Free Pulmonology CME

Target Audience: Cardiologists and PCPs; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in Cardiology and Internal Medicine, with overlaps in Endocrinology and Hematology depending on the course topic.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by inflammation and obstruction of airflow in the lungs, resulting in difficulty breathing. It includes the conditions of emphysema and chronic bronchitis, both of which contribute to the deterioration of lung function. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, with a prevalence of 14.2 million.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:
In this online, self-learning activity:

Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) occurs at an estimated rate of five to ten per 1,000 hospital admissions and is the most common cause of hospital-acquired infection in the United States. It is defined as pneumonia that develops at least 48 hours after hospital admission and did not appear to be incubating at the time of admission. A significant subset of HAP that occurs most frequently in intensive care units (ICUs) is ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), which is defined as pneumonia that occurs more than 48 to 72 hours after tracheal intubation and is thought to affect approximately 10 to 20% of patients who receive mechanical ventilation for more than 48 hours. Altered mechanical defenses, such as impaired ciliary motion and mucus secretion, increase the susceptibility for acquiring pneumonia in intubated patients, with over 90% of pneumonia episodes that develop in ICUs occurring in patients who are intubated or mechanically ventilated.

Target Audience:
HCPs including: pulmonologists, infectious disease specialists, and intensivists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists specializing in infectious disease or critical care; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or clinically encounter patients with HAP or VAP.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Thymidine kinase 2 deficiency (TK2D) is an ultrarare mitochondrial disease caused by recessive mutations in the TK2 gene and manifesting as a form of mitochondrial DNA depletion/deletion syndrome (MDDS) and mitochondrial myopathy. Under normal conditions, the TK2 gene encodes for the thymidine kinase enzyme present in the mitochondria, which is responsible for the phosphorylating of pyrimidine nucleosides, deoxythymidine, and deoxycytidine. These are the first steps in mitochondrial DNA synthesis, and researchers speculate that TK2 mutations affect muscle tissue because its higher energy demands make it most susceptible to mitochondrial impairment. Mutational analyses of patients with MDDS have found that approximately 15% have TK2 mutations, which may be extrapolated to about 600 to 2,700 individuals in the US.

Target Audience:

HCPs including but not limited to: neurologists, pediatric neurologists, pediatricians, primary care providers, pulmonologists, gastroenterologists, and medical geneticists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and nurses who practice in the aforementioned areas of specialty; and any other HCPs with an interest in or who may clinically encounter patients with TK2D.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), characterized by misfolded and lower function of the serine protease inhibitor alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT), is a genetic disorder resulting in the degradation of lung structures. Reduced levels of AAT result in overactivity of neutrophil elastase, which destroys connectivetissue within the lung and causes degradation of alveoli, reduced pulmonary elastic recoil, and airflow. Breakdown of the alveoli eventually manifest as chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD), and otherassociated complications include liver disease, which occurs in about ten percent of patients with AATD.The most common cause of death in patients with severe AATD is respiratory failure, which accounts for45 to 72% of deaths.

Target Audience:

The following HCPs: pulmonologists and primary care physicians; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who practice in pulmonology and internal medicine; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with AATD.