Cooper doctors taking part in emphysema treatment trial

Physicians at Cooper University Health Care in Camden are taking part in a clinical trial to test the effectiveness of a less-invasive treatment for patients with severe emphysema. Cooper announced it is one of about 24 sites participating in U.S. clinical trials of the new emphysema treatment, called “EMPROVE.”Dr. Wissam Abouzgheib, director of interventional pulmonology, division of pulmonary medicine, is leading Cooper’s participation in the EMPROVE trial. The trial will evaluate using bronchial valves — small implantable medical devices — for patients with severe emphysema who otherwise have limited treatment options or may be candidates for a lung transplant or surgery to remove part of their lung.

“Emphysema is a disease of the lungs that can make breathing difficult,” Abouzgheib said. He said that, with emphysema, air sacs in the lung are damaged, which makes it difficult for air to exit the sacs and allows air to become trapped in diseased areas of the lung, which interferes with the function of the healthier areas of the lung.

In the EMPROVE trial, a valve is placed inside the airways of diseased or hyperinflated parts of the lung and redirects the air to healthier parts of the lung, making it easier for the patient to breathe.

The trial is composed of two randomly chosen groups: the treatment group will receive the valves and the control group that will not. Both groups will be under a doctor’s care throughout the trial.

Emphysema patients who want more information about the EMPROVE clinical trial can contact Patricia Niblack at (856) 968-7269.

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