There are over 25 million Americans diagnosed with asthma with a financial burden of staggering 56 billion dollars spent on asthma related care. It is estimated that every day 27,000 adults will miss work, 5,000 asthmatics will visit the ER and 1,200 will be hospitalized for asthma exacerbation. During asthma attack, the smooth muscles of small airway passages constrict, resulting in bronchospasm.
Image courtesy of Boston Scientific Corporation.
Bronchial thermoplasty is a novel bronchoscopic treatment for patients with severe asthma refractory to maximal medical therapy. It is an FDA-approved technology that has demonstrated safety and efficacy in reducing the frequency of asthma exacerbations and improving quality of life. It involves several bronchoscopic treatment of airways using heat therapy, which ablates airway smooth muscle, resulting in less bronchoconstriction. We are one of the few in New York City that offers bronchial thermoplasty therapy.
Our multidisciplinary asthma group, which consists of pulmonologists, interventional pulmonologist, allergists, laryngologist, nurse educator, respiratory therapists and a patient care coordinator, evaluates and treats asthma patients with wide range of disease severity. Evaluation of these patients includes:
- Demonstration of the proper technique during the use of an inhaler
- Optimization of medical therapy for asthma
- Dynamic airway CT to exclude other disorders of the windpipe including tracheobronchomalacia
- Evaluation for vocal cord dysfunction
- Pulmonary rehabilitation
- Bronchial thermoplasty
Call us at (212) 746-5166 to find out whether bronchial thermoplasty is right for you.
