COPD & Emphysema Support Group
COPD is a progressive disease characterized by airflow obstruction or limitation. Emphysema is characterized by loss of elasticity of the lung tissue, destruction of structures supporting the alveoli and of capillaries feeding the alveoli. Both have symptoms that include shortness of breath, among other respiratory troubles. If you are a COPD or Emphysema sufferer, join...
Hi All;
My Scottish friend forwarded this very encouraging news and I felt I had to share it with all COPDers straight away.
Revolutionary artificial lung set to save thousands of lives
Dec 24 2008 by Robin Turner, Western Mail
A NEW revolutionary device developed in Wales can "breathe" for people with diseased or damaged lungs.
Expected to save thousands of lives across the globe, the artificial lung is also on track to save the NHS millions of pounds.
The portable respiratory aid is the size of a glasses case. And it mimics the function of healthy lungs so it can treat people outside expensive intensive care units, freeing space for others.
Designed by hi-tech medical innovations firm Haemair, it can "breathe" for people with a range of life-threatening conditions such as infections or chronic bronchitis and emphysema, which both come under the umbrella term chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).
Dr Steve Brown, senior engineer at Haemair, said yesterday: "There is urgent need for a device that will support life while patients recover from acute infections. If respiration could be supported without the lungs for just a few weeks, many infections would recover. Thus, people who currently die could go on to lead healthy lives."
Wales with its long history of mining has one of the highest rates of COPD in the UK. Latest figures show 1,500 people died from the condition in 2006 with thousands more confined to beds or wheelchairs as a result of the debilitating condition.
The company, which is based at Swansea University's Digital Technium, has now won an international award for the device. The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Industry Award for Innovation and Excellence 2008 was presented to its researchers, the university announced yesterday.
Haemair is now working with Swansea University and Abertawe Bro Morgannwg (ABM) University NHS Trust to bring the device into hospitals.
It will begin clinical use next year and is eventually hoped to be a viable alternative to lung transplants. Other applications could include treatment of soldiers exposed to chemical and biological weapons making the military and defence sectors potential customers.
The artificial lung works by taking blood from the body then passing it through a mass exchange device consisting of thousands of hollow fibre membranes. Air is then passed through the tiny tubes and oxygen feeds into the patient's blood stream while carbon dioxide is taken out of the blood.
The blood and air flows are controlled by a complex computer programme.
The 200g device has already notched up two national awards - the 2007 MediWales Award for Partnership with the NHS and the 2007 Technium Award for Most Innovative Company.
A&E consultant Dr Adrian Evans heads the clinical haemorheology research laboratory at Morriston Hospital, which is using its expertise in handling blood to help develop the device.
He said: "This expertise is essential in developing devices that are in contact with blood without causing blood clotting. This is because any device that returns blood clots to the body can lead to complications and endanger the life of a patient."
Haemair will initially develop external aids that support breathing while patients get better. Ultimately, the firm hopes to develop full artificial lungs capable of replacing diseased lungs altogether.
Dr Brown said: "The devices are aimed at both acute and chronic lung conditions. This is vital because although people can recover from acute infections, the only treatment for chronic lung failure is a transplant.
"Our treatment is based on a simple principle of not forcing diseased lungs to work harder. We believe this device will not only improve the quality of life for sufferers and avoid long-term lung damage, but will save lives.
"What's more, this should help primary health providers save several thousand pounds per patient by taking patients out of intensive care or high dependency units and into general wards."
Haemair researchers are also developing a second device. This will place the mass exchanger inside the human body, therefore eliminating the need for a blood pump and pump controller. In the longer term the device offers an alternative to complex lung transplants. Dr Brown said: "Such 'on demand' transplant opens up new areas of application, such as early treatment of lung cancer."
I reckon this could just be what we have all been hoping for.
God Bless:
Cheara:
PS: See WalesOnline.co.uk
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/12/24revolutionary-artifical-lung-set-to-save-thousands-of-lives-91466-2254262
My Scottish friend forwarded this very encouraging news and I felt I had to share it with all COPDers straight away.
Revolutionary artificial lung set to save thousands of lives
Dec 24 2008 by Robin Turner, Western Mail
A NEW revolutionary device developed in Wales can "breathe" for people with diseased or damaged lungs.
