The Role of Airway Clearance in Managing Chronic Muco‑Obstructive Lung Disease

Authors

  • Jeffrey D. Marciniuk, MD, FRCPC Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Respirology and Sleep Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada Author
  • Sophie Bergeron-Kermelly, MD, FRCPC Respirologist, Clinical Instructor, Division of Respirology, Université Laval, Lévis, QC, Canada Author
  • Pierre Landry, MSc, MD, FRCPC Assistant Professor of Critical Care and Medicine, Division of Critical Care and Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada Author
  • Darcy D. Marciniuk, MD, FRCPC, FCAHS, Master FCCP, FAEM Professor of Medicine, Division of Respirology and Sleep Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58931/crt.2025.1s0115

Abstract

The impact of chronic muco-obstructive lung diseases is far reaching, contributing to a high symptom burden for patients, in addition to increased utilization of the healthcare system.  These impacts are commonly observed in diseases such as chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis (CF), and non-CF bronchiectasis.

COPD, a chronic and progressive lung disease characterized by persistent airway obstruction, is one of the three most common causes of death worldwide. The burden of COPD is expected to further increase in the coming decades. Acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) represent the leading cause of disease‑related hospitalizations in Canada and account for the longest mean length of hospital stay of approximately 7.2 days. Currently, COPD costs the Canadian healthcare system, in Canadian dollars, $1.5 billion annually, and is expected to exceed $9.0 billion by 2030. Chronic Bronchitis (CB), a very common condition in patients with COPD, is classically defined as a chronic productive cough lasting at least three months per year for two consecutive years.

Author Biographies

  • Jeffrey D. Marciniuk, MD, FRCPC, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Respirology and Sleep Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

    Dr. Jeffrey Marciniuk completed his medical school training, Internal Medicine Residency, and Respirology Subspecialty Training at the University of Saskatchewan. He completed an additional one-year fellowship at McGill under Dr. Jean Bourbeau in COPD and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.

  • Sophie Bergeron-Kermelly, MD, FRCPC, Respirologist, Clinical Instructor, Division of Respirology, Université Laval, Lévis, QC, Canada

    Dr. Kermelly is a respirologist and a clinical teaching fellow at the Lévis Hospital Center affiliated with Laval University. She completed her residency in respirology at Laval University and her fellowship in COPD and pulmonary rehabilitation for chronic respiratory diseases at McGill University. She has published various articles in her areas of expertise in addition to her general pulmonology practice.

  • Pierre Landry, MSc, MD, FRCPC, Assistant Professor of Critical Care and Medicine, Division of Critical Care and Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada

    Dr. Pierre Landry works as a respirologist, internist and intensivist in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. He is an associate professor of Critical Care and Medicine at Dalhousie University. He holds an MSc in Global Health and Public Policy from the University of Edinburgh, a Medical Doctorate from Dalhousie University, and Royal College Certifications in Internal Medicine (Dalhousie), and Respirology (University of Saskatchewan). His main clinical interests include severe asthma, including the use of biologic therapies, and severe COPD, as well as palliative/advanced stage lung disease. He is originally from Sydney, Cape Breton.

  • Darcy D. Marciniuk, MD, FRCPC, FCAHS, Master FCCP, FAEM , Professor of Medicine, Division of Respirology and Sleep Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

    Dr. Marciniuk is recognized internationally as a leader in COPD and exercise physiology with 520 invited international presentations and 275 peer‑reviewed publications. Dr. Marciniuk is a past-President of the American College of Chest Physicians and the Canadian Thoracic Society, and past‑Chair of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies. He served as a founding Steering Committee member of Canada’s National Lung Health Framework, as Deputy Editor of the journal CHEST, and co-chaired the 2016 Chest World Congress. Dr. Marciniuk has led and participated in many international practice guidelines in COPD, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, and pulmonary rehabilitation, and recently chaired a multi-society international guideline on race and pulmonary function testing. Dr. Marciniuk is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and has been bestowed with the Distinguished Scientist Honor Lecture (2011), the Thomas Petty Master FCCP Memorial Honor Lecture (2015), and the Presidential Honor Lecture (2020) by the American College of Chest Physicians, the Founder’s Award (2013) by the Canadian Lung Association, and the Christie Memorial Lecture and Award (2016) by the Canadian Thoracic Society.

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Published

2025-12-02

Issue

Special Supplement, Fall 2025

Section

Articles

How to Cite

The Role of Airway Clearance in Managing Chronic Muco‑Obstructive Lung Disease. (2025). Canadian Respirology Today, 1(s01), 2–10. https://doi.org/10.58931/crt.2025.1s0115