Active clinical trials for "Lung Diseases, Obstructive"

Patients diagnosed with COPD as a result of hyperinflation adapt to the increased workload through shortening and overactivation of other muscles because of their dual function as muscles of the upper limb and neck motion which makes them limited in function and decreases the range of motion in these joints. Another resultant effect of these changes is the shortness of breath taking place following the inability of patients to perform daily activities. Current research is focusing on the use of Muscle Energy Techniques (METs) for such circumstances. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate whether METs result in an improvement in rib cage mobility which could potentially lead to improvements in pulmonary function and activities of daily of living (ADLs) in a group of patients diagnosed with COPD. If positive results are obtained, such an intervention might provide a possible addition to the evidence-based interventions already available for COPD patients. The result of this intervention may provide physiotherapists with further techniques for use in such patients; ones which will be of benefit to the patients and their quality of life and also to the health services.

In the patients with COPD mechanical ventilation, the bronchial dilatation is very common. However, the evaluation of the efficacy of the medical examination and other subjective indicators, such as doctors, depends on the doctor's experience; at present, there is no objective evaluation index. For patients with mechanical ventilation, the risk of cross infection can not only increase the risk of cross infection, but also increase the workload of clinical doctors and nurses. Therefore, this study proposes an objective evaluation method to evaluate the response of COPD patients to bronchial dilation. The hypothesis of this study can be used to guide the clinical medication through the test of the bronchus. If the patients with bronchial dilation test positive were used in the test, the patients were not used. In this evaluation method, the changes of airway resistance were measured by the accurate measurement of the patients with inhaled bronchial dilatation.

The study will investigate the effects of different training types ,including combined inspiratory with expiratory pressure threshold training,inspiratory pressure threshold training on patients with chronic obstructive airway disease and investigate whether expiratory pressure threshold training associated with inspiratory pressure threshold training would be better than inspiratory pressure threshold training alone, with regard to exercise capacity, respiratory muscle strength and endurance.

Early changes associated with the development of smoking-induced diseases, e.g., COPD and lung cancer (the two commonest causes of death in U.S.) are often characterized by abnormal airway epithelial differentiation. Airway basal cells (BC) are stem/progenitor cells necessary for generation of differentiated airway epithelium. Based on our preliminary observations that epidermal growth factor receptor, known to regulate airway epithelial differentiation, is enriched in BC and its ligand EGF is induced by smoking, we hypothesized that smoking-induced EGF alters the ability of BC to form normally differentiated airway epithelium. To test this, airway BC will be purified using a cell-culture method established in our laboratory and responses to EGF will be analyzed using genome-wide microarrays and an in vitro air-liquid interface model of airway epithelial differentiation.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a chronic condition involving an impairment in functionality and in the execution of activities of daily life. The hypothesis of this study is that an occupational therapy intervention added to a physiotherapy program and a medical treatment increase the functionality and the quality of life of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The pathomechanisms of COPD are still not fully understood, and up to now there is no satisfying causal treatment inhibiting the progress of the disease. Available therapy is in most cases symptomatic. Experimental and clinical observations suggest that treatment with ASA might be beneficial in the treatment of COPD in terms of respiratory and lung-functional improvement. To evaluate the efficacy of ASA as add-on therapy in COPD in comparison to placebo a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study will be conducted. Adult male and female patients (n=74) with proven COPD GOLD grade II-III will be randomized to 2 groups (i.e. 37 patients per group, stratification according to smoking status and gender). They will receive either 500 mg ASA per day or matching placebo over 12 weeks. Primary efficacy endpoints are changes in the lung-functional parameter FEV1 (forced expiratory 1-second volume) after 12 weeks of treatment. Secondary endpoints are the health score of the St. Georges respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ) and Peak-flow (PEF).

The Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is a leading global cause of morbidity and mortality, so it's important to find actions that could improve quality of life and decrease the mortality. The objective of this study is to verify if a ground walking program applied to hospitalized exacerbated COPD patients has effects in quality of life, exercise capacity, airways obstruction, body composition, heart rate variability, quadriceps isometric force and in the "Body-mass index, Airway Obstruction, Dyspnea, Exercise Capacity index" (BODE index). An evaluators-blinded randomized controlled study will be conducted in "Hospital Escola Municipal de São Carlos" where forty patients will be recruited to participate. The volunteers will be randomized in two groups with twenty patients, the usual care group, that will receive only the usual care of the hospital; and the trained group that will receive the same care, but will also participate in a ground walking program associated with respiratory exercises. It will be evaluated, in the start and at the end of the program, the health related and general quality of life and the Barthel index. Daily, the patient will be submitted to the Six Minute Walk Test, to a body composition analysis, to a hand grip test and to a dyspnea assessment, and will be calculated its BODE index. All patients will be invited to a follow up in the 12th and 24th weeks after hospital discharge, when they would receive the same evaluation of the last day in the hospital. All the collected data will be expressed in means and standard deviations or medians and range when appropriated. It will be chosen appropriated tests to compare and correlate them.

