Absorptive Clearance After Inhaled Osmotics in Cystic Fibrosis
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2012-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Blockage of the breathing tubes of the lungs by thick, sticky mucus is a major cause of lung
problems for people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Many researchers now believe that people with
CF absorb too much water from the insides of their lungs, and that the mucus in their lungs
becomes so thick and sticky because there is not enough water in it. The investigators are
trying to develop ways to measure how fast water is absorbed from the breathing tubes in the
lung so that the investigators can more quickly test new medications that are being developed
to fix this problem for CF patients. The investigators have already done studies showing that
people with CF absorb a particular radioactive drug (Indium-111 diethylenetriaminepentaacetic
acid or In-DTPA) from their lungs more quickly than people without CF. Now the investigators
are trying to prove that the absorption of this drug is related to the absorption of water.
The investigators measure the absorption of In-DTPA by delivering it in an aerosol (inhaled
mist) along with another radioactive drug (Technetium 99m sulfur colloid or Tc-SC). This
other drug helps us measure how much material is cleared from the lungs in other ways (like
coughing) without being absorbed. In this study, the investigators will measure how the
absorption of In-DTPA is affected by inhaling isotonic saline and hypertonic saline (salt
water), both of which the investigators know affect the absorption of water in the airways.