Am I a candidate for bronchial thermoplasty?
You may be a candidate for bronchial thermoplasty if you:
- Are 18 years or older and have severe persistent asthma
- Have asthma that is not well controlled despite taking inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting bronchodilators (such as Advair® or Symbicort®)
You are not a candidate for bronchial thermoplasty 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
Your bronchial thermoplasty treatment will be delayed if you currently have any of the following conditions:
- Active respiratory infection
- Asthma attack or changing dose of systemic corticosteroids for asthma (up or down) in the past 14 days
- Known bleeding disorder
- You are unable to stop taking anticoagulants, antiplatelet agents, aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDS) before the procedure, according to your physicianÂ’s guidance
You may be a candidate for BT if you are taking oral corticosteroids (OCS) as daily maintenance asthma medication. Discuss your OCS dosage with your physician prior to having the procedure.
When should I consider having the procedure?
If you are an appropriate candidate for bronchial thermoplasty, your physician should only consider performing the procedure when you are stable enough to safely undergo bronchoscopy. Your doctor will help you determine if your asthma is stable enough for you to have the procedure.
Bronchial thermoplasty is a new procedure for the treatment of severe asthma in adults. Bronchial thermoplasty is performed during bronchoscopy, which is a minimally invasive procedure that is performed by a trained physician, typically a pulmonologist. If your regular physician currently managing your asthma is an allergist, family practice physician, general practitioner, internist or other physician, he/she will be able to refer you to a pulmonologist for the procedure. Following the completion of the procedure, you will return to and continue to see your regular physician to manage your asthma. If you would like to discuss this treatment therapy in more detail with your personal asthma physician, download a copy of the patient brochure to share with your physician that manages your asthma.
Advair is a registered trademark of GlaxoSmithKline, Inc.
Symbicort is a registered trademark of AstraZeneca, Inc.
