BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Academic & Professional Background

• M.D. 1984 - Catholic University of the Sacred Heart School of Medicine, Rome, Italy
• Research Associate (Critical Care Medicine) 1987 - University of Maryland Shock Trauma, Baltimore
• Resident (Internal Medicine) 1990 - St. Mary's Hospital, Rochester, New York
• Fellow (Critical Care Medicine) 1991 - University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore
• Research Fellow (Pulmonary) 1992 - National Heart and Lung Institute, Brompton Hospital, London, United Kingdom
• Fellow (Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine) 1993 - Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, Illinois

Current Research Interests

• Respiratory Muscle Function
• Mechanical Ventilation - Patient/Ventilator Interaction
• Mechanical Ventilation - Acute Respiratory Failure
• Mechanical Ventilation - Weaning
• Aging/Testosterone/Hypogonadism
• Phrenic Nerve Stimulation - Electrical and Magnetic
• Clinical Trials

Selected Publications

Hatipoglu U, Laghi F, Tobin M. Does inhaled albuterol improve diaphragmatic contractility in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? Am J Respir Crit Care Med (in press), 2000.

Laghi F, Tobin MJ. Disorders of the respiratory muscles. In: Rehabilitation of the Patients with Respiratory Diseases. Cherniak NS, Homma I (Eds.), McGraw-Hill Co., New York, 1999.

Topeli A, Laghi F, Tobin M. Can diaphragmatic contractility be assessed by twitch airway pressures in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? Am J Respir Crit Care Med 160:1369-1374, 1999.

Laghi F, Karamchandani K, Tobin M. Which ventilator settings determine respiratory frequency during mechanical ventilation? Am J Respir Crit Care Med 160:1766-1770, 1999.

Laghi F, Topeli A, Tobin MA. Does resistive loading decrease diaphragmatic contractility before task failure? J Appl Physiol 85:1103-1112, 1998.

Jubran A, Laghi F, Mazur M, Parthasarathy S, Garrity ER, Fahey PJ, Tobin MJ. Partitioning of lung and chest wall mechanics before and after lung volume reduction surgery. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 158:306-310, 1998.

Tobin MJ, Laghi F. Respiratory neuromuscular function. In: Principles and Practice of Intensive Care Monitoring. Tobin MJ (Ed.), McGraw-Hill Co., New York, 1998.

Tobin MJ, Laghi F, Jubran A. Respiratory muscle dysfunction in mechanically-ventilated patients. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry 179:87-98, 1998.

Laghi F, Jubran A, Topeli A, Fahey PJ, Garrity ER, Arcidi JM, DePinto DJ, Edwards LC, Tobin MJ. Effect of lung reduction surgery on neuromechanical coupling of the diaphragm. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 157:475-483, 1998.

Tobin MJ, Laghi F. Weaning from mechanical ventilation. In: Current Therapy in Critical Care Medicine, 3rd Edition. Parillo JE (Ed.), Mosby, Philadelphia, 1997.

Tobin MJ, Jubran A, Laghi F, Fahey PJ. Mechanical ventilation: Respiratory muscle fatigue and weaning. In: Acute Lung Injury. Vincent JL, Marini JJ, Evans TW (Eds.), Springer Verlag, Heidelberg, Germany, 1997.

Laghi F, Tobin MJ. Relationship between transdiaphragmatic pressure and mouth twitch pressures at functional residual capacity. Eur Resp J 10:530-536, 1997.

Laghi F, Harrison M, Tobin MJ. Comparison of magnetic and electrical phrenic nerve stimulation in assessment of diaphragmatic contractility. J Appl Physiol 80:1731-1742, 1996.

Laghi F, D'Alfonso N, Tobin MJ. Pattern of recovery from diaphragmatic fatigue over 24 hours. J Appl Physiol 79:539-46, 1995.

Yeldandi VJ, Laghi F, McCabe M, Garrity E. Aspergillus infections in lung transplantation: The magnitude of the problem. J Heart Lung Transpl 14:883-890, 1995.

Laghi F, Tobin MJ. Weaning. Current Opinion in Critical Care 1:71-76, 1995.

Tobin MJ, Laghi F, Walsh JM. Monitoring of respiratory neuromuscular function. In: Principles and Practice of Mechanical Ventilation. Tobin MJ (Ed.), McGraw-Hill Co., New York, 1994.

Laghi F, Siegel J, Rivkind A, et al. Respiratory index/pulmonary shunt relationship. Quantification of severity and prognosis in the post-traumatic adult respiratory distress syndrome. Crit Care Med 17:1121, 1989.

Projects Completed or Active (Selected)

• Characteristics and Mechanisms of Respiratory Muscle Fatigue
• Testosterone and Muscle Performance in Elderly Patients with and without Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
• Determination of the Static Volume-Pressure Curves of the Respiratory System in Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
• Non-Invasive Ventilation During Exercise in Patients with Severe COPD
• Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blind, Multicenter Comparison of the Safety and Efficacy of Sequential (IV/PO) BAY 12-8039 400/400 mg QD for 7-14 days versus Sequential (IV/PO) Trovan 200/200 mg QD for 7-14 days in the Treatment of Patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia

Research Funding Sources

• VA Merit Review
• VA Research Advisory Group (RAG)
• American College of Chest Physicians
• American Lung Association
• AMVET Reactivation Center
• Bayer Pharmaceuticals
• Pfizer
• Rhone-Poulanc Rorer

Research Methods Employed

• Electrical and Magnetic Phrenic Nerve Stimulation
• Respiratory Inductive Plethysmography
• Esophageal and Gastric Pressure Measurement
• Diaphragmatic Ultrasonography
• Respiratory Mechanics and Respiratory Muscle Function Assessment in ICU Patients

Professional Accomplishments

• Member, Editorial Board, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
• Manuscript Reviewer, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
• Manuscript Reviewer, Chest
• Manuscript Reviewer, European Respiratory Journal
• Member, Program Committee - ATS Respiratory Structure and Function Assembly
• Member, Awards Panel - ATS Critical Care Assembly

Honors

• 1996 - Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelly Award in Pulmonary Medicine
• 1995 - Fellow, American College of Chest Physicians