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Results of a multi-center international trial have shown that atiny, resilient metal wire called a lung volume reduction coil(LVRC), designed to gather and compress diseased lung tissue, mayoffer relief to patients with severe heterogeneous emphysema, asubtype of the disease that involves specific, usually isolatedareas of the lungs. The study was presented at the ATS 2012 International Conference inSan Francisco, demonstrating that the wire can easily be implanted,and potentially replace more invasive procedures to improving lungfunction in these patients. Leading author Dirk-Jan Slebos, MD, a pulmonary physician at theGroningen University's Medical Center (UMCG) in The Netherlandsexplains: "Our results indicate that LVRC treatment is technically feasiblein both upper and lower regions of the lung in patients with severeheterogeneous emphysema , and results in significant improvements in pulmonary function,exercise capacity and quality of life, with an acceptable safetyprofile." To help improve emphysema patients' breathing and functioning, theyoften undergo a lung volume reduction in order to isolate diseasedlung tissue, allowing healthy lung tissue to expand and improvefunction. However, surgery can be difficult and extensive given thatheterogeneous emphysema involves different areas, or lobes of thelung, which makes using the wire coils more effective and safer for these patients asthey can be implanted in relatively noninvasive bronchoscopicprocedures. During the implantation, the coils are compressed andexpand to their original shape once they are located in the lungtissue. LVRC has previously been deemed as safe and effective in patientswith severe upper-lobe emphysema in a single center trial. Howeverthis study involved 53 patients who underwent 101 LVRC procedures,including 46 bilateral (both lungs) procedures and nine unilateralprocedures at 11 different healthcare centers in France, Germanyand The Netherlands, assessing LVRCs safety, efficacy andfeasibility in both upper and lower lobes. The clinicians implantedbetween eight to fourteen coils in each procedure, with a totalnumber of 1,070 coils being implanted in the study. All recorded adverse events that occurred within the first 30 daysafter treatment and those that occurred between 30 days and sixmonths after the procedure were examined, in addition to varioustests being performed six months following treatment, whichincluded pulmonary function and exercise tests, as well asmeasuring the procedures' efficacy by using quality-of-lifequestionnaires. The adverse events consisted of exacerbation ofchronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), collapsed lung, pneumonia , chest pain and mild hemoptysis, as well as coughing up blood thatcould be managed with standard care. At six months, the researchers noted a significant improvement inrespiratory measurements, in particular in those whose lungs wereseverely hyperinflated. Those with severely hyperinflated lungsexperienced a substantial improvement in lung function, togetherwith hyperinflation, exercise capacity and quality of life. Dr. Slebos notes that these severe hyperinflation at the start ofthe study seemed to suggest a better outcome, saying:"Hyperinflation of lung tissue is one of the key pathophysiologicalfeatures of emphysema that is responsible for shortness of breath,and its magnitude seems to be a good indicator of successful LVRCtreatment." The trial is continuing with new data being collected. Dr. Slebos concludes: "The results so far indicate that the LVRC is a safe and effectivechoice for treating patients with severe heterogeneous emphysemawhere current medical treatment fails, and as we continue tocollect follow-up data, we hopefully will have a more completeprofile of its applications in this patient population." Written By Petra Rattue Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today Additional References Citations. I am an expert from solidsurface-material.com, while we provides the quality product, such as China Marble Acrylic Sheet , Acrylic Solid Surface Manufacturer, Marble Table Tops,and more.
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