Spiration Valve System Therapy is soon coming to FLASS. If your doctors have diagnosed you with severe or very severe emphysema, this therapy could be very exciting for you.
It is bringing life-changing hope to patients who have tried the traditional COPD drugs, inhalation therapies, and oxygen, but to no avail, due to the severity of their disease.
Welcome to an Introduction: Spiration Vs. COPD
Here at FLASS, we are excited to be launching new information about this 21st-century treatment. Our founding physician, Dr. Fortune Alabi stated, “Soon, Dr. Sharif and Dr. Kanagarajah will begin consulting with patients suffering from severe COPD …”
And he added they would be checking the patients to discover, “if they would be eligible candidates for lung volume reduction surgery.” We are also announcing that these surgeries will be performed at the amazing facility of the Advent Health Celebration Hospital.
The Spiration Valve System: Bringing New Hope for Patients with Severe Emphysema
Before explaining the Spiration Valve System or Lung Volume Reduction, let’s take a brief look at Emphysema. First, emphysema is a consequence of the condition known as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
If we have no pulmonary disease, we do not think about breathing very often. We never focus on the fact that our amazing lungs work hard to deliver oxygen to our bodies so we can live our lives. Now, let us zoom in and take a closer micro-look at the anatomy behind what emphysema does to the lungs:
- Lungs are made up of tiny air sacs which absorb oxygen in the air you breathe called alveoli.
- In patients with emphysema, the disease gradually destroys lung function and causes the air sacks to lose their elastic strength.
Close-up on Severe Emphysema: A Intensifying Cascade of Patient Discomfort
The direct result is that air quite literally cannot get out of those tiny air sacs we told you about above.
- As time goes by, the problem gets bigger. Then, we see that the whole area of the most diseased tissues of the lungs trap air. And soon, the lungs begin to overinflate.
- Then the trapped air interferes with the function of the healthier areas of the lung. This adds to a patient’s discomfort and leads to more difficulty, even pain. This occurs when the breathless patient attempts to inhale and exhale.
Keep in mind, these symptoms typically develop slowly over many years. Special Note: Sadly, many patients wait too long to consult a doctor about breathlessness. But, if you are experiencing breathlessness with only slight exertion, you should see your doctor.
Traditional, Typical Treatment Protocols In Cases of Severe or Very Severe symptoms:
Learn How the Spiration Valve System Might Make Your Breathing Easier.
1. Pulmonologists treat severe Emphysema with a Combination of long-acting drugs.
2. They also prescribe Oxygen treatment.
3. Simultaneously, patients enroll in courses of Pulmonary rehabilitation.
4. When the above treatments do not work, then specialists will resort to Bronchial valve therapy. At this point, you might be ready for the Spiration Valve System.
5. Finally, the only recourse for very severe cases seems to be very invasive lung transplant surgery. Surgery (lung transplant.)
Meet the Tiny but Mighty Spiration Valve
The above picture shows the spiration valve. It resembles a tiny umbrella. Even open, the spiration valve is so small it could lay on the fingernail of your smallest finger.
1. Pulmonary Experts have created this umbrella-shaped valve with a flexible metal frame. It is manufactured to the highest standards for medical devices. Please note, the combination of titanium and nickel makes the valve frame strong but flexible. Over this nitinol frame, you will see a thin, very flexible membrane, like the fabric of an “umbrella.”
2. (Multiple Size Options Make a Customized Fit) The spiration valve elegantly fits the shape and size of the patient’s airways of the lung.
3. The valve is a one-way device. This little umbrella “blocks air from moving further into your lungs…” However, it allows trapped air to move out of your lungs as you breathe out.”
4. At this point, the next question most patients ask is how do we get the spiration valve into the airways of your lungs.
It is an easier and gentler procedure than you might think. During the surgical procedure, the valve is loaded into a deployment catheter. Then we gently insert it into the proper airway. Think of it as an elaborate bronchoscopy.
Am I a candidate for Spiration Valve Therapy?
As we said above, we advocate Spiration Valve Therapy primarily for COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) patients who suffer from severe emphysema.
Likewise, remember that we also help patients feel better with medication, pulmonary rehabilitation, and oxygen therapies before pushing treatment to the level of Spiration.
Spiration and Pre-existing Conditions
The Spiration System Puts 1-4 Umbrella Shaped Valves in the Array.
It is important to note we use Valve Therapy only when air cannot flow from one lobe of the lung to another lobe. We will take extensive lung function tests as well as a CT scan so we know in advance if you will benefit from this therapy. The Spiration Valve System might not work if you have these pre-existing conditions:
- Prior lung surgery.
- Cancer.
- Or severe heart disease.
Caution: Know When the Spiration Valve System is Contraindicated
The doctors will not recommend the valve for you if you cannot tolerate a bronchoscope in your nose or mouth. Likewise, spiration would not be a good treatment if you are allergic to nickel. Here are a few more reasons this might not be a treatment for you:
1. You do not qualify for this treatment If you are still smoking.
2. If you have large bullae (holes) in the lung, we will not recommend this treatment.
3. If you have certain types of emphysema, this might not be the best of your treatment options.
4. We would not do this procedure if while you were suffering an active pulmonary infection.
The Spiration Success Story
Once you have your Spiration Valves installed and have recovered, here are the amazing results:
- First, when you breathe in air, your valves will redirect it away from the diseased part of the lung to the healthy area. Likewise, air and fluids that are trapped in the over-inflated, diseased portion of the lung will escape.
- Secondly, we soon see the normal areas of the lung “expanding to occupy the blocked diseased portion of the lung.” Naturally, this allows more air to enter the lung.
Terrific Take-Aways from Spiration
When Medication and Oxygen No Longer Help Your Emphysema, FLASS Brings You Spiration Therapy. We’re Giving Emphysema Patients Reasons to Smile.
As your recovery continues, gas exchange improves. The painful breathlessness begins to ease. Your spiration valve surgery will improve your quality of life despite your emphysema. Patients often are surprised by how much stronger they feel.
This blog only introduced you to Spiration Valve therapy. In next week’s blog, we will bring you answers to the questions we know you must have concerning this cutting-edge treatment. It could be your solution to living “breathless.”
Thank you for reading the FLASS blog. We will soon post more blogs with details about this fascinating new procedure.