Bay Pines VA Breathes New Life Into Veterans Through Use of Advanced Technology
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, commonly referred to as COPD, is a progressive, and often painful, disease that damages the airways and lungs.
It is the fifth most prevalent disease in the Veteran population but, thanks to recent advances in technology, those who served now have an open pathway toward life-long relief.
That route is being opened via Bronchoscopic Lung Volume Reduction, which is the one of the newest advancements in the patient care experience being offered at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System.
“Patients who have severe COPD with a significant emphysema component, typically experience hyper-inflation of the lungs as the disease gets worse,” Bay Pines VA Chief of Pulmonary Dr. Stephen Clum stated. “In other words, at a resting position, their lungs are at a bigger volume than what they should normally be.”
Emphysema is a late stage of COPD that causes extreme shortness of breath. In the past, the treatment for this illness has been to surgically remove the diseased portions of the lung – but operating on patients with a severe disease presents challenges of its own. To mitigate the risks involved with major surgery, a non-surgical lung volume reduction was developed.
“We’re now able to address that hyper-inflation by placing one-way endobronchial valves into identified targets of the lung that have significant emphysema,” Clum shared. “These valves allow secretions and air to drain out of that area but don’t let the lung re-inflate – all of a sudden that area that’s hyper-inflated has now been collapsed without surgery.”
Once the valves are inserted, they act as a continuous draining mechanism for the inflamed portion of the lung, essentially allowing the lung to function like a ballon that slowly deflates. According to Clum, Veterans who undergo this procedure receive the same results without the post-operative comorbidity of having an operation on their chest.
“Following the procedure, everything improves in terms of how the patient breathes and what they experience when they start to exert themselves in their daily lives,” Clum shared. “These valves have been shown to markedly improve a person’s ability to engage in the simple things in life. As a provider, you want to see patients get better and these valves to me are a game changer; they are the most cutting-edge technology for the management of COPD.”
During this procedure, a multi-disciplinary team, to include surgeons, anesthesiologists, respiratory therapists, and a bronchoscopy nurse, work together to ensure a positive outcome.
“We have a significant number of patients who live with this disease, and would be candidates for this procedure, and we can now offer it to them,” Clum said. “It’s a procedure that offers not just improved numbers in terms of a breathing study but, more importantly, an improved quality of life.”
Veterans who live with COPD and are enrolled for care at Bay Pines VA, are encouraged to speak to their primary care provider to determine whether they are eligible for the procedure.