Bronchial Thermoplasty: An Academic Paper

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Bronchial Thermoplasty

Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) is a bronchoscopy procedure that improves asthma control. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the technique to ablate airways and smooth muscles. The agency ensured that BT meets public health concerns such as efficacy, safety, and comfort. The treatment enhances severe asthma management, especially for symptomatic patients undergoing optimal medical therapy. Bronchial thermoplasty is an effective and safe treatment option that improves life quality, reduces severe exacerbations, and minimizes emergency hospital visits.

As a chronic inflammatory condition, asthma is synonymous with periodic symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, and breathlessness. According to Nasim and Iyer, such inflammation in the airway increases smooth muscle thickness, leading to difficulty breathing due to airflow constriction (205). BT is a therapeutic intervention in reducing the thickness of airways and smooth muscles by delivering targeted thermal energy to ablate the muscles. Besides, the treatment modality minimizes airflow constriction, thereby improving a patient’s breathing capacity. In this regard, bronchial thermoplasty is a necessary medical procedure that reduces severe asthma flare-ups and hospitalization rates associated with chronic inflammation of the airways.

The treatment involves delivering radiofrequency (RF) energy to the airways. In particular, the Alair® system allows for the application of RF energy through the catheter. Through direct visualization, the bronchoscope aids thermal energy delivery to a patient’s lungs, nose, and mouth. Consequently, the controlled thermal energy activates the exposed sections of the airways to reduce smooth muscles. In this regard, BT remodels airway inflammation instead of modulating it to enhance asthma treatment. Like other endoscopy procedures, BT intervention occurs under moderate sedation.

What is more, patient management is another essential component of BT. Asthma specialists must ensure that patients are in optimal stable condition to boost safety and quality of care. The specialists should prepare patients by screening them to ensure they do not exhibit respiratory infection and any asthma exacerbation for at least 14 days before the planned therapy (Nasim and Iyer 209). In addition, doctors should treat patients with prednisolone in line with standard treatment for severe asthma. Routine physical assessments, such as breathing sounds, are also some of the procedure’s prerequisite conditions. Overall, patient preparation enhances the delivery of this novel treatment method to manage persistent asthma.

BT also has proven clinical efficacy for adult patients. As Nasim and Iyer assert, several clinical studies indicate that BT is a safe and effective method of controlling asthma (206). However, findings emphasize patient selection and effective collaboration between pulmonologists and asthma specialists as vital aspects of BT therapy. Furthermore, randomized controlled experiments and follow-up studies demonstrate that the treatment reduces mild exacerbations (Nasim and Iyer 208). Moreover, these studies show that BT’s advancement has significantly contributed to asthma management and the overall quality of life. That way, the procedure is an innovative therapy that minimizes the severity of asthma symptoms and bronchoconstriction.

To conclude, bronchial thermoplasty is an effective treatment for severe asthma. Despite side effects such as wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing, this therapeutic intervention reduces severe exacerbation while improving the overall quality of life. BT also minimizes hospitalization rates associated with airway inflammation. Standard care is critical in managing adverse effects, such as respiratory-related symptoms, in the post-procedure era. Although the treatment option is an effective treatment plan for selected asthma phenotypes, further research is necessary to test such hypotheses and enhance understanding of asthma pathobiology and bronchial thermoplasty’s mechanism.

Work Cited

Nasim, Faria, and Vivek Iyer. “Bronchial Thermoplasty-An Update.” Annals of Thoracic Medicine, vol. 13, no.4, 2018, pp. 205-11.