Calling Dr. Bauer I would like to thank all of our Pulmonary Paper readers for their support and kindness. I admire you each and every day of the year. Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2010! Dr. Bauer Many of my patients with severe lung disease, especially COPD, are clearly aware that…
ROX Medical Anastomotic Coupler System Study Mary Ann Cruse tells us about a Phase II clinical study she is participating in to evaluate the ROX Medical Anastomotic Coupler System (ACS) in patients with COPD. The study began in September 2009, and is slated to be completed in June 2011. The ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier is…
Medicare Coverage of Pulmonary Rehabilitation Dutch researchers studied 199 COPD patients with moderate airflow obstruction and impaired exercise capacity and found significant benefits when they were involved with pulmonary rehabilitation. British researchers found pulmonary rehab as the most effective non-pharmacological intervention to improve exercise capacity and health status in COPD patients. They noted…
Respiratory News Patients with moderate COPD can maintain the improvements they obtain from an 8-week pulmonary rehabilitation program for at least one year, provided they continue to exercise regularly. The data, reported by an Australian group, show that benefits are similar whether patients participate in a program that combines weekly supervised outpatient-based exercise…
Pulmonary Hypertension: A Misleading Name by Nancy Stearns, Group Leader Pulmonary hypertension is a misleading name for a disease: It doesn’t sound as serious as it is. People hear it and think blood pressure, something that can be controlled by medication. But pulmonary hypertension (PH) is different. PH is a rare lung disorder in…
Helpful Advice for Panic Attacks The European Respiratory Journal investigated the prevention of panic attacks in COPD. The study provides evidence that when people learn how to handle anxiety, it will prevent the attacks from happening in the first place. More proof that education is powerful! The Mayo Clinic has a web site…
Medication News of Interest Pharmaxis is preparing to launch Bronchitol, a dry powdered inhaler, in the United States and Europe. The drug has been shown to improve lung clearance in cystic fibrosis, chronic bronchitis and bronchiectasis. An orphan drug is one developed for a disorder affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. The…
Fibrosis File New Research on Lung Disease and Air Travel CHEST reports people with interstitial lung disease (ILD) are often concerned about the occurrence of pneumothorax (collapsed lung) or other life-threatening events during air travel. However, new research shows that there is a relatively low risk of these events occurring. Researchers from the…
Elderly Man Strapped to an Oxygen Tank Robs Bank On September 19, the LA Times reported, “A tall, sportily-dressed man in his 70s, with an oxygen bottle over his shoulder and a tube leading to a nose- piece, robbed the San Diego National Bank of an unspecified amount of money,” the FBI said. The…
Nutrition in COPD Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD) is the nation’s most rapidly growing health problem in both men and women. It is a complex disease affecting all elements of lung tissue – including alveoli, airways, vessels, and supportive structure materials and functioning counterparts, such as the cells which defend the lung…