The ACES Study for Aseptic Pleural Effusion

Pleural Dynamics is the first company to provide a fully implantable automatic effusion shunt that is powered by normal breathing and is designed for continuous symptom relief, and does not require an extended hospital stay, a catheter external to the chest, or expensive drainage canisters."

The current standard of care, pleurodesis, is often painful, requires an extended hospital stay, and is often unsuccessful requiring additional procedures to manage the effusion1. While an alternate approach-indwelling pleural catheters-exists, it requires that the patient have a portion of the catheter to be external to the chest and requires frequent drainage into proprietary external canisters to relieve symptoms. Pleural Dynamics' patented ACES™ System addresses these shortcomings with its' one-piece, fully implanted system that can be placed during a short hospital stay. This technology is designed to use normal breathing motion to automatically pump pleural effusion fluid out of the chest to the abdomen for reabsorption by the body eliminating the need for an external catheter and frequent drainage, providing ongoing symptom relief.

Inclusion criteria

• Recurrent pleural effusion after thoracentesis for which the physician has determined that a catheter implantation is indicated.
• Symptoms of PE such as shortness of breath, cough, or chest fullness/chest discomfort based on patient report to physician.
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-3.
• Patient is willing and able to meet all study requirements, including follow-up visits and receiving study related telephone calls.

Exclusion criteria

• Recurrent pleural effusion after thoracentesis for which the physician has determined that a catheter implantation is indicated.
• Symptoms of PE such as shortness of breath, cough, or chest fullness/chest discomfort based on patient report to physician.
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-3.
• Patient is willing and able to meet all study requirements, including follow-up visits and receiving study related telephone calls.