BIRMINGHAM, AL (WAFF) -
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
have begun experimental therapy for emphysema.
Thursday, researchers injected a foam sealant into the
lungs of a former smoker.
The test subject has late-stage emphysema and is the
first patient in the United States to be treated in the AeriSeal System.
The therapy is a potential method to reduce lung volume
in patients with severe emphysema.
According the press release "the AeriSeal System
treatment is performed via a standard bronchoscopy, in which a bronchoscope is
used to thread a catheter through the patient's airway to the most diseased
areas of the lung."
The foam, once injected, hardens to a rubbery
consistency, blocking the holes in the air sacs associated with emphysema. After
a few weeks, the air sacs deflate and the lungs shrink, clearing the way for
normal diaphragm function.
The main side effect is flu like symptoms that clear up
in two to three days.
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