Active clinical trials for "Lung Diseases, Obstructive"

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease state characterized by airflow limitation that is not fully reversible. Acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) with increasing symptoms like dyspnea, cough and sputum is the natural history of the disease and incurs significant burden to our health care system. In Hong Kong, COPD was the 5th leading cause of death, and accounted for at least 4% of all public hospital acute admissions in 2003. Previous studies have shown that pulmonary function and quality of life were adversely affected by frequent exacerbations. Strategies to decrease the heavy use of health care resources is urgently needed for the benefits of the patients and the society. Pulmonary rehabilitation programme (PRP) is a multidisciplinary programme of care for patients with chronic respiratory impairment. In COPD patients, the programme can be tailored individually and can optimize each patient's physical and social performance and autonomy. Previous studies on patients with stable COPD found that a PRP including education and physical training could lead to statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in health related quality of life and exercise capacity. COPD patients who just have experienced an episode of acute exacerbations are at high risk of developing another attack. There has been only one randomized controlled study looking at the effect of out-patient PRP for patients immediately after an exacerbation. It has shown that PRP immediately after an exacerbation was safe and improved the exercise capacity and the quality of life at 3 months. However, the follow up duration of the study was short and thus the effect of rehabilitation on recurrent exacerbations and hospitalizations is not assessed and this information is important. The investigators would thus like perform a randomized controlled trial to assess if a short course (for 6 weeks) out-patient PRP for patients admitted to acute hospital for AECOPD could have a positive impact on the patients by decreasing their health care resources utilization (recurrent COPD exacerbations, hospitalizations and accident and emergency department [AED] attendance) and improving the quality of life of the patients over a period of 1 year. Patients will be randomized to either a control group or PRP intervention group. It is hope that the information generated from this study will be able to give a guide to whether short course PRP is effective for the patient (in terms of quality of life) and the health care system (in terms of health care utilization).

This study is being conducted to see if PRX-08066 can lower pulmonary artery pressures in patients with pulmonary hypertension associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Hypothesis: The reduction of dynamic hyperinflation and its negative effects on the respiratory system following a bronchodilator could lead to an improvement of cardiac function in terms of increased cardiac output. This may enhance oxygen delivery to the exercising muscles in COPD patients. Bronchodilator administration may also have an indirect effect on V'O2 kinetics via its action on cardiovascular and pulmonary variables. Objectives: To evaluate the effects of a bronchodilators on V'E , V'CO2 , and V'O2 kinetics in COPD during constant work-rate cycle exercise, and to evaluate whether bronchodilators will accelerate, indirectly, phase 2 kinetics (usually slower in COPD patients than normal subjects) and shorten t for V'E, V'CO2 , and V'O2 and shorten half-times for HR and O2 pulse, thus showing an improvement of oxygen transport to the peripheral active muscles. To determine the impact of a bronchodilator-induced reduction in dynamic hyperinflation, and its effects on cardiovascular and pulmonary function, on exercise limitation in COPD.

The purpose of this study is to determine if sildenafil improves the exercise capacity and lung function of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The purpose of this trial is to study the effects of roflumilast on lung function parameters indicative of hyperinflation in patients with COPD.

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and tolerability of single doses of QAB149 up to 3000 µg delivered via a single-dose, dry powder inhaler in patients with mild to moderate COPD.

Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in such patients. Although bacterial of mortality in such patients. Although bacterial and or viral infections are considered as the major precipitating factor, the antibiotic strategy in this setting is unclear. The absence of overt infection remains controversial, and has not been adequately studied in patients admitted to the ICU. To assess the benefit ( or lack thereof ) of routine early systemic antibiotic therapy in patients with COLD admitted to the ICU. The primary objective of the essay is to evaluate the effectiveness of the precocious antibiotic therapy on the length of the respiratory symptoms with the admitted patients in polyvalent medical intensive care of chronic obstructive lung disease ( COLD )

The objective of this study is to determine if tiotropium (Spiriva, Bromuro de Tiotropio) 18 mcg once daily by oral inhalation compared to placebo increases the magnitude of daily physical activity observed in COPD patients, measured using an accelerometer.

This study evaluates the effect of two medicines on COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) exacerbations. This study will last up to 56 weeks, and subjects will visit the clinic 10 times. Subjects will be given breathing tests and will record their breathing symptoms daily on diary cards. All study related medicines and medical examinations will be provided at no cost. The two drugs used in this study have been approved by the FDA for use in patients with COPD.

The investigators' aim is to study the effect of cycling off criteria during pressure support ventilation in COPD patients at two levels of PEEP and PSV.