What every physician needs to know: Underwater diving using self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) has become a common recreational activity. The Professional Association of Diving Instructors has issued >23 million entry-level certifications since 1967. SCUBA diving is inherently risky, as participants are submerged in a hostile environment where they are at risk for potential life-threatening…
What every physician needs to know: Several pulmonary conditions occur in association with underlying liver disease. Ascites elevates the diaphragms and causes basilar atelectasis, which contributes to dyspnea and mild hypoxia. Some patients with ascites have diaphragmatic defects that allow ascites fluid to flow into the chest, causing a pleural effusion termed a hydrothorax. (These…
What every physician needs to know: Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare lung syndrome characterized by an accumulation of surfactant within the alveoli, leading to pulmonary symptoms, increased infection risk, and in severe cases, hypoxic respiratory failure. The most common type is autoimmune PAP, which is associated with autoantibodies to granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)…
