Researchers at Sarasota Memorial Health Care System to study airway bypass treatment for emphysemaDecember 18, 2007Researchers at Sarasota Memorial Health Care System today announced the start of the EASE (Exhale Airway Stents for Emphysema) Trial, an international, multi-center clinical trial to explore an investigational treatment that may offer a significant new, minimally-invasive option for those suffering with advanced widespread emphysema. The study focuses on a procedure called airway bypass that involves creating pathways in the lung for trapped air to escape and in turn, relieve emphysema symptoms including shortness of breath. Emphysema is 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 to make exhalation ineffective, leaving the emphysema sufferer with hyperinflation because they can't get air out of their lungs. With hyperinflation, breathing becomes inefficient and the patient is always short of breath. Even the most nominal physical activities become difficult for emphysema patients and many become dependent on oxygen therapy. "We are excited to be part of this study because currently treatment options for the emphysema patients are very limited and many patients have a very poor quality of life," states Kirk Voelker, MD, principal investigator of the study at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. "By creating new pathways for airflow with the airway bypass procedure, we hope to reduce hyperinflation and improve lung function. If patients can breathe easier it is likely to improve their quality of life." During airway bypass, physicians will use a flexible bronchoscope to go through the mouth into the airways. There the physician will create new small pathways and place an Exhale® Drug-Eluting Stent - manufactured by Broncus Technologies, Inc. - to allow the trapped air in the lung to escape. Patients could see an immediate improvement in dyspnea (shortness of breath). "The airway bypass procedure could be an excellent option for those who may be considering lung transplant or who may not be suitable candidates for lung transplant surgery, which is one of the only other treatment options available for patients with this type of emphysema," states Todd Horiuchi, MD and sub-investigator of the study at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Physicians commonly use bronchoscopes to examine the airways within the lungs. During the airway bypass procedure physicians will first use a Doppler probe inserted through the bronchoscope to identify a site in the airway that is away from blood vessels. A special needle is then used to make a small opening and an Exhale® Drug-Eluting Stent is placed in the passageway to keep it open. The procedure involves placing up to six drug-eluting stents. The total time of the procedure is approximately one to two hours. This procedure is still under clinical investigation, but early data suggest it may hold promise for patients with emphysema. Emphysema affects an estimated 60 million people worldwide with more than 3 million sufferers in the United States. There is no cure for emphysema. Broncus Technologies |
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| 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 |
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