Surya Bhatt, M.D.

Dr. Surya Bhatt, associate professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, is leading one of 33 U.S. sites in evaluating a novel bronchoscopic procedure: targeted lung denervation, or TLD. The clinical trial, known as AIRFLOW-3, aims to assess effectiveness of TLD in decreasing the rate of moderate or severe exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Millions across the world suffer from COPD, facing flare-ups on a regular basis. COPD flare-ups often cause breathing to become extremely difficult which can be stressful and even frightening for patients. While medications can help with COPD, they do not always effectively control flare-ups.

The TLD procedure is performed through a standard bronchoscope. Once in place, the denervation device delivers targeted radiofrequency energy to the nerves located on the outside of the airways. This permanently disrupts pulmonary nerve input to the lung, reducing the neural hyperactivity that drives flare-ups. The procedure takes about one hour with most patients returning home the same day.

Information about the trial and enrollment is available at www.airflowtrial.com and https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03639051.