In conjunction with St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, and study sponsor , PneumRx (Mountain View, CA), PCCS physicians Dr. Timothy A. Connolly (Principal Investigator) and Dr. Lisa Kopas and Dr. J. Fernando Santacruz (Co-Investigators) have recently been selected to participate in an FDA-approved multi-center clinical device trial to employ an endoscopic approach to lung volume reduction via the implantation of multiple memory shape metal nitinol coils.
The small coils implanted into diseased lung segments allow compression of impaired parenchyma and thereby restore elastic recoil. By tethering airways open, air trapping and hyperinflation are also significantly reduced. There has already been a wealth of experience utilizing this technology in multiple European studies with more than 2330 coils implanted thus far. The results are very promising with statistically significant improvements in lung function tests (FEV1 and RV), quality of life scores (SGRQ), and functional improvement (6MWT distance) that are maintained up to one year post-procedure. As expected, complications are substantially less than lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS), making this intervention more attractive and available to a broader range of patients.
The highest confidence responders in the European studies have been patients with a high residual volume (RV > 225% predicted) and a baseline 6MWT distance > 140 meters. Prior to being considered for inclusion in the study, potential patients need to have completed a formal pulmonary rehabilitation program within the prior 6 months. If a pulmonary rehab program was completed more than 6 months ago, maintenance rehab work (e.g. walking at home daily) must be demonstrated.
To make an appointment or refer a patient for lung volume reduction coil (LVRC) evaluation, please call our Houston office 713-255-4000 (Monday-Friday 08:30-17:00 CST). For more information regarding this novel technology, please see www.pneumrx.com or Houston TV.
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Timothy A. Connolly has recently been elected to a three year term as the Clinical Service Chief for Pulmonary Medicine at The Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.
On Friday, July 20, friends and supporters of St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System gathered at the home of Clayton and Shel Erikson in Aspen, CO for the second annual St. Luke’s Foundation’s Summer Speakers Series. The event was a fun and unique opportunity to learn about current health issues and how St. Luke’s impacts our community.
This year’s special guest was J. Pat Herlihy, MD, a renowned expert in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. His presentation covered the effects on the body of living at a high altitude and offer solutions. As this is an informal setting, guests had the chance to speak to Dr. Herlihy one-on-one about topics that interested them.
A little heat is changing the lives of people who have severe asthma.
A new medical procedure, bronchial thermoplasty, uses radio-frequency energy (which generates heat) to destroy the excess muscle that constricts the airways in asthmatic lungs. The procedure, approved by the FDA in 2010, is just starting to become an option for patients across the country, including in Houston. And many of those patients now can do things they couldn’t do before: Be active, take less medicine and breathe easily.
Harvey’s doctor, Houston pulmonologist Lisa Kopas, first learned of the procedure about five years ago, when it was initially being tested on humans. The more she learned, the more she believed it might be helpful to her patients. So Kopas urged her office, Pulmonary Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Consultants, to invest in equipment and training. Since last fall, she has performed a handful of bronchial thermoplasties at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital.
Dr. Lisa Kopas, a pulmonary physician, with Pulmonary Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, joined Dr. Galati to discuss a new therapy for patients with asthma.
Bronchial thermoplasty is an outpatient procedure that treats severe asthma by going to the source. The lungs consist of multiple airway passages that are surrounded by airway smooth muscle. For patients with asthma, this smooth airway muscle is more susceptible to triggers and irritants that can cause it to constrict and reduce the amount of airflow through the lungs. Bronchial thermoplasty uses radiofrequency waves to shrink the smooth muscle reducing the muscle’s ability to constrict, thereby creating a larger airway. This increased airflow results in a decreased frequency of asthma attacks.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital Offers Bronchial Thermoplasty
Treating Severe Asthma Patients
First Hospital in Houston to Offer Innovative Procedure
HOUSTON (January 5, 2012) – St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital (St. Luke’s) is the first hospital in Houston to offer bronchial thermoplasty, an innovative procedure for the treatment of severe asthma. Affecting almost 25 million Americans, asthma is one of the top five chronic diseases globally, along with heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes. Patients treated with this minimally invasive, outpatient procedure have shown a decrease in severe asthma attacks and improved quality of life.
On October 20, 2011, Robert Pakebusch became St. Luke’s first patient to undergo the bronchial thermoplasty. He has suffered with difficulty breathing for more than 15 years and was diagnosed with asthma two years ago. Since his diagnosis, Pakebusch’s pulmonologist has addressed the constant exacerbations in his lungs with ongoing steroid and antibiotic treatments. “With asthma there is no getting better,” explains Pakebusch. “It can strike you at any time; you can come home at 5 o’clock and an hour later you feel horrible.”
