Have any of you heard of the Zephyr Value Procedure for COPD and emphysema patients??
It’s a new procedure being done., look it up and you might want to consider it., I got an appointment the 7th of April to see if I’m a candidate., I have to drive 140 miles one way to where they are doing the procedure., but it might be worth it.,
I will be praying for you. I hoping I’m a candidate for them., Anything to help you breathe., I will have mine done in Jonesboro Ark., About 130 miles from my house., Only 2 placies in Arkansas they do the procedures at.,
Keep me posted,.
I hope to learn this week if i qualify. Had 10 different tests here through Duke medical. The docs here were part of the original clinical trials so have been using the valves for 10 years. 🙏🏻 praying i can get valves instead of Lung Volume Reduction surgery. Much less invasive.
It is scary but I know of a guy that’s had it done snd he’s doing pretty good. Only 5 weeks out. So far.
The Zephyr valves were approved for use in the US in 2018, and were used in Europe and Australia for at least 10 years prior to that. There have been a great number of valves, vents, coils, steam and glue that have been trialed in the US to do essentially what the Zephyr valves do. I tested at the U of Iowa back in 2005 for one of the early ones, but these have been looked at for close to 20 years. They've learned a lot in those 20 years, and we have very much gained from the knowledge they developed in Europe especially. If you qualify, you will have a reasonable chance of a good outcome; a lot of what they've learned is what characteristics you need in your COPD to be a good candidate. So the science has definitely gotten better over the years. Good luck!
They'll probably want a fairly recent CT scan, I know they'll do a full PFT and six minute walk (not to determine whether you qualify for O2; this is the formal one to see how far you can walk in six minutes and O2 has nothing to do with it). Those are the ones I'm fairly sure about. I know they do some tests to see how the lungs are situated and to see if there are any fissures in the lungs. They'll also assess your physical condition and do a psychological assessment if necessary. You'll probably have tests you've never had before, so ask lots of questions and you'll learn a lot. You may be able to get a list of tests they do if you go to the website of the unit that will be doing the procedure. You might also find information on the Pulmonx website.