Expected to save thousands of lives across the globe, the artificial lung is also on track to save the NHS millions of pounds.
The portable respiratory aid is the size of a glasses case. And it mimics the function of healthy lungs so it can treat people outside expensive intensive care units, freeing space for others.
Designed by hi-tech medical innovations firm Haemair, it can "breathe" for people with a range of life-threatening conditions such as infections or chronic bronchitis and emphysema, which both come under the umbrella term chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).
Dr Steve Brown, senior engineer at Haemair, said yesterday: "There is urgent need for a device that will support life while patients recover from acute infections. If respiration could be supported without the lungs for just a few weeks, many infections would recover. Thus, people who currently die could go on to lead healthy lives."
Wales with its long history of mining has one of the highest rates of COPD in the UK. Latest figures show 1,500 people died from the condition in 2006 with thousands more confined to beds or wheelchairs as a result of the debilitating condition.
The company, which is based at Swansea University's Digital Technium, has now won an international award for the device. The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Industry Award for Innovation and Excellence 2008 was presented to its researchers, the university announced yesterday.
Haemair is now working with Swansea University and Abertawe Bro Morgannwg (ABM) University NHS Trust to bring the device into hospitals.
It will begin clinical use next year and is eventually hoped to be a viable alternative to lung transplants. Other applications could include treatment of soldiers exposed to chemical and biological weapons making the military and defence sectors potential customers.
The artificial lung works by taking blood from the body then passing it through a mass exchange device consisting of thousands of hollow fibre membranes. Air is then passed through the tiny tubes and oxygen feeds into the patient's blood stream while carbon dioxide is taken out of the blood.
The blood and air flows are controlled by a complex computer programme.
The 200g device has already notched up two national awards - the 2007 MediWales Award for Partnership with the NHS and the 2007 Technium Award for Most Innovative Company.
A&E consultant Dr Adrian Evans heads the clinical haemorheology research laboratory at Morriston Hospital, which is using its expertise in handling blood to help develop the device.
He said: "This expertise is essential in developing devices that are in contact with blood without causing blood clotting. This is because any device that returns blood clots to the body can lead to complications and endanger the life of a patient."
Haemair will initially develop external aids that support breathing while patients get better. Ultimately, the firm hopes to develop full artificial lungs capable of replacing diseased lungs altogether.
Dr Brown said: "The devices are aimed at both acute and chronic lung conditions. This is vital because although people can recover from acute infections, the only treatment for chronic lung failure is a transplant.
"Our treatment is based on a simple principle of not forcing diseased lungs to work harder. We believe this device will not only improve the quality of life for sufferers and avoid long-term lung damage, but will save lives.
"What's more, this should help primary health providers save several thousand pounds per patient by taking patients out of intensive care or high dependency units and into general wards."
Haemair researchers are also developing a second device. This will place the mass exchanger inside the human body, therefore eliminating the need for a blood pump and pump controller. In the longer term the device offers an alternative to complex lung transplants. Dr Brown said: "Such 'on demand' transplant opens up new areas of application, such as early treatment of lung cancer."
I reckon this could just be what we have all been hoping for.
God Bless:
Cheara:
PS: See WalesOnline.co.uk
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/12/24revolutionary-artifical-lung-set-to-save-thousands-of-lives-91466-2254262
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My 6mo twin DD's are EBF and just started rice cereal on the first. Everything has been going fine except this morning one of them had a diaper rash (lots of redness around her anus). I read this as one of the signs of an allergy. BUT I did just buy a different brand diaper yesterday (which they have used randomly before w/no issues). Do you think its the cereal or the diaper? Im ready to start...
They are making progress and offering more hope for us in their research for things like this new artificial lung so small, yet can give our lungs a chance to heal and recover from infection with out being on a respirator in ICU.
We will come to a point when COPD is managed like other chronic illness, which for us offers hope for longer, healthier living.
Thank God for our wonderful scientist's, and researchers, university's and our fine doctors who are working so hard to bring us hope for longer healthier life.
I am watching stem cell research. I think that will be our greatest advancement and possible COPD cure.
Thanks for posting this.
