AeriSeal Foam for Emphysema Now on Trial in U.S. (VIDEO)

November 5th, 2012 Medgadget Editors Medicine, Thoracic Surgery

The University of Alabama at Birmingham is reporting that it’s the first in the U.S., as part of a late-stage clinical trial, to use the AeriSeal System as a treatment for emphysema. Developed by Aeris out of Woburn, MA, the AeriSeal is used to deliver foam to diseased areas of the lungs, reducing lung volume and addressing the ventilation-perfusion mismatch.

The polymer foam is initially composed of two components that are mixed along with air and injected with help from a bronchoscope. It takes about 30 minutes for the foam to harden and seal off the diseased pulmonary subsegments. Following the procedure, the treated areas slowly collapse and lung volume is reduced.

“We have been in search of a less-invasive way to achieve the same goal of lung reduction, without the risks inherent in surgery,” says Mark Dransfield, M.D., associate professor in the division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine and primary investigator in the new study.

“Based on previous studies and experience overseas, the AeriSeal System appears to be nearly as effective as lung volume reduction surgery without the more significant risks of surgery,” says Dransfield. “The main side effect of this therapy is an immune system inflammatory response with flu-like symptoms that resolves over the course of two or three days.”