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Pioneering research targets children with cystic fibrosis

New research at Health Sciences North could help people with cystic fibrosis (CF) better live with the disease. People with CF commonly use devices called nebulizers to help treat the disease.
New research at Health Sciences North could help people with cystic fibrosis (CF) better live with the disease.

People with CF commonly use devices called nebulizers to help treat the disease. A nebulizer is essentially a large inhaler that delivers medication directly to the lungs.

But there is some disagreement as to when a nebulizer should be replaced to avoid the spread of bacteria.

A study involving the North Eastern Ontario Health Centre for Kids (NEO Kids) and the Advanced Medical Research Institute of Canada (AMRIC) at Health Sciences North is attempting to find a more definitive answer.

Pediatrician Dr. Gautam Kumar, along with AMRIC biochemist Dr. Justo Perez and microbiologist Dr. Mayra Rodriguez, are studying 30 cystic fibrosis patients to determine the right time to replace nebulizer equipment, particularly the tubing and mouthpieces used to deliver the medication to the lungs.

Over time, even with regular cleaning, bacteria can build up in the equipment that can lead to more frequent lung infections and persistent battles with dangerous bacteria.

“There hasn’t been a study as of yet to determine exactly when is the right time to replace nebulizer equipment,” Kumar said in a press release. “We know that replacing equipment is important, but due to costs, it’s done infrequently.”

Kumar’s team is following two groups of cystic fibrosis patients who were given new equipment. Patients in one group are having their equipment changed every six months, while the other group will change equipment yearly.

The equipment will be tested, to see if there is a difference in bacteria build-up, using a technique developed by Perez and Rodriguez to help capture and identify potentially dangerous bacteria that have colonized the patient’s equipment.

The patient groups will also be compared to see if there are differences in corresponding health concerns, such as lung infections, between the two groups.

Kumar and his team hope to have preliminary results in the spring of 2016.

The Northern Ontario Academic Medicine Association has provided $29,000 to fund the research project.

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