TY - JOUR T1 - What's hot the other lot got JF - Thorax JO - Thorax SP - 202 LP - 202 DO - 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2013-204968 VL - 69 IS - 2 AU - Benjamin Prudon Y1 - 2014/02/01 UR - http://thorax.bmj.com/content/69/2/202.abstract N2 - Obtaining sputum samples from paediatric cystic fibrosis patients for targeted microbiological therapy is difficult. The cough swab is often used, which involves a cotton-wool swab held in the back of the pharynx and the patient asked to cough. An increasingly used alternative technique is the cough plate, which involves patients coughing directly onto a culture plate. A recent study (Arch Dis Child 2013;98:768–71) has compared the two techniques. Both techniques to collect specimens were conducted in a randomised order at assessments. In total, 95 non-expectorating patients (mean age 9 years) took part, with 324 sets of cough plates and cough swabs produced. Pathogens were isolated in 18% of cough swabs compared with 8% of cough plates. Agreement between the two specimen types occurred in only 6% of cases. A similar spectrum of pathogens was produced from both techniques. Although most (84%) patients preferred the non-invasive nature of the cough plates, they appear less effective for isolating bacterial pathogens from non-expectorating patients. Severity features of acute pulmonary emboli include shock, acute right … ER -