Chronic Bronchitis

This study is being conducted to determine the safety of repeat metered cryospray (MCS) treatment in patients with COPD with chronic bronchitis previously treated with MCS.

The Comprehensive Lung Center (CLC) at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC Health System) provides patients with any type of breathing or lung disorder a full range of diagnostic and therapeutic services. The Emphysema/COPD Research Center (ECRC) is a specialty clinic, within this center, that attempts to advance the understanding of emphysema and to evaluate new therapies for patients with emphysema. The Emphysema Research Registry will enable pulmonary research physicians to: 1) gather information and create a research registry of people who have been diagnosed with emphysema; 2) utilize this research registry with the purpose of conducting research that attempts to advance the understanding of emphysema and to evaluate new therapies; and, 3) use the research registry to identify potential candidates for future research programs. These aims will be achieved by the collection of DNA (genetic material)for analysis and storage in addition to pulmonary function tests and other medical information.

This is a prospective, randomized, parallel group, sham-controlled, multicenter clinical trial. The objective is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of pulsed electric field ablation system manufactured by Suzhou Hengruihongyuan Medical Technology Co., Ltd. for the treatment of the symptoms of chronic bronchitis in adult COPD patients with moderate to severe chronic bronchitis. A total of 210 patients will be randomized into the experimental group and the sham group (2:1).

In the in vitro modeling phase, the investigators plan to use a realistic human upper respiratory tract model and an asymmetric ideal bronchial tree model. By combining 3D printing experiments with CFD simulations, the investigators will investigate the respiratory tract deposition rate and distribution of micro - moist particles in ultrasound rock salt aerosol inhalation therapy. This will be compared with a small - volume nebulizer to verify the effectiveness of ultrasound rock salt aerosol inhalation therapy and lay the foundation for further research on the application of this inhalation technique to other drug formulations. In the clinical phase, the investigators plan to have subjects inhale radioactive aerosols and use PET/CT imaging technology to assess the deposition rate of aerosol particles in the lungs. By quantitatively analyzing the images, the investigators will study their distribution characteristics in real human bodies to verify the accuracy of the in vitro models and the potential for clinical application.

The COPD Patient-Powered Research Network (COPD PPRN) is a patient research registry with the goal of enrolling 75,000 or more COPD patients and those at risk who are willing to share their heath information over several years and participate in research. The COPD PPRN has built an online platform to allow volunteers to enroll electronically, complete surveys, be contacted about studies they qualify for and become connected to COPD resources. The goal of the registry is to speed research to find better treatments for COPD and ultimately a cure.