Brain-injured patients are more likely to develop respiratory disorders and vice versa because the brain and the lungs communicate through complex bi-directional pathways which are not yet fully understood. There is a need for increased knowledge of the neuroanatomical, humoral, immune and metabolic pathways that the brain and lung use to talk to each other. Therefore, BMC Pulmonary Medicine has launched a call for papers to bring together research on the mechanisms underlying crosstalk between the brain and the lungs as well as studies investigating the epidemiology, pathophysiology and management of lung disorders in brain-injured patients to create an open access resource for all those interested in the field.

To learn more about the Collection’s scope, read the opening editorial written by the Guest Editors, which discusses recent advances, knowledge gaps and challenges faced by researchers investigating crosstalk between the brain and the lungs.

Denise Battaglini: Consultant in Neuro and General Intensive Care, Policlinico San Martino Hospital, Italy

Denise Battaglini is Consultant in Intensive Care at San Martino Policlinico Hospital, Genoa, Italy. Dr Battaglini is attending a PhD in Translational Medicine at the University of Barcelona, Spain. She attended two research fellowhips in pneumonia and respiratory physiotherapy at the University of Barcelona, Spain, and in neurological and pulmonary critical care at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is involved in several research projects regarding critical care management of patients with pulmonary and neurological diseases, neurological complications of COVID-19 ARDS, ventilator-associated pneumonia, respiratory physiotherapy, and lung-and-gut microbiota in neurocritically ill patients.

Chiara Robba: Consultant in Neuro and General Intensive Care, Policlinico San Martino Hospital, Italy

Dr Town is an Assistant Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Washington. He works in the Intensive Care Units at Harborview Medical Center where he is also the Director of the Medical ICU. His clinical and academic interests are in quality improvement, post-cardiac arrest care, bedside ultrasound and medical education.

Sarah Wahlster: Section Head, Neurocritical Care in the Department of Neurology at the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

Dr Wahlster obtained her medical degree at the Ruprecht-Karls Universität Heidelberg, followed by a post-doc in Epigenetics of Neurodegenerative Disease at Harvard Medical School. She completed neurology residency and neurocritical care fellowship at MassGeneral/Brigham in Boston, and is now the section head of Neurocritical Care in the Department of Neurology at Harborview Medical Center. Her academic interests include Mechanical Ventilation in Acute Brain Injury, Extubation and Tracheostomy Decisions in the NeuroICU, Long-Term Outcomes of Patients and their Families After Severe Acute Brain Injury, Neuroprognostication after Cardiac Arrest, Neurological Care in Resource-Limited Settings, and Medical Education.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Guest Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Guest Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.

Submission Status: Open   |   Submission Deadline: 10 January 2024