Optimizing bronchodilator therapy in emphysema

[Short-term effect of tiotropium in COPD patients being treated with a beta2 agonist]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the short-term impact of tiotropium in patients with severe or very severe COPD who complain of dyspnea despite being currently treated with other bronchodilators.

METHODS

A prospective study including patients with severe or very severe COPD and complaining of dyspnea at rest or on minimal exertion. Every 15 days, the bronchodilator treatment regimen was altered, from salmeterol to tiotropium to salmeterol+tiotropium. At the end of each regimen, pulmonary function tests and the six-minute walk test (6MWT) were performed. The degree of dyspnea and the ability to perform activities of daily living were also assessed. To evaluate patient ability to perform activities of daily living, we employed the London Chest Activity of Daily Living (LCADL), validated for use in Brazil.

RESULTS

We evaluated 52 patients, 30 of whom completed the study. The use of tiotropium in isolation resulted in significant improvement in dyspnea at baseline (mean Medical Research Council scale score reduced from 3.0 to 2.5) and at the end of 6MWT (mean Borg scale score reduced from 6.1 to 4.5), and the differences were significant (p < 0.05 for both). The use of the salmeterol+tiotropium combination resulted in a significant (81 mL) increase in FEV1 and a 5.7 point improvement in the LCADL score.

CONCLUSIONS

The introduction of tiotropium into the treatment of patients with severe or very severe COPD and using long-acting beta2 agonists improves pulmonary function and provides symptomatic relief, as perceived by patients in the short term. These results, obtained under real life treatment conditions, support the use of the salmeterol+tiotropium combination in specific treatment protocols for these patients.

Interventional treatment options for advanced emphysema: imaging manifestations

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a preventable and treatable disease characterized by progressive and debilitating limitations of airflow. Despite aggressive medical therapy, many patients with advanced emphysema continue to decline and exhibit disabling symptoms. Lung volume reduction surgery and lung transplantation can offer improved quality of life, enhanced exercise tolerance, and improvement in mortality rates in selected patients with advanced disease. In addition, newer bronchoscopic techniques to reduce lung volume in patients with emphysema are under development in an effort to duplicate the results of lung volume reduction surgery without significant morbidity. This article discusses the results of a variety of surgical and bronchoscopic interventions, with an emphasis upon the role of imaging.