Valve surgery gives COPD, emphysema sufferers hope

TEXARKANA, Texas -- A relatively new surgery is giving COPD and emphysema sufferers hope for better quality of life.

Zephyr Endobronchial Valve treatment blocks areas of the lung that have been destroyed by disease. The valves prevent air from getting into the bad part of the lungs but allow trapped air to escape. The lungs can then expand more fully, relieving pressure on the diaphragm and making breathing easier.

Dr. Gregory White

"So, essentially what you do is you go find the segments of the lung that aren't working, and you sort of pop a balloon in there, or more of an umbrella, pop an umbrella in there to block the air," said Dr. Gregory White, a pulmonologist with Collum and Carney.

Lottie Graham, a COPD and emphysema patient who had the Zephyr valve surgery, said it has made a big difference in her quality of life.

"Sometimes it would be bad enough for me that I would shake because of trying to find a breath to walk. By the time the valves came in, it's just like now, I don't have to search for a breath," Graham said.

White explains the surgery: "So, the procedure itself is minimally invasive. You just have to be put to sleep with anesthesia. We pass a bronchoscope down into your lungs. There's no knives, there's no stitches. There's no ripping of tissue. You just go in and place these valves in. Usually within the first day you can start seeing some level of benefit."

Lottie Graham

Graham said she highly recommends the procedure.

"It was easy. It was so easy," she said. "I had no pain."

The surgery does not repair diseased portions of the lung. But White said it can give patients about a 20% improvement in lung function.

The Zephyr valve system was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2018.

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