In this study the invetigators seek an answer on the following hypothesis: What are the long term effects of an IPV treatment evaluated with classical outcome parameters? (FEV1, Raw) Is the possible effect noticeable on the novel technique and is this comparable with the classical outcome parameters?

Introduction: With the rapid development in technology telemedicine has become a tool with the potential to improve and optimize the treatment of different diseases and to make diagnostics, treatment and counseling possible over shorter or longer distances. Home based telemedicine is a new method that leads to a series of important questions that needs to be answered. This study is designed to answer questions concerning patient safety in telehomecare, the patients´ quality of life, efficiency and a cost benefit analysis of implementing this technology. This study is about patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who are admitted to the hospital with an acute exacerbation. Approximately 24 hours after admission half of the patients are randomized to be admitted to their own home supported by telemedical equipment while the other half remain admitted at the hospital (typically between 5-7 days). Primary Aim: To investigate if telemedical surveillance and treatment in the recovery period of an acute exacerbation is just as safe as conventional admission of patients with COPD measured on treatment failure. Secondary Aims: To evaluate if telemedical surveillance and treatment in the recovery period of an acute exacerbation compared to conventional treatment of COPD: Is comparable in reestablishing Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV1). Demands the same number of treatment days/time before discharge/cessation of telemedical surveillance. Is comparable in quality of life in the two groups of treated patients. Have comparable adverse event profiles. leads to a lower total cost in health services (health economical analysis) Is possible to do for the patients (drop-outs because of the technical equipment or the patient does not know how to use the equipment.) 7 Is better seen from the physician's perspective when it comes to: The virtual patient contact / communication Technology The work process compared to the conventional work process Time spent with the patient Usability Improvement potentials ("the doctors view") 8. The equipment is satisfactory for the patient to use Method For this study a telemedical platform has been developed on which it is possible to treat patients in their own homes. The platform consists of a videoconference part that allows the patients to make contact to qualified medical staff and a technology part that can transfer vital indicators of the patients´ health condition (lung function, oxygen saturation, pulse etc.) 175 patients will be included with an expected drop-out of 20 % or 35 patients. The patients will be equally recruited from two hospitals (Frederiksberg and Herlev Hospital). All patients must have an exacerbation in their COPD that requires hospitalization to be included in this study. Each patient participates in the study for 6 months after discharge with follow-up at 1, 3 and 6 months.

In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) breaths at an abnormally high lung volume causes the inspiratory muscle to operate at non-optimal lengths, which reduce their maximal contractile forces. In addition, causes non thoraco abdominal synchronize, reduced inspiratory muscle strength and is associated with dyspnea and decreased exercise capacity. For these patients inspiratory muscle training (IMT) is a widely employed form of rehabilitation also targeting the respiratory muscle. In addition, patients often experience shortness of breath and a decline in exercise tolerance, resulting in disability in the performance of activities of daily living (ADL). The aims of this trial are to evaluate the effects of inspiratory muscle training associated with aerobic training on strength and endurance of inspiratory muscle, thoracic abdominal synchrony, exercise tolerance and quality of life patients with COPD. To compare the responses with the effects of aerobic training plus exercises of the trunk and upper limbs, and stretching of large muscle groups of the trunk. To compare difference in the perception of dyspnea during the ADL set (Borg Scale) with perception of dyspnea self-reported in the Medical Research Council (MRC), the London Chest Activity of Daily Living (LCADL) and the Pulmonary Functional Status and Dyspnea Questionnaire - Modified version (PFSDQ-M) before start the protocol. To investigate changes on perception of dyspnea (Borg scale), metabolic and ventilatory responses during a standard set of ADL tasks after a physical training and to evaluate and compare changes on perception of dyspnea. The hypothesis are that the ventilatory efficiency during the performance of ADL and the dyspnea reported from borg scale, the LCADL and the PFSDQ-M that quantifies the functional performance (change in activity levels) are improved during the IMT in conjunction with general exercise training in patients with COPD. The MIT increases the strength and endurance of inspiratory muscle, the exercise capacity and the quality of life compared to the general physical training. However, compared to the thorax abdominal synchronizes, higher modification is verified in the general physical training group with specific exercise to torso, limbs and stretching of the higher muscle group.