EMPHYSEMA TREATMENT STUDY DESIGNED TO ANSWER CRITICAL QUESTIONS UCSD
The National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT) is a landmark study designed to compare the benefits and risks of lung reduction surgery in addition to maximum medical therapy in treating patients with advanced emphysema. More than 2 million Americans suffer from emphysema, a chronic and debilitating disease that leaves patients struggling for every breath.
UCSD Medical Center is one of 17 major centers nationwide participating in the clinical trial, which has enrolled approximately 500 participants nationally so far. The study is jointly sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the federal Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA). This marks the first time HCFA, the agency that determines which procedures will be covered for Medicare beneficiaries, has underwritten a research study to evaluate a new surgical procedure.
NETT will enroll and follow 2,500 participants, all of whom will
receive intensive medical therapy and pulmonary rehabilitation
(a program of exercise, education and counseling). Half will be
selected randomly to undergo lung volume reduction surgery.
Lung volume reduction surgery removes some of the damaged lung
tissue to make room for the remaining lung to expand and function
better.
However, many questions remain unanswered about this procedure:
In January 1996, HCFA announced it would no longer pay for lung volume reduction surgery because its long-term benefits in treating emphysema had not been adequately established. HCFA's action led to the development of this HCFA/NIH collaborative effort.
“This national study presents an opportunity to answer important questions that will help physicians to learn whether or when to recommend surgery for their patients,” said Andrew Ries, M.D., M.P.H., principal investigator for the NETT study site at UCSD, and director of the UCSD Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program. “We will also learn a great deal about the evaluation and management of emphysema and the role of pulmonary rehabilitation in improving symptoms and function for affected individuals.”
To be eligible, patients must have severe emphysema, have not smoked for at least the past four months, and have no history of heart or lung surgery.
Patients enrolled in NETT will remain under the care of their own physicians and will also be evaluated periodically for response to treatment by NETT physicians for up to five years. Medicare will cover the study-related medical costs for beneficiaries who participate in the study.
“Even if a person does not meet the eligibility requirements, there are benefits,” said Ries. “For many people, going through the eligibility process is the first time their condition has been fully evaluated. If they aren't eligible for NETT, we are often able to offer them other options.”
For more information regarding the National Emphysema Treatment Trial, contact the UCSD Emphysema Treatment Program at (619) 543-2000, or toll-free 888-322-9064.
To Return to the Front Page, close this window (Alt+F4))