Bronchial Thermoplasty

For those with severe asthma, the highest dose of standard medications may not alleviate frequent and life-threatening asthma attacks. Few treatment options are available to adequately control the disease which can have a significant impact on quality of life.

People who have asthma have more airway smooth-muscle tissue surrounding their airways than those without asthma. During an asthma attack, this excess tissue constricts the airways, making it harder to breathe. Asthma medications help open up the airways, but may not always work well in people with severe asthma.

What is Bronchial Thermoplasty?

Bronchial Thermoplasty (BT) is a procedure to reduce the smooth muscle mass of the airway. With less smooth muscle, the airways constrict less, reducing severe asthma attacks.

Delivered by the ALAIR™ System, Bronchial Thermoplasty (BT) is the first non-drug treatment option for patients with severe asthma who are 18 years and older and whose asthma is not well controlled by inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta-agonists. This minimally invasive outpatient procedure supplements conventional asthma drug treatments for better management of the disease.

Backed by Clinical Results

The Asthma Intervention Research 2 (AIR2) trial, a multi-center, double-blind randomized study, demonstrated that patients with severe asthma who were treated with Bronchial Thermoplasty have significant improvement at one year compared to patients who underwent bronchoscopy but did not receive the active treatment. Reductions in asthma attacks and ER visits were shown to extend through a 5-year follow-up period.