For decades, frequent emergency room trips and side effects from prednisone have been part of the of the lifestyle of adults with severe, persistent, and uncontrolled asthma.

The Florida Lung Doctors now have a new, world-class weapon in the arsenal for fighting this debilitating disease. It is not a drug. It is a minimally invasive, very specialized procedure named bronchial thermoplasty.

Under clinical scrutiny since 2000, the procedure of bronchial thermoplasty has now been approved by the FDA. This is very good news for our patients with severe, persistent asthma.

What is Bronchial Thermoplasty?

With a suite of specialized equipment and equally important specialized training, the Florida lung doctors are proud to announce that this brand new cutting edge procedure is available here at the Florida Lung, Asthma, and Sleep Specialties Center, in Orlando, Florida.

A Brief Description: The Bronchial Thermoplasty Procedure

The patient is sedated under anesthesia. “You are appropriately prepped and placed under moderate sedation. Moderate sedation has also been called “twilight sleep” or “conscious sedation”. Moderate sedation is administered through an intravenous catheter (“IV”) to provide relaxation and to minimize discomfort.”

1. Stated simply, a doctor then guides a bronchoscope into a patient’s airways. The specialized catheter heats the airways to 149 degrees Fahrenheit, using radiofrequency energy.

When you read this, do not become alarmed, according to a recent article in the New York Times, this temperature is actually cooler than your morning cup of coffee.

2. In more detail, we quote the btforasthma.com website, “Once the Alair® Catheter is positioned at the desired location of your airway, the electrode array at the tip of the Alair® Catheter is expanded to contact your airway wall; the physician activates the Alair® Radiofrequency (RF) Controller to deliver RF energy through the Alair® Catheter to your airway wall.”

3. In short, as the catheter is guided through the air way, this heating process is repeated gently and consistently about 5 millimeters at a time without overlap, by your doctor.

4. In simple words, the “Alair” radio-frequency generated warmth shrinks the smooth muscle in the airways. During an asthma attack, smooth muscle is the tissue which swells and restricts breathing.

5. Experts say, “The application of heat to the airway wall is intended to reduce the amount of excessive airway smooth muscle present in the airways and limit its ability to contract and narrow the airway.”

6. This procedure must be done in three outpatient procedure visits, which must be scheduled at least three weeks apart.

After the procedure, patients discover that the airways no longer constrict so easily. As a direct result, the patient’s life style changes radically. There are fewer visits to the Emergency Room and the doctor, and the patient’s medication can be reduced or discontinued.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Bronchial Thermoplasty?

1. On the one hand, we stress that this procedure is reserved only for adults (over 18 years old) whose asthma is not well controlled, despite taking inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting bronchodilators (such as Advair® or Symbicort®) You can read more details here.

2. On the other hand, the patient must have been free from an exacerbation for a period of two weeks.

3. Under the conditions listed below, the patient would NOT be a good candidate for Bronchial Thermoplasty: The Lung Doctors will avoid this procedure if you…

• …Have a pacemaker, internal defibrillator, or other implantable electronic device like a pacemaker.

• …Have a known sensitivity to medications required to perform bronchoscopy, including lidocaine, atropine, and benzodiazepines.

• …Have previously been treated with the Alair® System.

This new procedure has such a profound effect on the lifestyle of severe, uncontrolled asthmatics that The Lung Doctors have assembled a detailed brochure for our interested readers and potential patients. Click here for our special reference guide to  brochial thermoplasty.  Research has revealed that uncontrolled asthma results in approximately ten million unscheduled physician office visits. Hospital records show two million emergency rooms visits, and half a million hospitalizations. The saddest statistic of all is that there are four thousand uncontrolled asthma deaths annually, and that is only in the United States.  The Lung Doctors believe that this wonderful new procedure empowers patients to change these statistics, and more importantly, their lives.