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ATS Breathe Easy

Author: American Thoracic Society

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Conversations in Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine by the American Thoracic Society
478 Episodes
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 Endotrachael intubation is a highly important critical care procedure, and as such, clinicians are working to improve the procedure to ensure the best patient outcomes. As Stephanie DeMasi, MD, MS, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, goes through the detailed review she wrote, along with her colleagues, on different evidence-based decisions clinicians face when intubating a patient, with host Eddie Qian, MD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Read Dr. DeMasi's paper, "Evidence-based Emergency Tracheal Intubation": https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/10.1164/rccm.202411-2165CI 
 Lung cancer is commonly associated with smoking. However, among people diagnosed with lung cancer, the proportion who have never smoked has been increasing, and there are many reasons why a person who has never smoked may develop this disease. Lori Sakoda, PhD, MPH, ATSF, a research scientist and epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanente Northern California, explains what factors may come into play, what the ongoing research shows, and what knowledge gaps exist on this topic. Patti Tripathi hosts. 
The lung Composite Allocation Score (CAS) was implemented in 2023, and has shown to increase lung transplant rates and lower waitlist mortality. Host Alice Gallo de Moraes, MD, of the Mayo Clinic, interviews experts Mary Raddawi, MD, of Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and Amy Skiba, of the Lung Transplant Foundation, on the importance of CAS and how it has changed outcomes for lung transplant patients. 
 This Giving Tuesday, we have a special episode of the ATS Breathe Easy podcast. Wildfires are a destructive phenomenon that decimates communities, infrastructure, and wildlife. But wildfires and wildfire smoke are also severely damaging to human health, especially for those who have lung disease. Stacie Reveles, of the Cystic Fibrosis Research Institute, talks about her struggles living in wildfire country with a child who has cystic fibrosis. She discusses everything from dealing with medications and evacuations, the mental toll, and the importance of continued research into these illnesses. Air Health Our Health podcast creator Erika Moseson, MD, MA, of Legacy Health in Oregon hosts. Donate to the ATS Research Program today to help families like Stacie's: https://aeugmntn.donorsupport.co/page/Stacie The ATS Wildfire Disaster Guidance sheet: https://www.thoracic.org/patients/patient-resources/resources/wildfires.pdf  Listen to the Our Health in Wildfire Season episode of Air Health Our Health for how to prepare your home and community: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/airhealthourhealth/episodes/Our-Health-in-Wildfire-Season-e162en9/a-a2ata11 
 Smoking is the main risk factor for COPD in the United States and many other countries. However, it is important to recall that there are other causes of COPD, from birth experiences to environmental exposures. COPD expert Meilan K. Han MD, MS, University of Michigan Health, discusses non-smoking causes of COPD, what patients can do to manage their symptoms, and how clinicians and communities can help. Air Health Our Health podcast creator Erika Moseson, MD, MA, of Legacy Health in Oregon hosts. Patient resources: - ATS COPD resources: https://site.thoracic.org/patient-resources/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-copd - GOLD COPD resources: https://goldcopd.org/patients-advocacy-groups/ - American Lung Association COPD resources: https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/copd/resource-library  - UpToDate COPD resources: https://www.uptodate.com/contents/stable-copd-overview-of-management 
Exercise is key for managing symptoms for COPD patients. On World COPD Day, host Amy Attaway, MD, Cleveland Clinic, talks to Rachel Evans, MD, University of Leicester, and Russell Winwood, a patient advocate known as the "COPD Athlete", about how exercise can improve patient outcomes. They also discuss the annual Big Baton Pass, an international COPD awareness event, the importance for pulmonary rehabilitation, and the community built around COPD advocacy and support for patients. Learn more about the COPD Baton Pass: https://copdbatonpass.org/ 
As new studies uncover better treatments and practices, it is important to develop new clinical practice guidelines to ensure patients receive the best care. Julio A. Ramirez, MD, Norton Healthcare and University of Louisville, and co-lead of the guideline panel, dives into the process of creating an update clinical practice guideline for community-acquired pneumonia with host Eddie Qian, MD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, as well as the importance to the medical community and patients when making key care decisions. Check out the Community-Acquired Pneumonia Clinical Practice Guideline: https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/10.1164/rccm.202507-1692ST
 This episode was created in collaboration with, and first posted on, The Itch podcast. Mucus plugging is a challenge in asthma care. It’s thick, sticky mucus that blocks the airways and doesn’t respond to regular inhalers. Even when inflammation improves, these plugs can lower lung function, limit how well medicine works, and make asthma harder to control. In this episode, The Itch breaks down the study: “Effect of Dupilumab on Mucus Burden in Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Asthma,” published Oct. 28, 2025. The analysis looks at whether dupilumab (Dupixent), a biologic that blocks IL-4 and IL-13, can lower mucus burden and improve lung function, especially in people who start with a high “mucus plug score.” Read the paper: https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/rccm.202410-1894OC 
 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a group of lung diseases that cause airflow obstruction and other respiratory problems. There are various options for treating COPD, including the highly effective controller medication that helps improve a patient's lung function in the long-term. But as Antonio R. Anzueto, MD, professor of pulmonary and critical care at the University of Texas Health, San Antonio, explains, it is not easy for patients to use these medications. Listen as Dr. Anzueto and host Amy Attaway, MD, Cleveland Clinic, discuss the effectiveness of different COPD treatments, how COPD can affect other organs, and how AI might play into diagnosing COPD as technology advances. Support for this podcast is brought to you by Viatris and Theravance BioPharma. 
