Potential treatment option for severe emphysema under studySeptember 25, 2008Emory University researchers are participating in a nationwide study to explore an investigational treatment for advanced widespread emphysema. The EASE (Exhale Airway Stents for Emphysema) Trial focuses on airway bypass, a minimally invasive procedure designed to reduce excessive lung inflation and shortness of breath - typical complications of emphysema - by making new pathways for trapped air to exit the lungs. During the airway bypass procedure, new openings are created in the airway wall connecting the damaged lung tissue to the natural airway. These pathways are supported and kept open by several new drug-eluting stents. "Emphysema permanently destroys lung function and there are currently limited treatment options for people with this devastating disease," says Rabih Bechara, MD, assistant professor and director of interventional pulmonology, Emory University School of Medicine. "This is an exciting study that could offer substantial relief to participants, and eventually possibly to the millions who suffer from the effects of emphysema." Emphysema, usually caused by chronic tobacco smoking, is a persistent, progressive and irreversible lung disease characterized by shortness of breath and the destruction of lung tissue. Over time, the tiny air sacs in the lungs, or alveoli, are damaged and lose their elasticity. This loss of the lungs' natural elasticity and the collapse of airways in the lung combine to make exhalation ineffective, leaving emphysema sufferers with hyperinflation because they are unable to get air out of their lungs. Breathing becomes inefficient and patients have to work very hard to breathe - making normal activities, such as walking, eating or even bathing, difficult. There is no cure and few treatment options are available for most patients. "By creating new pathways for airflow with the airway bypass procedure, we hope to reduce hyperinflation and improve lung function," says Bechara, principal investigator of the study at Emory. "Currently, patients are often in poor physical condition, struggling with each breath so if we can help patients breathe easier it is likely to improve their quality of life." Physicians commonly use bronchoscopes to examine the airways within the lungs. Participants in the trial are randomized two to one to an airway bypass or a control group. If randomized to the airway bypass group, 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 the stent is placed in the passageway to keep it open. The procedure involves placing up to six Exhale® Drug-Eluting Stents - manufactured by Broncus Technologies, Inc. Although this procedure is still under clinical investigation, feasibility data suggest it may hold promise for patients with emphysema. Results from the open-label Exhale Drug-Eluting Stent feasibility study were published in the October 2007 issue of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. Positive results included a statistically significant reduction in the amount of air trapped in the lungs and an improvement in breathing for patients at six months after the airway bypass procedure. Emory University |
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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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