Researchers at Penn study new airway bypass treatment to help emphysema sufferers breathe easierApril 05, 2007PHILADELPHIA - Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are now studying an investigational treatment that may offer a significant new, minimally-invasive option for those suffering from advanced widespread emphysema. The EASE (Exhale Airway Stents for Emphysema) trial focuses on a procedure called airway bypass that involves creating pathways in the lung for trapped air to escape — and in turn, may relieve emphysema symptoms including shortness of breath. Emphysema, most often brought on by smoking, affects an estimated 60 million people worldwide with more than 3 million sufferers in the United States. There is no cure. It's a chronic, progressive, and irreversible lung disease characterized by the destruction of lung tissue. The loss of the lungs' natural elasticity and the collapse of airways in the lung combine so that the lungs can no longer deflate to let air in. The patient is in a permanent state of "breathlessness" - sucking in rapid, shallow breaths. Even the most nominal physical activities become difficult for emphysema patients and many become dependent on oxygen therapy. "There are limited treatment options right now for these patients who struggle for each breath," comments John Kucharczuk, MD, principal investigator, thoracic surgeon, and Assistant Professor of Surgery at Penn. "This new, cutting-edge, non-surgical procedure actually creates new pathways for airflow and could offer another option for those who would otherwise possibly spend years waiting on a lung transplant list." During the airway bypass procedure, physicians first use a Doppler probe inserted through a flexible bronchoscope (a commonly used way to go through the mouth and into the lungs to examine the airways) to identify sites away from blood vessels. Then the physician creates new small pathways using a special needle to make small openings. Stents are then put in place to keep the new passageways open. The procedure involves placing up to six Exhale® Drug-Eluting Stents - manufactured by Broncus Technologies, Inc.-to allow the trapped air in the lung to escape. Again, it is hoped this will deflate the lungs, by essentially creating a few new unobstructed air pathways, so that the patient can breathe more easily. The total time of the procedure is approximately one to two hours. Daniel Sterman, MD, co-principal investigator of the study and Director of Interventional Pulmonology at Penn, states, "This experimental technique could be revolutionary as it is the only approach being examined right now which targets the population of emphysema patients whose disease has destroyed tissue throughout the lung — and not just the upper lung zones. This technique would help those who do not appear to benefit from lung volume reduction surgery." Sterman adds, "Given that emphysema is such a devastating disease associated with permanent destruction of the small air sacs (alveoli) which allow the lungs to function — any new potential intervention could offer substantial relief to the millions of sufferers in this country." University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Related Emphysema Current Events and Emphysema News Articles U.S. and European Experts Applaud Creation of New Transatlantic Task Force on Global Antibiotic Resistance Threat Experts on both sides of the Atlantic applaud President Barack Obama and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, representing the European Union (EU) Presidency, for establishing a transatlantic task force to address antibiotic resistance, an urgent and growing problem that threatens patient safety and public health worldwide. Stereotactic radiotherapy offers noninvasive, effective treatment for frail patients with early-stage lung cancer Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) should be considered a new standard of care for early-stage lung cancer treatment in patients with co-existing medical problems, according to results from a national clinical trial led by UT Southwestern Medical Center physicians. Survey: Awareness of COPD is rising, but understanding is still low Awareness of COPD-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-continues to grow in the United States, according to national survey results released today by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health. UT scientists discover link between protein and lung disease In a development that could lead to a novel approach to the treatment of a devastating lung disease, biochemists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston report they are the first to link the osteopontin (OPN) protein to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). New genes at work in patients with hereditary lung disease University of Florida researchers have safely given new, functional genes to patients with a hereditary defect that can lead to fatal lung and liver diseases, according to clinical trial findings slated to appear this week in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. New genes at work in patients with hereditary lung disease Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the University of Florida in Gainesville have safely given new, functional genes to patients with a hereditary defect that can lead to fatal lung and liver diseases. Scientists open doors to diagnosis of emphysema Chronic inflammatory lung diseases like chronic bronchitis and emphysema are a major global health problem, and the fourth leading cause of death and disability in developed countries, with smoking accounting for 90% of the risk for developing them. Emphysema severity directly linked to coal dust exposure Coal dust exposure is directly linked to severity of emphysema in smokers and nonsmokers alike, according to new research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Lung volume reduction surgery shown to prolong and improve life for some emphysema patients Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) can have a significantly beneficial effect in patients with severe emphysema, according to the first ever study to randomize emphysema patients to receive either LVRS or non-surgical medical care. Protein may be strongest indicator of rare lung disease, study shows Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have discovered a protein in the lungs that can help in determining progression of the rare lung disease Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). More Emphysema Current Events and Emphysema News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||