Clinical Interests

Dr. Sciurba’s clinical focus is on advanced or difficult to manage patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) including emphysema. Dr. Sciurba, with colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh, have extensive experience in evaluating patients for lung volume reduction surgery. In addition, consideration for enrollment in bronchoscopic volume reduction or other novel, pharmacologic, or biologic clinical trials considered for patients whose options are limited. Dr. Sciurba’s clinical and research philosophy revolves around the fact that all patients have a unique manifestation of the disease commonly known as COPD and thus may require a unique therapeutic regimen, specific to their own situation.

Relation between Lung Volume as a Percentage of Total Lung Capacity and Static Transpulmonary Pressure in Two Patients with Diffuse Emphysema.

The graphs show a shift to the right in transpulmonary pressure at a given lung volume after lung-reduction surgery (solid squares), as compared with preoperative values (open squares). The curves represent the response in normal subjects.

Panel A shows the results in a 64-year-old woman with severe emphysema who had a forced expiratory volume in one second of 41 percent of the predicted value and in whom measurements could be made throughout expirations (shown are composite data points from three separate expirations).

Panel B shows the results in a 41-year-old woman with more advanced disease (forced expiratory volume in one second, 12 percent of the predicted value), who could tolerate only one to two occlusions at the higher lung volumes (shown are data from two separate expirations) so that results could not be obtained at a lower lung volume.