PHILADELPHIA (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Lung volume reduction surgery, which removes a portion of a patient's diseased lung, has been performed on patients with emphysema for some time. The concern was its high mortality rate and whether it really worked. Now, Medicare has finished a seven-year study on this technique and its impact.
A couple months ago, Andy Gustchen would have needed oxygen to ride this bike. Forty-three years of smoking took its toll on Gustchen's lungs. He has severe emphysema. "You can't plan to do things," he says. "You don't know how you're gonna feel from one day to the next." Gustchen had lung volume reduction surgery -- a procedure in which the most damaged part of the lungs is removed to make room for the healthy portion. But the surgery has been controversial. It is not always successful, and it carries significant risks, including death.
"Patients who have a survival advantage are those who have a predominance of emphysema in the upper portions of the lung field," Gerard Criner, M.D., a pulmonologist/critical care specialist at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, tells Ivanhoe.
Because of the questionable outcome, Medicare would not pay for the $60,000 operation until they did their own research. "Patients who received lung volume reduction surgery, as a group, had an improvement in exercise capacity, breathlessness, an improvement in quality of life that was superior to those who received optimized medical therapy alone," Dr. Criner says.
Based on those findings, in January 2004, Medicare decided to cover patients who meet certain approved criteria.
That was a breath of fresh air for sufferers like Gustchen. "It's been phenomenal so far," he says. "I haven't had any oxygen since I've been out of the hospital."
Dr. Criner says the surgery is only recommended for patients with moderate to severe emphysema. Medicare has several additional requirements. For more information call (800) MEDICARE.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
If you would like more information, please contact:
Jordan Reese
Public Relations Manager
Temple University Hospital
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 707-5083
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