Compliance and functional residual capacity after staple versus combined staple/holmium laser lung volume reduction surgery in a rabbit emphysema model

Abstract

In this rabbit model, combined staple/ holmium laser reduction for emphysema results in significant improvement in compliance and trends toward improvement in functional residual capacity above staple reduction alone, but with higher mortality.

Effects of a Novel Implantable Elastomer Device for Lung Volume Reduction Surgery in a Rabbit Model of Elastase-Induced Emphysema

“…While the effects of the LVR in this study were compared to sham animals, not directly to staple methods, air leaks have been previously observed in this animal model of emphysema when LVRS was performed using staples. 25,26,28,29 In this animal emphysema model, the postoperative mortality of standard staple LVRS has been found to be approximately 20%, mostly related to air leak and pneumothorax. There were no operative or postoperative deaths in the 10 animals in the current study using the silicone LVRs.…”

“…A single elastase nebulization model has been extensively used in our laboratory to test the efficacy of standard LVRS, video-assisted thoracoscopy surgery, and laser techniques in previous investigations. [25][26][27][28] More extensive emphysematous changes were shown to result from multiple nebulizations. 29,30 In this study, 20 emphysematous animals were classified into two groups, an experimental arm (n ϭ 10) implanted with the LVR device, compared to a control arm (n ϭ 10) treated with sham surgery.…”