When my mom, Holly, had an acute exacerbation of her idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, she was transported to the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center. She spent the first three weeks in the intensive care unit recovering enough to get on the lung transplant list. When at last…
Face-to-Face from Far Away: Tech to Help Weather the Wait
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared Paragonix Technologies’ request that LUNGguard, its preservation system for transporting donor lungs, for commercial use. The request came as a premarket notification — also known as a 510(k) — which is an application to the FDA showing that…
Veteran entertainer and Tony Award winner Bernadette Peters will headline the 10th annual “Broadway Belts for PFF!” event to raise funds to fight pulmonary fibrosis (PF). Set for Feb. 24 in New York City, the star-studded evening of music, comedy, and performance is the single-largest fundraiser for…
After a lung transplant, a patient should not partake in some tasks or continue with certain behaviors. For example, I used to love to do yardwork, such as gardening and keeping my lawn in shape. But my transplant doctor recommended against it. I can’t do other activities as well, but…
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a cruel disease. Characterized by progressive scarring in the lungs that prevents oxygenation, IPF slowly steals a patient’s ability to breathe. There is no cure for IPF, and the only approved medications to slow the development of lung fibrosis are Ofev (nintedanib) and Esbriet…
Reducing the decline of forced vital capacity (FVC), a measure of lung function, can improve the quality of life, and lower the mortality rates and financial burden of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a new study has found. The study, titled “Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) decline,…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a vast government bureaucracy, employs about 17,500 people and had a budget of $5.7 billion in 2019. Yet even with its enormous resources, the FDA these days relies more and more on patients to…
Have you ever had to persuade yourself to do something? I often negotiate with myself to complete tasks I don’t want to do by rewarding myself with something enjoyable afterward. That worked when I was in school and cramming for exams: If I just get through this last chapter, I…
A software program called CALIPER may be useful in predicting the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and the effectiveness of antifibrotic treatment based on lung images taken through high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), researchers found. The study,…
As an English major with an interest in psychology, I am constantly analyzing the effect that words can have on people. Words are magical units of meaning that we can combine in infinite ways to convey ideas and thoughts. Some combinations can be healing, while others can have the…
