Researchers Recommend Enzyme Treatment for Lung Disorder
Posted on: Friday, 14 July 2006, 09:00 CDT
The enzyme urokinase should be the primary treatment against infection in the lung lining because it costs 25% less than video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, according to researchers.
The researchers found that the two treatments for empyema (a build-up of pus) in the space surrounding the lungs were about as effective as each other, but concluded that the enzyme treatment was preferable because of its cheaper cost.
The study results appear in the second issue for July 2006 of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, published by the American Thoracic Society.
Dr Samatha Sonnappa, of the Portex Respiratory Unit at the Institute of Child Health in London, and seven associates studied 60 children with empyema, which involves pus from pneumonia infecting the pleural membrane lining the lung walls.
Thirty children were treated with chest drainage using intrapleural urokinase, and 30 underwent video-assisted thorascopic surgery for the problem. The average age of the patients was three and a half.
The pleura is a very thin, transparent membrane that covers the lungs and lines the inside of the chest wall. Empyema occurs when pus from pneumonia or a lung abscess spreads into the pleural space. About 0.6% of childhood pneumonia progresses to empyema.
"The aim of treatment in empyema is to sterilize the pleural cavity, reduce fever and ensure the full expansion of the lung so it can return to normal function," said Dr Sonnappa. "Our study is the first randomized prospective trial to compare chest drain against primary video-assisted thorascopic surgery for the treatment of empyema in children."
No significant clinical differences were found between each treatment group in terms of length of hospital stay after intervention, failure rate of the procedure or radiologic outcome at six months after the procedure.
Source: Datamonitor
Related Articles
- Teen Girls Diagnosed With STI More Likely To Seek Treatment For Partners After Watching Video
- Bypass Surgery Has Long-term Benefits For Children With Kawasaki Disease
- Active Video Games Help Children Burn Calories
- Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC Involved in Projects To Develop Nation's First Heart Assist Devices for Young Children
- FDA Accepts Wyeth's Supplemental New Drug Application for Tygacil for the Treatment of Patients With Community-Acquired Pneumonia
- New Vision Center Will Develop, Implement and Disseminate Innovative Strategies for the Prevention and Treatment of Blindness and Other Visual Disorders in Children; The Vision Center at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Now the Only Program in the United S
- Doctor Promotes New Lung Surgery Technique
- New Standards for Lung Surgery Issued
- Chest X-Ray-Confirmed Pneumonia in Children in Fiji
- Tuberculosis, Nontuberculous Lung Infection, Pleural Disorders, Pulmonary Function, Respiratory Muscles, Occupational Lung Disease, Pulmonary Infections, and Social Issues in AJRCCM in 2004
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds