Vanderbilt first medical center in Nashville to offer bronchial thermoplasty for asthma

Hannah Andrews, 23, who has suffered from severe asthma since she was a child, is breathing easier now thanks to a new procedure offered at Vanderbilt known as bronchial thermoplasty.

Vanderbilt is the first medical center in Nashville to offer the Alair Bronchial Thermoplasty System, which was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Andrews spent a significant portion of her day managing her asthma, taking 15 different medications including a monthly IV treatment that costs $30,000 a year.

She underwent the first of three bronchial thermoplasty procedures on May 24 and is already feeling some relief.

"Asthma affects my life in every way. I can't walk too much, and I miss school because of it," she said.

Otis Rickman, D.O., director of bronchoscopy and assistant professor of Medicine and Thoracic Surgery, performed the one-hour procedure using a standard flexible bronchoscope that is introduced through the patient's nose or mouth, and into their lungs. The tip of the small-diameter Alair catheter is expanded to contact the walls of targeted airways.

Controlled thermal energy is then delivered to the airway walls to reduce the presence of excess airway smooth muscle that narrows the airways in patients with asthma.

"It's like putting the smooth muscle in a microwave," Rickman said. "Radiofrequency energy destroys smooth muscle, without harming the bronchial tubes, which is what causes the constriction."

The minimally invasive procedure is done under moderate sedation, and the patient returns home the same day. Andrews will return to Vanderbilt for two more treatments to complete the series.

"This new therapy is an adjunct to other therapy and not a cure," Rickman said. The Bronchial Thermoplasty System is indicated for the treatment of severe persistent asthma in patients 18 years and older whose asthma is not well controlled with inhaled corticosteroids and long acting beta agonists."

It has shown an 84 percent reduction in emergency room visits for respiratory symptoms; a 66 percent reduction in days lost from work, school or other daily activities due to asthma symptoms, and a 73 percent reduction in hospitalizations for respiratory symptoms.

"What I hope is we may be able to get people off steroids or other IV medications," Rickman said.

Source: Vanderbilt University