New Procedure Helps Patients with Severe Asthma Breathe Easier
Bronchial Thermoplasty is the first non-drug, FDA approved therapy for severe asthma
CHICAGO, Feb. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Like millions of people, Jeannine Childs suffers from asthma. But unlike most, her asthma was debilitating. For years she struggled with wheezing, shortness of breath and fits of coughing so severe that they often landed her in the hospital. Nothing was really working – not lifestyle changes, not medications.
"It was awful, I'd have these episodes and I'd have to go to the hospital sometimes twice a month," said Childs, a 75 year old who lives in Chicago. "I tried a lot of medications but nothing was working so finally I asked my pulmonologist if there was anything else I could try."
That's when she heard about a new procedure being offered by Northwestern Medicine® called bronchial thermoplasty (BT). It's first non-drug therapy approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for patients with severe asthma.
BT is a simple, minimally-invasive procedure. It's performed in three different parts, and each time a different section of the lung is treated. BT is designed to be an outpatient procedure. During heat energy is delivered to the airway of the lungs; reducing the excessive muscle, which decreases the ability of the airway to narrow. This helps reduce the amount of asthma attacks.
"This procedure is for patients who, despite receiving high levels of asthma medications, continue to suffer from asthma attacks," said Colin Gillespie, MD, pulmonologist and director of interventional pulmonology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. "BT offers these patients a way to control their disease."
Nearly 24 million people in the United States suffer from asthma. For most of them, avoiding allergens and taking medications help keep their asthma under control. But for people like Childs, who suffer with severe persistent asthma, frequent hospital visits tend to be the norm and taking medications and lifestyle changes don't do the trick.
"Asthma affects many people in this country, and often is undertreated by physicians," says Ravi Kalhan, MD, pulmonologist and director of the asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) program at Northwestern Memorial. "The bronchial thermoplasty procedure offers our patients with severe refractory asthma an option that may improve their quality of life. This is an important addition to the available therapies for this common condition."
In a clinical study, adults with severe asthma that were treated with BT had improved quality of life.
- 84 percent reduction in emergency room visits for symptoms of asthma
- 73 percent reduction in hospital visits for symptoms of asthma
- 66 percent reduction in lost days from work, school, or other activities due to asthma
- 32 percent reduction in asthma attacks
Childs said she has seen an incredible improvement since getting the three bronchial thermoplasty treatments in August.
"If anyone suffers from asthma like I did, they know it's horrible," Childs said. "It affects your breathing – something you do every minute of every day. I feel like I have my life back."
To learn more about pulmonology and critical care at Northwestern Memorial, visit us online. To make an appointment with a physician, please call 312-926-0779.
About Northwestern Medicine®
Northwestern Medicine® is the collaboration between Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine around a strategic vision to transform the future of healthcare. It encompasses the research, teaching and patient care activities of the academic medical center. Sharing a commitment to superior quality, academic excellence and patient safety, the organizations within Northwestern Medicine comprise more than 9,000 clinical and administrative staff, 3,100 medical and science faculty and 700 students. The entities involved in Northwestern Medicine remain separate organizations. Northwestern Medicine is a trademark of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and is used by Northwestern University.
About Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Northwestern Memorial is one of the country's premier academic medical center hospitals and is the primary teaching hospital of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Along with its Prentice Women's Hospital and Stone Institute of Psychiatry, the hospital has 1,705 affiliated physicians and 6,769 employees. Northwestern Memorial is recognized for providing exemplary patient care and state-of-the art advancements in the areas of cardiovascular care; women's health; oncology; neurology and neurosurgery; solid organ and soft tissue transplants and orthopaedics.
Northwestern Memorial has nursing Magnet Status, the nation's highest recognition for patient care and nursing excellence. Northwestern Memorial ranks 6th in the nation in the U.S. News & World Report 2013-14 Honor Roll of America's Best Hospitals. The hospital is recognized in 14 of 16 clinical specialties rated by U.S. News and is No. 1 in Illinois and Chicago in U.S. News' 2013-14 state and metro rankings, respectively. For 14 years running, Northwestern Memorial has been rated among the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" guide by Working Mother magazine. The hospital is a recipient of the prestigious National Quality Health Care Award and has been chosen by Chicagoans as the Consumer Choice according to the National Research Corporation's annual survey for 15 consecutive years.
SOURCE Northwestern Medicine
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