Charlene Kelly may have to schlep an oxygen tank, but she says breathing is actually easier these days.
"I can feel that my breathing has improved over the last four years," Charlene told ABC30.
That's because of a new intra-bronchial airway valve. A flexible tube with a camera at the end of it helps to guide a small, umbrella-shaped valve inside the airways of her lung. The device redirects air from unhealthy to healthy parts of the lung.
"I definitely feel like we've helped some people have much better lives," Kyle Hogarth, MD, Director of Bronchoscopy and Assistant Professor of Medicine, The University of Chicago, told ABC30.
Charlene says prior to getting the IBV her emphysema prevented her from doing, well, almost anything really.
"I didn't sleep well. I'd wake up in the morning and I would be as tired as I was when I went to bed," Charlene said.
Despite her discomfort, traditional surgery to remove the damaged parts of her lungs was just too risky and the downtime is intense.
"The recovery time for a lung surgery is weeks. The recovery time for a bronchoscopy is a day," Dr. Hogarth said.
This new valve will last for about 14 years.
"Ten years from now we'll go and replace them for her, maybe we'll have even better technology then. Oh heck I hope by then I'm growing lung, I'll just give her a new lung," Dr. Hogarth said.
Risks associated with the new lung valve include pneumonia and irritation that causes coughing and excess mucus. Doctors say the valve can be easily removed if patients experience these symptoms.
The new lung valve is entering into its final phases of trial in the U.S. and it's already being used in Europe.
If you would like more information, please contact:
Dr. Kyle Hogarth
Director of Bronchoscopy and Assistant Professor of Medicine
University Of Chicago
dhogarth@uchicago.edu
(773) 702-4773
