Chronic cough is an often-misunderstood condition that places a significant quality of life burden on patients and their loved ones. For providers, this complex condition requires more than just symptom management—it calls for expert, patient-centered evaluation. In this podcast, Dr. Rachel Taliercio and Dr. Michael Ghobrial discuss how early referral to a specialized chronic cough clinic can reduce unnecessary testing, avoid treatment delays and uncover treatable causes that are often missed. They review how thoughtful history-taking and using guideline-based diagnostics can improve outcomes. They assess promising new medication trials, and how innovations like AI-powered cough monitoring and Behavioral Cough Suppression Therapy are transforming chronic cough care.

In this episode of Respiratory Exchange, titled "Treating CTEPH: Surgery, Medication or Balloon Angioplasty?" Dr. Gustavo Heresi and Dr. Alice Goyanes discuss specialized, dedicated treatment options for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), a type of pulmonary vascular disease. They review when pulmonary endarterectomy is appropriate. They also discuss treatment options for patients who are not candidates for surgery, such as those with decompensated cirrhosis or metastatic cancer. For those patients, they consider the options such as using the FDA-approved vasodilator, Riociguat, and balloon angioplasty. They also note the benefits of discussion with vascular medicine and hematology.

Dr. Amy Attaway and Dr. Dan Culver review the emerging relationship between COPD patients who have intermittent hypoxemia and an increase they have in co-morbidities and mortality. They discuss how multiple associative studies suggest that intermittent hypoxemia may impact musculature, cardiovascular and neurologic systems. Dr. Attaway and Dr. Culver also underscore the need to review studies in light of the impact of skin pigmentation on oximetry, the connection to Sarcopenia and a related shift in muscle fibers from Type 1 to Type 2.

Dr. Angel Coz reviews some of the highlights from the CHEST 2024 conference with Drs. Priya Balakrishnan and Eduardo Mireles-Cabodevila. They cover aspects of talks on pneumoconiosis and occupational lung disease, sarcoidosis medication, diffuse lung disease, ECMO, neuromuscular disease and home mechanical ventilation. They also discuss the unexpected benefits of getting lost in the hallways with all the posters, networking at the conference and becoming involved in CHEST Networks and societies.

Delerium is an acute mental disorder associated with fluctuating changes in cognition and attention and is likely a consequence of another medical condition. In this episode, Dr. Heather Torbic discusses the incidence and types of delirium, pathogenesis and patient-specific risk factors with Dr. Abhijit Duggal. Dr. Torbic also covers bedside tools for the diagnosis of delirium and treatment options, including nonpharmacologic interventions. She stresses the need to develop a better understanding of delirium pathophysiology and to implement strategies for the prevention of delirium.

Sepsis is a leading cause of death in hospitals worldwide. In this episode Drs. Matthew Dettmer and James Morrison discuss the two major patient populations: one that comes in through the emergency department and the other that is already in the hospital. They cover the defining characteristics of these groups, the patient populations more at risk for developing sepsis, and the regulations providers must adhere to as they work to prevent sepsis deaths.

Dr. Fernanda Bonilla will discuss the health implications, the challenges and opportunities in vaccinology, and the importance of collaboration in healthcare worldwide.

In this episode, we will explore the impact of RSV on transplant and immunocompromised population, emphasizing the critical role of vaccination. Dr. Gonzalez and Dr. Koval will discuss the risk factors associated with RSV and outline effective prevention strategies to protect this vulnerable population.