Clinical and radiological characteristics of the 17 patients with humidifier disinfectant-associated lung injury and the timing of pathological specimen collection
| Case | Sex | Age | Chief complaint | NYHA class | Onset | BAL fluid | Initial CT (day and findings) | Follow-up CT(day and findings) | Day | Early specimen | Day | Late specimen | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | 29 | Dyspnoea | 3 | 4 weeks | Yes | 13 | Consolidation/centrilobular GGO | 24 | Diffuse GGO/pneumomediastinum | 37 | Explanted lung | ||
| 2 | F | 35 | Dyspnoea | 3 | 4 weeks | Yes | 5 | Consolidation/centrilobular GGO | 33 | Autopsy | ||||
| 3 | F | 28 | Dyspnoea | 3 | 1 week | Yes | 4 | Consolidation/centrilobular GGO | ||||||
| 4 | F | 36 | Dyspnoea | 4 | 6 weeks | Yes | 6 | Consolidation/centrilobular GGO | 12 | Centrilobular GGO/diffuse GGO/pneumomediastinum | 61 | Autopsy | ||
| 5 | F | 32 | Dyspnoea | 3∼4 | 2 weeks | Yes | 1 | Consolidation/centrilobular GGO | 8 | Centrilobular GGO/diffuse GGO/pneumomediastinum | 52 | Autopsy | ||
| 6 | F | 39 | Cough | 2 weeks | Yes | 1 | Consolidation | 13 | Centrilobular GGO/diffuse GGO/pneumomediastinum/pneumothorax | 15 | VATS biopsy | 83 | Explanted lung | |
| 7 | F | 36 | Dyspnoea | 2 | 10 days | Yes | 1 | Consolidation/centrilobular GGO | 14 | Consolidation/centrilobular GGO/pneumomediastinum | 18 | TBLB | ||
| 8 | M | 43 | Dyspnoea | 3 | 12 weeks | Yes | 1 | Consolidation | 26 | Centrilobular GGO/diffuse GGO/pneumomediastinum | 29 | VATS biopsy | 43 | Explanted lung |
| 9 | F | 34 | Cough dyspnoea | 4 | 12 weeks | Yes | 1 | Centrilobular GGO | 42 | Centrilobular GGO/diffuse GGO/pneumomediastinum | 18 | PCNA and biopsy | ||
| 10 | F | 29 | Abnormal CXR | 2 | 1 week | Yes | 4 | Centrilobular GGO | 46 | Centrilobular GGO | ||||
| 11 | F | 36 | Cough dyspnoea | 2 | 16 weeks | Yes | 1 | Consolidation/centrilobular GGO | 27 | Consolidation/centrilobular GGO | 6 | VATS biopsy | ||
| 12 | M | 49 | Dyspnoea | 2 | 8 weeks | Yes | 1 | Consolidation | 41 | Centrilobular GGO | ||||
| 13 | F | 43 | Dyspnoea | 2 | 8 weeks | No | 80 | Centrilobular GGO | ||||||
| 14 | F | 32 | Dyspnoea | 4 weeks | No | 3 | Consolidation | 11 | Centrilobular GGO/pneumomediastinum | 4 | VATS biopsy | |||
| 15 | F | 30 | Dyspnoea | 2 | 2 weeks | Yes | 5 | Consolidation/centrilobular GGO | 7 | Consolidation/centrilobular GGO/pneumomediastinum | 14 | VATS biopsy | 68 | Explanted lung |
| 16 | F | 34 | Cough, throat discomfort | 12 weeks | No | 19 | Consolidation | 39 | Centrilobular GGO | |||||
| 17 | F | 39 | Cough dyspnoea | 2 weeks | No | 1 | Consolidation/centrilobular GGO | |||||||
‘Day’ refers to the day relative to the first hospital visit.
BAL, bronchoalveolar lavage; CXR, chest radiography; GGO, ground glass appearance; NYHA, New York Heart Association dyspnoea classification; PCNA, percutaneous needle aspiration; TBLB, transbronchial lung biopsy; VATS, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.