Valley Hospital Acquires the Spiration Valve System for the Treatment of Severe Emphysema
Valley Hospital, a member of The Valley Health System, is now using the FDA-approved Spiration® Valve System (SVS) for the treatment of severe emphysema. This Olympus innovation provides physicians an important new therapy for the treatment of adult patients who are suffering from the symptoms of severe emphysema, such as shortness of breath.
Emphysema, a progressive form of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), affects 3.5 million people in the U.S. according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease causes a loss of elasticity in lung tissue and enlargement of the alveoli. As a result, emphysematous lobes become hyperinflated, causing shortness of breath. The Spiration Valve is an umbrella-shaped device that is placed in targeted airways of the lung during a short bronchoscopic procedure. Once in place, the SVS redirects air from diseased parts of the lung to healthier parts, allowing the healthier lung tissue to expand and function more effectively. With a potential reduction in lung volume, a patient may be able to breathe more easily and experience improvement in their quality of life.
Respiratory Services at Valley Hospital
Learn more about the full range of respiratory care and treatments available at Valley Hospital on our services page.
A decade of clinical studies has shown that patient selection is one of the most important predictive factors of a good response to bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BVLR) with endobronchial valves. Patients are selected for this procedure through a screening process that involves a thorough patient evaluation, including comorbidities, and high-resolution CT analysis.
“We are pleased to add the Spiration Valve System to our treatment portfolio for patients with severe emphysema,” said Collin McLaughlin CEO, Valley Hospital. “The SVS from Olympus gives pulmonologists at Valley Hospital an additional alternative for the treatment of this underserved patient population.”
Other Pulmonary Services
Valley Hospital has developed several important pulmonary services, including:
- Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT) to quickly respond to patients identified as having a pulmonary embolism (blood clot), and utilizing ClotTriever®, an FDA-cleared mechanical thrombectomy device, for a one-time session under conscious sedation with a specially trained cardiologist or radiologist to thread a catheter into a pulmonary artery to capture and remove the clot(s). The technology eliminates the need for clot-busting drugs, called thrombolytics, which often require time spent in the intensive care unit.
- Lung Nodule Biopsies – Pulmonologists perform minimally invasive lung biopsies to diagnose infections, inflammatory diseases and lung cancer. Due to the volume and outcomes of biopsies performed using ION® technology, Valley Hospital serves as an observation site for the ION program, and recently welcomed two Swiss pulmonologists to observe the ION program in action.
- Fellowship Training for Physicians - As an academic medical center, Valley Hospital’s Graduate Medical Education program has offered a Fellowship in Pulmonary/Critical Care since 2010 with physicians working in private practice, performing medical and surgical procedures, and as intensivists working only in hospital intensive care units throughout Southern Nevada.