I found this article in a very good English site called breathless with emphysema which was founded by John Kirtley who spent 6 of his last years explaining
all about emphysema to us lay sufferers. I do know of course that stem cells are our best bet, however this implant could help people unlucky with stem cells
to breathe easier and live a few more years. I don?t know where to post this exactly so will post this to the- introductions- where I started the other day.
New Hope For Treatment Of Severe Emphysema: Minimally Invasive Metal Implant Makes Its First Appearance At Berlin Congress
A new type of implant for the treatment of severe emphysema, which can be placed using a simple, non-invasive procedure, has made its first appearance at the Annual Congress of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) in Berlin, to considerable acclaim.
This device - though, to date, tested on only a handful of patients - could provide a viable alternative to the invasive treatments currently used, including lung volume reduction surgery and lung transplants. The new, revolutionary approach was presented to the Congress in three scientific communications that provided an assessment of the new device's feasibility and effectiveness.
Nobody at the Congress could fail to be aware that, in Europe alone, over 13.5 million people have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This is an umbrella term, covering both chronic bronchitis and emphysema, conditions which lead to increasingly disabling breathlessness over time and kill 145,000 Europeans each year. COPD's impact on health costs is close to 700 million euros annually.
One of the underlying pathologies, emphysema, is an irreversible condition caused by a loss of elasticity in the lungs following destruction of the walls of the alveoli, small cavities responsible for gas exchange. When these walls are damaged, air becomes blocked in the lung, which begins to swell, making breathing increasingly difficult.
Over time, the patient becomes more and more short of breath and immunity is compromised, so that the condition becomes increasingly life-threatening.
While there are a number of drugs and other treatments that can alleviate symptoms in milder forms of the disease, severe emphysema is a major challenge. When it reaches an advanced stage, the gold standard consists of surgically removing the diseased parts of the lung, which is extremely invasive and carries a high risk of mortality. Lung transplant is also an option, but remains rare because of a shortage of donors.
There have been several attempts in recent years to develop implants, but success has been limited, largely because the emphysematous lung is characterised by a number of collateral airways that bypass the implant.
No surgery needed
This is the context in which the new device, presented to the ERS Congress by American and German teams, makes its promising debut. The implant, designed to restore or improve the patient's normal breathing mechanism, is made of super-elastic nitinol (a metal alloy). It aims to compress the lung tissue, restore its elasticity and reduce the excessive swelling of the emphysema-affected lung.
Unlike the current invasive surgical procedures, placement of the implant is carried out using only a bronchoscope, a small, flexible tube inserted in the lungs through the mouth, without any need for surgery or incision.
all about emphysema to us lay sufferers. I do know of course that stem cells are our best bet, however this implant could help people unlucky with stem cells
to breathe easier and live a few more years. I don?t know where to post this exactly so will post this to the- introductions- where I started the other day.
New Hope For Treatment Of Severe Emphysema: Minimally Invasive Metal Implant Makes Its First Appearance At Berlin Congress
A new type of implant for the treatment of severe emphysema, which can be placed using a simple, non-invasive procedure, has made its first appearance at the Annual Congress of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) in Berlin, to considerable acclaim.
This device - though, to date, tested on only a handful of patients - could provide a viable alternative to the invasive treatments currently used, including lung volume reduction surgery and lung transplants. The new, revolutionary approach was presented to the Congress in three scientific communications that provided an assessment of the new device's feasibility and effectiveness.
Nobody at the Congress could fail to be aware that, in Europe alone, over 13.5 million people have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This is an umbrella term, covering both chronic bronchitis and emphysema, conditions which lead to increasingly disabling breathlessness over time and kill 145,000 Europeans each year. COPD's impact on health costs is close to 700 million euros annually.
One of the underlying pathologies, emphysema, is an irreversible condition caused by a loss of elasticity in the lungs following destruction of the walls of the alveoli, small cavities responsible for gas exchange. When these walls are damaged, air becomes blocked in the lung, which begins to swell, making breathing increasingly difficult.
Over time, the patient becomes more and more short of breath and immunity is compromised, so that the condition becomes increasingly life-threatening.
While there are a number of drugs and other treatments that can alleviate symptoms in milder forms of the disease, severe emphysema is a major challenge. When it reaches an advanced stage, the gold standard consists of surgically removing the diseased parts of the lung, which is extremely invasive and carries a high risk of mortality. Lung transplant is also an option, but remains rare because of a shortage of donors.
There have been several attempts in recent years to develop implants, but success has been limited, largely because the emphysematous lung is characterised by a number of collateral airways that bypass the implant.
No surgery needed
This is the context in which the new device, presented to the ERS Congress by American and German teams, makes its promising debut. The implant, designed to restore or improve the patient's normal breathing mechanism, is made of super-elastic nitinol (a metal alloy). It aims to compress the lung tissue, restore its elasticity and reduce the excessive swelling of the emphysema-affected lung.
Unlike the current invasive surgical procedures, placement of the implant is carried out using only a bronchoscope, a small, flexible tube inserted in the lungs through the mouth, without any need for surgery or incision.