Current Research at Center for Healthy Lungs

BREATHE LA Center for Healthy Lungs funds research designed to identify interventions that improve quality of life for those suffering with lung disease. Funding is also targeted for research that promotes clean air and develops technology.

2006 -2007 Center for Healthy Lungs research funding

The first award of Center for Healthy Lungs research funding was made in 2007 to Arnold Platzker, MD, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, for his research titled "Childhood Asthma, Inflammatory Markers and Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure"

2007 -2008 Center for Healthy Lungs research funding

Chris B. Cooper, MD, "Controlled Feasibility Study of Community Based Exercise Program in Patients with Moderate COPD." (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; including emphysema and chronic bronchitis)

Margaret Nield, RN, PhD, "Implementation of a Breathing Pattern Retraining Protocol with Interactive Telecommunications System in Los Angeles County Better Breathers' Clubs." This research is designed to improve quality of life by ensuring COPD patients can talk face to face with their health care provider, without leaving home, by using skype technology.

Margaret Nield, RN, PhD.

COPD Research for BREATHE LA Center for Healthy Lungs. Dr Margaret Nield has a nursing background that brings a caring-focused approach to living with COPD. Her research will use e-technology to reach out to patients.

Chris B. Cooper, MD.

COPD Research for BREATHE LA Center for Healthy Lungs. Dr Cooper's research is a study of a community based exercise program for patients with moderate COPD to help seniors enjoy enhanced quality of life.

What is COPD?

• COPD is a serious lung disease, sometimes called by other names, like emphysema or chronic bronchitis.

• COPD is a multi-system combination of lung diseases that require subtle differences in treatment.

• COPD presents patients with a range of symptoms that share a common, and frightening aspect, inability to breathe.

• Air trapping occurs, called ‘dynamic hyperinflation.'

• COPD and Asthma have similar symptoms, coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing. "Inflammation of airway is common to asthma and COPD, but treatments are different"

Long term effects of COPD can include

• Cognition Deficits, lack of oxygen can affect cognitive function

• Muscle Wasting, caused by a lack of exercise due to inability to breathe.

Coping with COPD

The most difficult symptom of COPD is the inability to take a breath. "Patients not only struggle with the disease in general, they have the very frightening and very immediate experience of not being able to breathe. That produces anxiety." says Dr. Nield. "But there are ways to cope with the disease and with the challenges it presents. "With a chronic disease, you change your expectations. Each of us is different in how the disease presents and we can come to terms with a change in our lifestyle that allows us to accommodate the disease.It's a matter of knowing who you are and how your body copes with any long term disease. I see it as ‘health within illness,' not focusing on the disease, but on what your life can be in spite of the disease," Dr Nield says.

E-Health Care - Dr. Nield's BREATHE LA Center for Healthy Lungs Research

Dr. Neild's study is designed to demonstrate the efficacy of e-health care specific to COPD patients drawn from Veterans served by the VA hospital in Los Angeles. The potential for long term benefits of this type of health care include

• Service for remote or home-bound patients

• Using internet access, skype and web cam technology

• Humanizing the experience with personalized care

"As a nurse, I approach this with a different level of care. CARE vs CURE - is a nursing approach to health within disease," says Dr. Nield, whose specialty is Pulmonary and Chronic Lung Disease Symptom Management and Patient Self Care "My niche is as a nurse," she says, returning to her roots allows her to approach her research and her interaction with patients with a focus on quality of life, "COPD is a multi-system disease, similar to diabetes. Complex biochemistry is at play in the disease. Patients with COPD cope with anxiety. COPD is a psycho social disease. Exertion causes not only physical symptoms but creates a psychological change in the patient. People can't take their next breath they get scared that they can't breath. So in the treatment process they learn to pace themselves, to understand the levels of exertion they can tolerate and learn how to limit themselves, or pace themselves. They can retrain themselves to breathe at a controlled rate and can improve their health-related quality of life."

Dr. Nield's goals for her patients are simple, "You focus on how you can manage the disease. It doesn't go away but there are many things you can do to slow the progression of the disease and to develop quality of life."

Dr. Cooper's goals, to help seniors enjoy enhanced quality of life, will serve a similar purpose. All BREATHE LA Center for Healthy Lungs research is devoted to protecting the breath of life.