Endobronchial Valves in Moderate COPD

Despite the best medical therapy many people with emphysema remain breathless and limited in their daily activities. In emphysema the lungs do not empty properly when the person breathes out. This "gas trapping" makes it harder to breathe. Endobronchial valve placement, a treatment that stops air getting into the worst affected parts of the lung and so stops them from trapping gas, improves lung function, breathlessness and exercise capacity in selected patients with severe COPD (chronic obstructive airways disease, sometimes referred to as emphysema). We want to see if people with less severe COPD who are very breathless can benefit from the same treatment. The treatment involves placing small valves into the airways using a fibre optic camera (a bronchoscopy). Bronchoscopy is a standard clinical procedure carried out in our department.