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Criner 2018 — LIBERATE valves

One-paragraph summary

LIBERATE randomized patients with severe heterogeneous emphysema, hyperinflation and little/no collateral ventilation to Zephyr endobronchial valves or standard care. Valve treatment improved lung function, exercise capacity and health status, with pneumothorax as a major early hazard (PMID 29787288).

Key findings

  • Anatomical/physiological enrichment was essential to effect.
  • Benefits crossed physiological and patient-reported domains.

Limitations

  • Results apply to a narrow selected phenotype and experienced centers.
  • Pneumothorax and reintervention burden temper average benefit.

Why it matters

It made collateral-ventilation selection a validated treatment-predictive trait.

Cited by wiki pages

  • Overview
  • Emphysema procedures and transplant
  • Biomarkers and imaging phenotypes