Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital is one of the few hospitals in the Los Angeles area to offer a groundbreaking procedure to patients over the age of 18 with severe persistent asthma, which can improve their quality of life. Chand Khanna, MD, successfully treated Henry Mayo’s first patient a few months ago.
Bronchial thermoplasty, a fairly new procedure, uses a tool called the Alair System which consists of a small tube with four wires on the end and a machine that heats the wires. The tool heats the patient’s airway walls, reducing some of the extra muscle present. This may allow the airways to stay open longer and make breathing easier.
“Bronchial thermoplasty offers an improved quality of life to our severe persistent asthma patients in the Santa Clarita Valley and as more people learn about the procedure, more people are having it done,” said Mike Collins, director of Respiratory Therapy Services at Henry Mayo. “We had our first patient in March and we are scheduling more patients for the procedure.”
Collins explained each patient receives three treatments, spaced at least three weeks apart. Each procedure lasts 60 to 90 minutes and is performed at the Outpatient Surgery Center on campus. Physicians receive special training on the equipment and they must have privileges at Henry Mayo for bronchoscopy. There are five pulmonologists who have been trained. There are strict guidelines and selection criteria for patients who can undergo the procedure.
For many years, Hans Herman, 70, could not even walk around the block, and he was using too much prednisone and antibiotics to treat his allergies and severe asthma, a condition he had been suffering with for 15 years.
At the recommendation of his physician, Chand Khanna, MD, Herman decided to undergo bronchial thermoplasty, a relatively new procedure available at Henry Mayo, one of the few hospitals in the area to offer it. The 60 to 90 minute procedure consisted of three treatments, each spaced about three weeks apart, at the hospital’s Outpatient Surgery Center. Herman’s last treatment was in June.
“I’ve cut down on the medications and have noticed my breathing has improved about 30 percent,” Herman said. “My sleeping is much better; I was making a lot of noise before, wheezing. Now when I go to sleep I don’t wake up during the night.”
Herman and his wife, Debbie, are happy with the treatment he received at Henry Mayo, and with their improved quality of life. Herman describes his recovery after the procedures as being quick and nearly painless. Debbie was glad that Dr. Khanna explained the procedure in advance so they knew what to expect.
“I’m glad they had this procedure available,” she said. “If it gives him some relief then we are ahead of the game.”
“I am happy and more comfortable; there are a lot of things I am grateful for and I love my doctor,” he said. “All of the people at Henry Mayo were just beautiful and so nice. They made it easy for me not to be scared.”
For more information about Respiratory Care Services at Henry Mayo, call 661-253-8000.