Have a great day filled with new hope for our future,
Love you all,
Holly
More information on the device can be found at: http://www.mediwales.com/resource/MWR_Winter2008.pdf
on Pages 9 and 10.
I had personally expected more progress than has been reported in connection with stem cell research, but a device like this has a lot of potential to help a lot of people.
The updated news on this innovation is that:
The 200g device has already notched up two national awards the 2007 MediWales Award for Partnership with the NHS and the 2007 Technium Award for Most Innovative Company.
It will begin clinical use THIS year and is eventually hoped to be a viable alternative to lung transplants.
Accident & Emergency consultant Dr Adrian Evans heads the clinical haemorheology research laboratory at Morriston Hospital, which is using its expertise in handling blood to help develop the device.
He said: This expertise is essential in developing devices that are in contact with blood without causing blood clotting. This is because any device that returns blood clots to the body can lead to complications and endanger the life of a patient.
Haemair researchers are also developing a second device. This will place the mass exchanger inside the human body, therefore eliminating the need for a blood pump and pump controller. In the longer term the device offers an alternative to complex lung transplants. Dr Brown said: Such on demand transplant opens up new areas of application, such as early treatment of lung.
Cheara.
notice from all over the world. Thanks for posting this incuragement to us all.
Friday, November 21, 2008, 08:00
PNEUMONIA patient Julie Bignone's life has been saved thanks to a revolutionary piece of equipment being used at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.
The hospital is the first in the South West to have benefited from a Novalung, which is used in Iraq and Afghanistan to treat blast victims.
The artificial lung kept the 33-year-old mum alive as she spent three weeks fighting pneumococcal pneumonia.
This week she returned to the hospital to thank consultants who worked to keep her alive and to donate 9,000 of Novalung equipment that could save lives in Gloucestershire in the future.
Julie said: "I wake up every morning and I can pick up my two-year-old son. There's nothing I can do that shows how grateful I am."
Julie's ordeal began in July when she began feeling ill. She developed a high fever, cough, shortness of breath and chest pains.
Julie's father became so worried about her symptoms he drove her from his home in Painswick to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital's accident and emergency department.
She was sedated and treated but as her condition worsened doctors knew they had to look to technology to save her life.
As her lungs struggled to support her and her kidneys failed she was given dialysis and put on a Novalung.
The Novalung acted as an artificial lung giving her time to heal. After three weeks of recovery, she was reunited with her son Matteo and husband Fulvio. The Novalung has been hailed by the hospital who say the equipment is revolutionary.
Dr Steven Twigg, critical care consultant, said: "When we used the Novalung we had run out of ideas.
"We are impressed. It is just being used in the UK and has proved invaluable in Iraq when troops are injured."
The artificial lung from Novalung GmbH is the first of its kind to be naturally supplied with blood from the human heart. The Novalung means it is not necessary to open up the patient's chest.
Julie and her parents, John and Andrea Cahill, donated 9,000 to the hospital to fund equipment. John said: " The care and professionalism shown by staff was exemplary."
See http://www.thisisgloucestershirw.co.uk/new/Mum-s-life-saved-revolutionary-lung-equipment/article-490335-detail/article.html
Respiratory Aid and Prosthetic Lung
The first device to be deployed will be the external respiratory aid. A simplified picture of this device is.
In the long run, we hope also to be able to incorporate the device within a complete prosthetic lung that will employ no electrical or mechanical parts. The unique feature of the Haemair approach is that it is aimed at conscious mobile patients. To this end, we match oxygen and carbon dioxide mass transfer rates to the respiratory demand of the patient. Furthermore, we employ a flow of natural air to provide oxygen and remove carbon dioxide.
There are three main variants of our device. The simplest to employ consists of a mass exchanger, as illustrated in figure 3. It takes deoxygenated blood, extracted from a main vein, removes carbon dioxide, replaces it with oxygen, and returns the oxygenated blood to the body. The second variant places the mass exchanger within the body to eliminate the hazard of taking a significant blood flow outside the body. The final version is a prosthetic lung,
In all three variants, mass transfer is controlled so that performance mimics that of natural lungs. In this way, the natural respiratory control mechanism controls heart rate etc, and control is fully integrated with the natural respiratory system.
http://www.haemair.com/haemair.htm