Abstract

The British Thoracic Society (BTS) Guidelines for Bronchiectasis in adults were published in January 2019, and comprise recommendations for treatment from primary to tertiary care. Here, we outline the practical implications of these guidelines for primary care practitioners. A diagnosis of bronchiectasis should be considered when a patient presents with a recurrent or persistent (>8 weeks) productive cough. A definitive diagnosis is made by using thin-section chest computed tomography (CT). Once diagnosed, patients should be initially assessed by a specialist respiratory team and a shared management plan formulated with the patient, the specialist and primary care teams. The cornerstone of primary care management is physiotherapy to improve airway sputum clearance and maximise exercise capacity, with prompt treatment of acute exacerbations with antibiotics.

Details

Title
Primary care implications of the British Thoracic Society Guidelines for bronchiectasis in adults 2019
Author
Gruffydd-Jones, Kevin 1 ; Keeley, Duncan 2 ; Knowles, Vikki 3 ; Recabarren, Ximena 4 ; Woodward, Alex 5 ; Sullivan, Anita L 6 ; Loebinger, Michael R 7 ; Payne, Karen 8 ; Harvey, Alex 9 ; Grillo, Lizzie 10 ; Welham, Sally A 11 ; Hill, Adam T 12 

 Box Surgery, Wiltshire, UK 
 Thame Health Centre, Thame, UK 
 Virgin Care, Farnham Hospital, Farnham, UK 
 Respiratory Department, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK 
 Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, Leicester, UK 
 Department of Respiratory Medicine, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (Queen Elizabeth Hospital), Birmingham, UK 
 Host Defence Unit, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Brompton Hospital and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK 
 Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK 
 Department of Clinical Sciences, Brunel University London, London, UK 
10  Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK 
11  British Thoracic Society, London, UK 
12  Respiratory Medicine, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, and University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK 
Pages
1-7
Publication year
2019
Publication date
Jun 2019
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20551010
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2248354458
Copyright
© 2019. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.