Bronchial Thermoplasty (BT) is an outpatient procedure offered by Deborah Heart and Lung Center for patients with severe asthma. It is a safe, interventional bronchoscopic alternative for treating even the most advanced cases of uncontrolled asthma offering new hope and freedom for Deborah patients.

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How does it work?

During BT, the airway walls are mildly heated. This heating reduces some of the extra muscle present in the airways, allowing them to stay more open and improving breathing.

It is a minimally invasive bronchoscopic procedure performed in three outpatient procedure visits, each treating a different area of the lungs and scheduled approximately three weeks apart. After all three procedures are performed, the bronchial thermoplasty treatment is complete.

BT is expected to complement current asthma maintenance medications by providing long-lasting asthma control and improving asthma-related quality of life of patients with severe asthma.

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Am I a good candidate for treatment?

To be considered for bronchial thermoplasty treatment, you should:

• Be an adult between 18 – 65 years old
• Be a non-smoker for at least the past year
• Have severe or persistent asthma not well controlled by inhaled corticosteroids or long-acting bronchodilator medication

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What can I expect after treatment?

BT is clinically proven to work. In a clinical study, at one year, patients with severe asthma who were treated with BT experienced:

• 32% decrease in severe asthma attacks
• 84% reduction in asthma-related emergency room visits
• 66% fewer days lost from work, school, and daily activities due to asthma

Additionally, 79% of patients who were treated with BT reported a significant improvement in their asthma-related quality of life.

Reductions in asthma attacks and emergency room visits were shown to extend through a 5-year follow-up period.