FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION
September 21, 1999
Kathy Keadle, 502-587-4230
JEWISH HOSPITAL PHYSICIAN PERFORMS
KENTUCKY'S FIRST LIQUID VENTILATION TREATMENT
LiquiVent© breathable liquid drug may help clean, heal lungs
(LOUISVILLE) Last week, physicians at Jewish Hospital were the first in Kentucky to
use liquid ventilation to treat a critically ill patient suffering with acute respiratory
distress syndrome (ARDS). Liquid ventilation therapy opens collapsed alveoli (air sacs)
and facilitates the exchange of respiratory gases while protecting the lungs from some
of the harmful effects of conventional mechanical ventilation.
Acute lung injury (ALI) is a life-threatening condition that can result from a variety of
underlying causes such as trauma, burns, infection or shock. Patients with ALI and
ARDS, the most severe stage of ALI, experience damage to the alveoli, causing fluid
and inflammatory cells to leak into the lungs. In short, patients with ARDS remain in a
state of near drowning.
As the lungs become less able to exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen in the blood,
oxygen starvation threatens all organs. Standard therapy for ALI and ARDS patients
involves forcibly opening the alveoli with positive pressure ventilation and a gas
exchange ventilator. This treatment often requires dangerously high oxygen
concentrations and gas pressures, which can lead to further lung tissue damage.
These patients generally require extended hospitalization in intensive care units.
Such a patient in the ICU at Jewish Hospital was the first in Kentucky to be treated
with this amazing new technology last week. According to Dr. Lonnie Rouben,
attending pulmonologist, "I have worked in ICU for years, but I have never seen a
patient with such severe lung injury from this type of insult improve this dramatically so
quickly. I believe that liquid ventilation has the potential to revolutionize the way we
take care of such critically ill patients."
Liquid ventilation is performed with LiquiVent, a drug made by Alliance Pharmaceutical
Corp. The technique involves administering the drug to a mechanically-ventilated
patient by trickling the liquid into the lungs via the tube connecting the patient to the
ventilator. As the ventilator provides oxygen and removes carbon dioxide, LiquiVent
keeps the alveoli open and facilitates the exchange of gases; this allows for the
pressure setting to be reduced, effectively reducing ventilator-induced lung damage.
The drug is allowed to evaporate and leaves the lungs via exhalation when the
treatment is completed.
The potential benefits of LiquiVent include: ú High solubility for oxygen and carbon
dioxide, which may improve gas exchange and reduce oxygen toxicity. ú High density
enables opening of alveoli, which may reduce lung damage caused by barotrauma
(high ventilatory pressure) and volutrauma (over-extension of the alveoli). ú Immiscibility
(insolubility) with body fluids and water helps remove debris from the lungs. ú Low
surface tension may improve lung elasticity. ú Positive spreading coefficient allows the
drug to open collapsed areas and redistribute blood flow to the lungs. ú Physical barrier
effect may hinder formation of debris and leakage of inflammatory cells into the lungs. ú
Water-like viscosity allows for easy flow into the lungs. ú Vapor pressure is ideal for
easy removal from the lungs via exhalation.
Jewish Hospital is participating in the FDA Phase 3 clinical evaluation of LiquiVent. Dr.
Rouben is principal investigator of the study at Jewish Hospital, being conducted with
co-investigators Drs. Judah Skolnick, Jos‚ Medieta and Michael Bousamra. The
treatment is intended to address the needs of over 800,000 people in the U.S. who
receive more than 24-hours of mechanical ventilation each year.
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For more information, b-roll, artwork or to interview Dr. Rouben, please call Kathy
Keadle at 587-4230.
Jewish Hospital among the top ten cardiac centers in the United States (by volume)
and is dedicated to excellence, research and education. Jewish Hospital was ranked
by U.S. News and World Report among the "Best Hospitals" for respiratory care in
1999. Jewish Hospital is also one of only a few facilities in the world offering a
complete range of surgical treatments for end-stage heart failure, including
transplantation, ventricular assist devices, cardiomyoplasty and ventricular remodeling.
For more information, visit www.jewishheartlung.org and follow the links to Clinical
Trials.
Alliance Pharmaceutical Corp. is a research and development company focused on
transforming innovative scientific discoveries into novel therapeutic and diagnostic
agents. Alliance is developing unique therapeutic and diagnostic products derived from
its versatile core technologies. These products are based upon the Company's
expertise with perfluorochemicals, surfacants and pharmaceutical manufacturing
processes. For more information, visit www.allp.com.
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217 East Chestnut Street
Louisville, Kentucky 40202
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