What is bronchial thermoplasty?

bronchial thermoplasty is an outpatient procedure used to reduce asthma symptoms in some patients. Although this procedure is considered safe and is not particularly invasive, it is only performed in patients with asthma who still have serious symptoms despite drug use. During the procedure, a bronchoscope is inserted into the patient's lungs and parts of the bronchial tubes are heated. The heat is able to reduce the amount of tissue in bronchial tubes, which makes breathing easier to the patient. This procedure does not prevent all asthma attacks, but most patients who have undergone bronchial thermoplasty sees a significant reduction in the number of smaller and serious attacks.

patients who decide to have a bronchial thermoplastics of the procedure will be carried out anesthetized and anesthetized locally anesthetized. In most cases, the sedation is mild and patients may be aware or semi -connected at a step. The use of mild sedation and local anesthesia allows the patient to return home shortly after the procedure is completed.

In most cases, bronchial thermoplasty is performed three times before the treatment is completed. Doctors will proceed at the bottom of one lung, the bottom of the other lung and then the top of both lungs. Each of these thermoplastic procedures is carried out about three weeks apart to give the patient time to relax and recover.

For bronchial thermoplasty, a bronchoscope doctor inserts a patient's bronchoscope. This tool allows the doctor to see the interior of the airways and use the specialized catheter That is fed to the lungs with a bronchoscope. The catheter emits radio frequency energy that warms the tissue on the walls of bronchial tubes. The tissue is sufficiently heated so that some of them die, so that the bronchial tube increases and less able to reduce and cause asthmatic attack.

Many patients who have undergone procedure see improve their symptoms of asthma. OverallPatients see 32 % decrease in asthma attacks and 84 % decrease in the need for emergency medical care in the treatment of asthma attack. Patients who have undergone bronchial thermoplasty may still have to use medicines to help cope with asthma symptoms, although most patients will reduce the risk of serious attack.