The Medical clinics of North America
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Med. Clin. North Am. · Jul 2012
ReviewMedical pneumoplasty, surgical resection, or lung transplant.
Over the last decade, advances in bronchoscopic and surgical techniques have expanded our treatment armamentarium for patients with severe emphysema who previously would have received a pessimistic outlook from their physician. Advances in our understanding of the different COPD phenotypes and its natural history has refined our selection process as to which group of emphysema patients will derive maximum benefit from LVR, bullectomy, or lung transplantation. Because emphysema is a progressive disease, initial treatment with bronchoscopic or surgical LVR or bullectomy does not preclude lung transplantation in the future.
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Respiratory diseases receive little attention and funding in comparison with other major causes of global morbidity and mortality. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been a major public health problem and will remain a challenge for clinicians within the twenty-first century. Worldwide, COPD is in the spotlight because of its high prevalence, morbidity, and mortality, and creates formidable challenges for health care systems. This review summarizes the magnitude of the COPD problem at the population and individual levels.