In reducing the size of a patient s lungs, doctors believe the smaller lung opens airways and returns some of the elasticity to the organ. You take out the upper portion of the lung or the areas that aren t functioning well, and that allows the residual lung to then fill the chest and become functional again. Iannettoni and Martinez are co-investigators on the project. Patients in the trial have emphysema so severe they are unable to speak complete sentences or walk across a room. All must be former smokers.
All patients undergo an aggressive exercise and breathing program.
After 10 weeks of aggressive exercise patients are randomly assigned to surgery or continued medical management. Furthermore, initial results of the exercise and breathing programs are uniformly successsful. Initial results of the combined medical surgical therapies have been promising, says Iannettoni. Their exercise capacity is significantly improved and their feeling of shortness of breath is markedly improved. The study will take five years to complete.