Characterizing Gas Exchange Physiology in healthy Young Electronic-Cigarette Users with hyperpolarized 129Xe MRI: a Pilot Study.

We speculate that the pulmonary “hyperemia” suggested by HP-129Xe MRI has a potential to predispose e-cigarette users to acute lung injury under the right clinical circum
stances of “second” hits, such as infection or
cannabinol. We speculate that exhaustion of reserve ventilation-perfusion match may lead to loss of activity tolerance if e-cigarette users continue to smoke. We need to note that our work lacks chest CT to verify structural and perfusion findings. A small number of subjects limits the extent of our conclusion, warranting careful
tion. However, our results are significant, in our opinion, because healthy asymptomatic young adults have
mal respiratory physiology in their 20s with completely normal PFTs after a relatively short duration of e-cigarette use. Considering the urgency of the e-cigarette epidemic among adolescents and young adults, we feel compelled to present this exploratory data to stimulate discussion on the potentially harmful effects of e-cigarettes even during the early period of use. Our study also compels us to plan a larger clinical trial to determine the pathologic effects of e-cigarette use by applying HP-129Xe MRI.

he M, qing K, Tustison NJ, et al. Characterizing Gas Exchange Physiology in healthy Young Electronic-Cigarette Users with hyperpolarized 129Xe MRI: a Pilot Study. International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 2021;16:3183-3187. doi:10.2147/COPD.S324388