According to the trail conducted by National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT) it was found that emphysema patients benefited from surgery that those who take medications.
According to the trail conducted by National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT) it was found that emphysema patients benefited from surgery that those who take medications.
The bilateral lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) to treat severe emphysema has resulted in increased survival rates among these patients. NETT researchers describe the effects of LVRS after following 1218 patients for an average of 4.3 years, two years longer than the primary results reported in 2003. The earlier findings led to Medicare coverage of LVRS for patients meeting criteria based on the study results.NETT began in 1996 as a cooperative effort between the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Both are agencies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ‘Long-Term Follow-Up of Patients Receiving Lung-Volume-Reduction Surgery Versus Medical Therapy for Severe Emphysema’ is published in the August issue of the Annals of Thoracic Surgery. Gail Weinmann, M.D., director of the NHLBI Airway Biology and Disease Program, is available to comment on the study's findings.
Source: Eurekalert
