symptomatic and missing school due to acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI). Preliminary data presented at the TSANZSRS meeting in Adelaide reinforces the importance...

Ten years after their involvement as young children in the Multicenter Bronchiectasis Study, Indigenous adolescents are still symptomatic and...

Results from the RESPIRE trials fell short of expectations but even so offer hope for bronchiectasis, providing important lessons for future clinical trials and disease management, experts say. The RESPIRE trials – together the largest clinical trial program ever conducted in...

Results from the RESPIRE trials fell short of expectations but even so offer hope for bronchiectasis, providing important lessons for...

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is only linked to higher mortality in bronchiectasis if patients have multiple annual exacerbations, research finds. A multivariate analysis of data from more than 2500 bronchiectasis patients across ten European centres found P. aeruginosa infection had no impact on...

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is only linked to higher mortality in bronchiectasis if patients have multiple annual exacerbations, research finds. A multivariate analysis...

The controversial question of whether preschool children with virus-associated wheeze benefit from oral corticosteroids has been answered by a randomised controlled trial from Western Australia. Emergency department stays are cut by about three hours when wheezy children...

The controversial question of whether preschool children with virus-associated wheeze benefit from oral corticosteroids has been answered by...

Chest X-rays in children with bronchiolitis or asthma are unlikely to inform management and should therefore be avoided, according to the RACP’s Paediatrics and Child Health Division. In their top five ‘Do-not-do’ recommendations, the Division said chest X-rays did not discriminate...

Chest X-rays in children with bronchiolitis or asthma are unlikely to inform management and should therefore be avoided, according to...

There are major gaps in what we know about non-CF bronchiectasis in children, a session at ERS 2017 has revealed. Speaking to delegates about the recently published ERS statement on protracted bacterial bronchitis in children, Professor Mark Everard from the University...

There are major gaps in what we know about non-CF bronchiectasis in children, a session at ERS 2017 has revealed. Speaking...

A drop in temperature and an increase in wind speed has been linked to a rise in hospitalisations for bronchiolitis in Australia and New Zealand. The retrospective study of almost 4,000 patients found hospitalisations for the condition rose with plummeting temperatures,...

A drop in temperature and an increase in wind speed has been linked to a rise in hospitalisations for bronchiolitis...

There are calls to expand the list of work-related lung disorders eligible for government compensation in NSW, amid concerns many with life-threatening conditions are missing out. There are 13 dust diseases for which workers can receive financial and health care support...

There are calls to expand the list of work-related lung disorders eligible for government compensation in NSW, amid concerns many...

Data from the new Australasian Bronchiectasis Registry will help fill in some of the knowledge gaps around a largely neglected disease. The TZANZSRS meeting was told the registry has enrolled 500 patients from 15 sites across Australia in its first year...

Data from the new Australasian Bronchiectasis Registry will help fill in some of the knowledge gaps around a largely neglected...

Within the first seven days of experiencing lower respiratory infection symptoms, patients have a 17-fold increased risk of acute MI and, while that risk gradually decreases over time, it remains elevated up to one month after the infection has cleared,...

Within the first seven days of experiencing lower respiratory infection symptoms, patients have a 17-fold increased risk of acute MI...

A collaboration involving physicians and patients has identified 22 research priorities for bronchiectasis research. According to the European Multicentre Bronchiectasis Audit and Research Collaboration (EMBARC) current knowledge was limited by the fact that treatment was mainly extrapolated from cystic fibrosis...

A collaboration involving physicians and patients has identified 22 research priorities for bronchiectasis research. According to the European Multicentre Bronchiectasis...

The risk of heart disease and stroke are higher among people with bronchiectasis compared with the general population, research shows. The study using UK primary care data found pre-existing coronary...

The risk of heart disease and stroke are higher...

Claims that nebulized hypertonic saline reduces the length of hospital stay in children with acute bronchiolitis has been questioned by an Australian respiratory physician. Writing in BMC Pulmonary Medicine Dr Mark Everard, a paediatric respiratory physician at the University of...

Claims that nebulized hypertonic saline reduces the length of hospital stay in children with acute bronchiolitis has been questioned by...

The first set of data to come from the European Bronchiectasis Registry suggests that non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis is not as rare as we think. The EMBARC registry was hoping to achieve 1000 patients by April 2016, but at the ERS...

The first set of data to come from the European Bronchiectasis Registry suggests that non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis is not...

Oxygen saturation targets in infants with bronchiolitis could be lowered, the first randomised trial of its kind shows, but Australian experts say a nagging question still remains. The double-blind randomized equivalence Bronchiolitis of Infancy Discharge Study (BIDS) involved 615 infants...

Oxygen saturation targets in infants with bronchiolitis could be lowered, the first randomised trial of its kind shows, but Australian...

There is no evidence to support the use of beta2-agonists in children and adults with acute cough who do not have evidence of airflow restriction, a Cochrane review concludes. The analysis of seven trials by Cochrane Acute Respiratory Infections Group...

There is no evidence to support the use of beta2-agonists in children and adults with acute cough who do not...

Hospital admission for an acute respiratory infection in the first year of life is the strongest predictor of readmission after the age of three, Australian research shows. The findings suggest that focusing prevention efforts on early infection could have significant public health benefits,...

Hospital admission for an acute respiratory infection in the first year of life is the strongest predictor of readmission after...

New guidelines from the British Thoracic Society on the management of pulmonary nodules suggest a change in terminology and define which nodules do not require follow-up. Pulmonary nodules are a frequent finding on CT, and their management continues to...

New guidelines from the British Thoracic Society on the management of pulmonary nodules suggest a change in terminology and define...

Researchers from Northern Ireland and the Gold Coast have identified bronchiectasis patients who are the least likely to adhere to medications. In a study of 75 patients the team found that age, beliefs about treatment, the number of prescribed medications...

Researchers from Northern Ireland and the Gold Coast have identified bronchiectasis patients who are the least likely to adhere to...

Clinicians and researchers need to stop describing bronchiectasis by what it is not and instead embrace the name it has held for over 150 years, say respiratory...

Clinicians and researchers need to stop describing bronchiectasis by what...

Tuberculosis is strongly linked to COPD an Australian review finds, calling into question the belief that people who recover from the disease do not have longer-term problems. Adults over the age of 40 with tuberculosis (TB) were three times more...

Tuberculosis is strongly linked to COPD an Australian review finds, calling into question the belief that people who recover...

Management of respiratory tract infections in primary care varies according to the age and sex of the general practitioner, a new study shows. Using data from the ongoing BEACH study the researchers from Monash...

Management of respiratory tract infections in primary care varies according to the age and sex of the general...