In AIIMS\, new procedure to give severe asthma patients respite

In AIIMS, new procedure to give severe asthma patients respite

Bronchial Thermoplasty (BT) — a procedure that reduces asthma attacks by minimising the airway smooth muscle — has been tried and tested successfully in the United States as well as countries in Europe.

Written by Astha Saxena | New Delhi | Updated: October 31, 2018 1:55:45 am
In AIIMS, new procedure to give severe asthma patients respite The technique has been adopted by a few private hospitals in India this year, but not many patients can afford the treatment there. (Source: Getty Images)

With breathlessness and cough spiking with a rise in pollution, doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have invented an innovative technique to help reduce the use of inhalers and improve overall quality of life for those with severe asthma.

Bronchial Thermoplasty (BT) — a procedure that reduces asthma attacks by minimising the airway smooth muscle — has been tried and tested successfully in the United States as well as countries in Europe. The technique has been adopted by a few private hospitals in India this year, but not many patients can afford the treatment there.

A 65-year-old woman, who has been suffering from severe asthma for the last 20 years, was the first one to be treated successfully at AIIMS on Tuesday. The technique uses heat energy to reduce swollen airway smooth muscles. Most asthmatic patients have a constricted airway during the exacerbation.

“We are getting many patients with severe asthma these days and the normal medications are not working on them due to excessive rise in pollution. These people are slowly moving towards a poor lifestyle. The BT technique has been tried in Europe and the United States, where it has shown successful results,” said Dr Randeep Guleria, a pulmonologist and the director of AIIMS.

In AIIMS, new procedure to give severe asthma patients respite Smoke seen on the roads of Capital due to increasing Pollution in New Delhi. (EXPRESS PHOTO BY PRAVEEN KHANNA 30 10 2018.)

The air quality in the capital turned ‘severe’ Tuesday, with the overall air quality index (AQI) reaching 401 — the highest this season. Experts say that of the total asthmatic patients, 5-10% are diagnosed with severe asthma.

“The technique is not performed immediately after an acute attack — the patient is tested for a month before performing the procedure. Bronchoscopy can bring down the medication and help the patient improve their lifestyle. Studies have shown that after the procedure, people may have improvements that can last for five years and longer,” said Dr Karan Madaan, assistant professor, department of pulmonology and sleep medicine, AIIMS.

The procedure is performed in three sessions that takes around nine weeks. Each session is to be performed after a gap of three weeks. During the procedure, a catheter (a thin instrument that gives heat energy) is introduced to the patient’s airway through a bronchoscope. The catheter is pushed to the end of the airway to reduce expanded smooth muscles. The catheter is then withdrawn after every 10 seconds from the area so that it slowly provides heat to the entire airway.

“The catheter is inserted as fast as possible so that the maximum airway can be treated. A single session takes around 45 minutes to an hour to activate 60-65 points in a lobe of the lung,” said Dr Anant Mohan, head of the department of pulmonology and sleep medicine at AIIMS.