Vaping and e-cigarettes are often incorrectly thought of as thought of as safe, but research has proven this to be untrue. They are particularly unsafe for the developing brain of children and adolescents. Laura Crotty Alexander, MD, from the University of California, San Diego, explains to host Erika Moseson, MD, MA, that not only does vaping often lead to users moving on to traditional tobacco products, but it also has a major impact on mental health and mood that could be deadly. Check out the ATS Clinical Practice Guideline on treating smoking in adolescents: https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1164/rccm.202507-1577ST 
Learning how to perform procedures on patients is an important part of medical training, but how do programs decide what to teach? And how do they integrate the latest technology? Host Eddie Qian, MD, from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, talks to Meredith Pugh, MD, MSCI, and Kaele Leonard, MD, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Together, they discuss how they think about working with trainees and fellows when it comes to teaching important procedures. 
On this episode of the ATS Breathe Easy podcast, host Amy Attaway, MD, of Cleveland Clinic, continues her discussion with asthma expert Njira Lugogo, MD, of University of Michigan. They talk about collaborations in the pulmonary field, the importance of clinical trials, and career advice for those looking to join the field of pulmonology. In case you missed it, check out part one here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ubMlFuqsVI 
Federal cuts to the the NIH and other key research organizations have left both researchers and patients paying the price. Erika Moseson, MD, of the Air Health Our Heath podcast, talks with Mary Rice, MD, MPH, of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, about how these cuts have not only hurt her research on helping patients with respiratory illnesses, but the larger impact they have on science now and for future generations. Read the article in STAT News about Dr. Rice's study: https://www.statnews.com/2025/08/08/trump-cuts-include-cost-saving-research/ 
In light of the news of Paul Offit, MD, being fired from the FDA’s advisory committee on vaccines by Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr., as well as Florida’s decision to end school vaccine mandates, we are re-releasing this vital episode on the importance of vaccines.On this episode of ATS Breathe Easy, host Patti Tripathi welcomes two leading experts to discuss the critical role of vaccines in protecting children and high-risk populations. Dr. Offit, renowned scientist and vaccine advocate, and Tina Hartert, MD, MPH, professor of medicine and director of the Center for Asthma Research, provide an in-depth look at vaccine policies, hesitancy, and the consequences of declining immunization rates, including a measles outbreak.Check out the ATS Vaccine Resource Center for more information: https://site.thoracic.org/clinicians-researchers/vaccine-resource-center
 On this week's episode of the ATS Breathe Easy podcast, host Amy Attaway, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic, talks with Reynold Panettieri, MD, from Rutgers University on the BATURA trial, an at-home trial for those with moderate-to-severe asthma which ended early due to its highly successful results. Asthma patient Heather also talks about how the medication tested in the study, known as AIRSUPRA, has helped her manage her asthma better than ever before. The BATURA Trial: https://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/NEJMoa2504544 
As anti-inflammatory rescue therapies begin making their way to patients with asthma, new questions about implementation of this life-saving therapy are emerging, prompting more exciting research from scientists and clinicians. In the first part of this mini-series on anti-inflammatory rescue therapies, host Amy Attaway, MD, of Cleveland Clinic, discusses these questions and more with asthma expert Njira Lugogo, MD, of University of Michigan. This episode of the ATS Breathe Easy podcast is supported in part by AstraZeneca. 
Artificial intelligence is a tool that clinicians and researchers are implementing in their practices and research, but what about its use in teaching the newest generation of doctors? Richard M. Schwartzstein, MD, of Harvard Medical School, discusses using AI for diagnostic education and developing cases, how it can work as a physician-support tool, and more with host Eddie Qian, MD, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 
We're taking a breather this August as we work on bringing you more great episodes of the ATS Breathe Easy podcast. But we're not going off the air - instead, we're bringing back some of our best episodes of the last season. See you in September for season two! Amy Attaway, MD, hosts the latest ATS Breathe Easy episode with former ATS President Monica Kraft, MD, and Asthma and Allergy Network's Chief Research Officer, De De Gardner, DrPH, discuss the benefits and challenges of biologics for asthma. What factors guide selection of a specific biologic for asthma? When should a patient transition from one biologic to another? This episode of the ATS Breathe Easy podcast is supported in part by AstraZeneca.
We're taking a breather this August as we work on bringing you more great episodes of the ATS Breathe Easy podcast. But we're not going off the air - instead, we're bringing back some of our best episodes of the last season. See you in September for season two! Rolling back major EPA policies that protect our health from air pollution exposure is dangerous and even fatal in some cases. This episode features the chair and vice-chair of the ATS Environmental Health Policy Committee, Alison Lee, MD, (Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai) and Gillian Goobie, MD, PhD (University of British Columbia). Patti Tripathi hosts. Resources: The Southern California Children’s Health StudyThe Ella Roberta FoundationSilent Spring by Rachel Carson
 We're taking a breather this August as we work on bringing you more great episodes of the ATS Breathe Easy podcast. But we're not going off the air - instead, we're bringing back some of our best episodes of the last season. See you in September for season two! Erika Moseson, MD, of the Air Health Our Heath podcast hosts this week's episode with guest Daniel Croft, MPH, ATSF. Dr. Croft is associate professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. On this episode we share insights from the Climate Change and Respiratory Health: Opportunities to Contribute to Environmental Justice: An Official American Thoracic Society Workshop Report. For additional discussion on environmental health, please also view our recent Breathe Easy episode 12 “EPA Rollbacks Spell Grave Impacts on Public Health” for an up-to-date discussion of current national changes related to health care, environmental health and environmental justice. 
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