The grandfather of five adds, “You are always conscious of your breathing problems, whether its noticing smoke or a simple perfume, anything can set it off. With the recent wild fires, I stayed indoors for eight days.”
Living everyday with the inhibiting disease and after being hospitalized at St. Luke’s last year with double pneumonia and asthma exacerbations, Pakebusch thought there would be no relief from his constant battle when his pulmonologist, Clinton H. Doerr, MD, recommended he research a new treatment option, bronchial thermoplasty. “As I have been on steroids everyday for the last ten months, I was immediately interested because any improvement would be fantastic at this point,” said Pakebusch.
Bronchial thermoplasty is an outpatient procedure that treats severe asthma by going to the source. The lungs consist of multiple airway passages that are surrounded by airway smooth muscle. For patients with asthma, this smooth airway muscle is more susceptible to triggers and irritants that can cause it to constrict and reduce the amount of airflow through the lungs. Bronchial thermoplasty uses radiofrequency waves to shrink the smooth muscle reducing the muscle’s ability to constrict, thereby creating a larger airway. This increased airflow results in a decreased frequency of asthma attacks.
“Not receiving enough oxygen to breath comfortably is extremely distressing. Bronchial thermoplasty will bring relief to patients who previously may not have had other treatment options,” said Lisa Kopas, MD, a pulmonologist at St. Luke’s. “As a leader in healthcare, St. Luke’s is pleased to be the first hospital in Houston to offer this innovative technology to our patients.”
Bronchial thermoplasty with the Alair® System is approved by the FDA for adults with severe asthma who are not well controlled on current medications, and is expected to complement asthma medications by providing long-lasting asthma control. The procedure typically takes less than an hour to complete, with the patient returning home the same day. To treat the entire lung, the complete bronchial thermoplasty procedure is performed in three separate outpatient treatment sessions, each treating a different area of the lung and scheduled approximately three weeks apart.
Undergoing his first procedure of the bronchial thermoplasty with Dr. Kopas in late October, Pakesbusch experienced minor discomfort immediately following the procedure and returned to work two days later. “The first treatment was a piece of cake,” remembers Pakesbusch. He completed his third and final procedure in mid-December.
“I’m looking forward to 2012 being a great year,” adds Pakesbusch. “I am feeling so much better!”
“As a pulmonologist who treats severe asthmatics I am excited to offer bronchial thermoplasty, a well tested, permanent treatment which improves quality of life. Not only has this bronchoscopic treatment been shown to decrease exacerbations and visits to the ER but has very few complications or side effects,” explains Dr. Kopas.
In clinical studies, the benefits of the bronchial thermoplasty included reduced severe asthma attacks, decreased visits to the ER and hospital for respiratory symptoms, and less time lost from work or school due to asthma.
For more information about the bronchial thermoplasty, contact a St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital Pulmonary Coordinator at 713-255-4000 or visit www.houstonlungdocs.com.
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About St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System
St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System (StLukesTexas.com) includes St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in the Texas Medical Center, founded in 1954 by the Episcopal Diocese of Texas; St. Luke’s The Woodlands Hospital; St. Luke’s Sugar Land Hospital; St. Luke’s Lakeside Hospital; St. Luke’s Patients Medical Center; St. Luke’s Hospital at The Vintage; and St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities, a charity devoted to assessing and enhancing community health, especially among the underserved. St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital is home to the Texas Heart® Institute, which was founded in 1962 by Denton A. Cooley, MD, and is consistently ranked among the top 10 cardiology and heart surgery centers in the country by U.S. News & World Report. Affiliated with several nursing schools and three medical schools, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital was the first hospital in Texas named a Magnet hospital for nursing excellence, receiving the award three times.
Posted on: December 29th, 2011 by Muze Development
US NEWS and WORLD REPORT has named the top 64 Critical Care Specialists in the US for 2011/2012, and Pulmonary Critical Care & Sleep Medicine Consultants is honored to be a part of the list.
PCCS Pulmonologist Dr. Herlihy was involved in the design of “Mega-Lung”, built by “Medical Inflatables”, a local Houston company, and shown on The Dr. Oz Show. The lung demonstrates, in large scale the functioning of the lung, and some common diseases of the lungs.
The world-famous Texas Medical Center has the world’s largest concentration of expertise in medical treatment, medical research and medical technology.
In conjunction with St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, and study sponsor , PneumRx (Mountain View, CA), PCCS physicians Dr. Timothy A. Connolly (Principal Investigator) and Dr. Lisa Kopas and Dr. J. Fernando Santacruz (Co-Investigators) have recently been selected to participate in an FDA-approved multi-center clinical device trial to employ an endoscopic approach to lung volume reduction via the implantation of multiple memory shape metal nitinol coils.
