Endobronchial Valve Placement was a new procedure we introduced in our previous blog. Although we reported on the flu last week, we also gave a FLASS Breaking News Flash introduction to EVP or Endobronchial Valve Placement. That was only Part I of our Report. We suggest you take a moment to read or review it in our previous blog, linked above.

Now we bring you a part II, which we named “Just to Breathe,” in honor of our patients with severe emphysema. FLASS predicts this procedure of Endobronchial Valve Placement will highly impact patients who suffer with severe emphysema

This could be a significant development to some of more than 15 million Americans who suffer from COPD. You see, as we stated in that previous blog, 3.5 million of those patients have emphysema.

Beyond Medication: The Endobronchial Valve Placement Brings New Hope to Patients with Severe Emphysema

What is Endobronchial Valve Placement? 

Most people think of hearts when they think of medical procedures involving valves.  This is not so with the Zephyr Endobronchial Valve Placement.  In the case of heart valves, we replace worn or diseased valves the body already has. 

In the case of an Endobronchial Valve Placement, these valves do not occur naturally. The surgeon places a brand new device called a Zephyr within the bronchial tube or airway. Although we explained it previously, anyone with emphysema should learn about this device, called the Zephyr valve, and the procedure of Endobronchial Valve Placement.

Endobronchial Valve Placement Puts More Joy in Every Breath.
Better Breathing after EVP Can Mean More Confidence, More Joy, More Time…

How Does A Surgeon Place an Endobronchial Valve?

  • Your surgeon gently implants the zephyr valve in your airway.
  • The Zephyr device is a small one-way valve, designed to help people with severe emphysema to breathe.  We do not have natural valves such as the Zephyr in our airways, so this is a placement as opposed to a replacement.
  • There are no incisions involved in this procedure.  That is what makes it so precious compared to the alternatives which involve opening the chest. 
  • The surgeon implants the Zephyr in a patient’s an airway by using a long flexible catheter through a bronchoscope. 
  • We’re very proud of this procedure, and especially happy that we, the Florida Lung, Asthma and Sleep Specialists, FLASS will be offering it as an option for patients with severe emphysema.
  •  The FDA stated that the Zephyr valve “represents a breakthrough technology as the device offers bronchoscopic lung volume reduction.”

What Does the Zephyr Valve Do that Medication Cannot Do? 

Even when using the strongest COPD medications, “over one million emphysema patients continue to suffer symptoms of hyperinflation.” This uncomfortable, even painful situation occurs when the air becomes trapped in the lungs and prevents new air from coming in. Thus the patient experiences severe shortness of breath. The Zephyr Valve corrects this situation. Read on the find out more about how.

Take a Walk in the Shoes of the Breathless Emphysema Patient…

Imagine coping without the inability to get enough air to breathe through the simplest daily actions:

You could not bathe without feeling breathless. Likewise, dressing, cooking and simply walking from one end of the house to the other would become challenges. As if you were hiking, you would require several breaks. 

As such a patient, the only treatments you could anticipate as helpful would be: lung volume reduction surgery or transplantation.  And both of these are highly invasive treatments. The Zephyr endobronchoscopic valve placement procedure has changed all this for many patients.

But Now We Have Zephyr Valves…

Once placed in the airway, minuscule Zephyr Valves have the ability to shut off a diseased part of the lung or lungs. Thus, they reduce hyperinflation.

  • Now the healthier parts of the lungs take over. They are able to expand.
  • The healthier parts of the lungs lift pressure off the diaphragm.
  • Thus the patient finds breathing easier. Shortness of breath is decreased.

The Other Side of the Story—Assessment:  Will It Work for You or Someone You Love?  

Your doctor can discover if you would benefit from Zephyr Valve Treatment with assessment tools from the same company as the Zephyr Valve.

“The Pulmonx Chartis® Pulmonary Assessment System and StratX® Lung Analysis Platform help identify potential responders to Zephyr Valve treatment.”  Pulmonx CEO, Glen French, stated, “It is gratifying to be able to tell the many US patients who have contacted us that help is on the way.” He also added, “We thank FDA for its swift review of the Zephyr Valve. By combining the Zephyr Valves and our patient selection tools, we are bringing precision medicine to the treatment of severe emphysema.”

Impressive Statistics for the Zephyr Valve

Although certainly new to usage in the US, the Zephyr Valve Treatment has helped 14,000 patients around the globe. The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) and the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have both endorsed this emphysema treatment.

Spokespersons for NICE stated, “The criteria for referring patients for lung volume reduction assessment has been broadened, because treatment options now include endobronchial valves.” 

They referred to the treatment as a “less invasive option…” And, it is important to note, the treatment “may benefit patients who were not candidates for more invasive surgical treatments.”

Who Could Qualify for Endobronchial Valve Placement?

According to the National Institute for Health Care Excellence, candidates for the EVP treatment might include:

  • Emphysema patients who have completed pulmonary rehabilitation.
  • Likewise Patients who have stopped smoking and have lung function of less than 50% of predicted make good candidates.
  • The above is especially true if they can walk at least 140 meters in 6 minutes, but suffer with a heavy degree of breathlessness.

Taking a Moment for Breath: What is a Zephyr? 

Patients who have experienced endobronchial valve placement have both reported and exhibited an improved quality of life. They can bathe, dress, and garden. They resume many normal activities and even leave their homes with confidence. Their lives are restored with the confidence that comes from easier breathing.

Endobronchial Valve Placement Could bring Hope to You or Someone You Love.
Endobronchial Valve Placement Could bring Hope to You or Someone You Love if They Are Suffering From Severe Emphysema.

It is often the little things in life that cause us the most pleasure. Breathing is an example. However, we seldom meditate upon the joy of breath.  According to Merriam Webster, “Zephyr” is a word for a breeze that is westerly or gentle or both.  It is an appropriately sweet name for the Zephyr Valve minorly-invasive treatment. Like its namesake breeze, the Zephyr valve might indeed bring a much-needed sweet breath of air to you or someone you love.

For more information on the Zephyr Valve and Endobronchial Valve Placement, and its manufacturer, Pulmonx, refer to this current online resource.
Once again we thank you for reading the FLASS blog. And now, permit yourself to enjoy a deep, gentle breath.