Establishing Feasibility of Transbronchial Cryoablation With an In-Development Cryoprobe: An Ex-Vivo Human Lung Model

Surgical resection is the current gold standard for curative treatment of pulmonary lesions. For patients ineligible for surgical resection, transthoracic percutaneous ablation is sometimes used. Albeit the use of minimally techniques for both surgery and ablation, these interventions are associated with a high risk of complication. To reduce associated risks, transbronchial interventions have been proposed as promising alternatives. However, currently available transbronchial ablation technologies may present significant risks of bleeding or lack clinical evidence with regards to efficacy. When considering potential alternatives, promising results have been achieved using cryotechnology for cryoablation. However, the feasibility of a transbronchial cryoablation device and its thermal performance at varying freeze-thaw cycles in a clinical setting is unknown. The investigators aim to demonstrate the application of in-development transbronchial cryogenic catheters for the ablation of pulmonary lesions.

The investigators aim to confirm the design and operating specifications of an in-development cryogenic catheters for the ablation of pulmonary lesions and investigate the thermal performance of the catheter.

Inclusion criteria

Patients undergoing lung transplant surgery

Exclusion criteria

Organ donors eligible to donate lungs for transplantation Healthy individuals Patients with ongoing pulmonary infection at the time of transplant