Re: bronchiectasis article: For College Student, Video-assisted Lung Surgery Treats Infection

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Thank you so much!

Marsha

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Thank you for forwarding the article. It is very interesting and informative! in L.A. Holt wrote: I thought that some of you might have an interest inthis article especially if your bronchiectasis islocalized. It might be provide another avenue todiscuss with your specialist. Hugs:0)Source: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Released: Fri18-Aug-2006, 09:35 ET Printer-friendly Version For College Student,

Video-assisted Lung SurgeryTreats Infection, Leaving Only Tiny ScarsLibrariesMedical News KeywordsVATS, VIDEO-ASSISTED THORACOSCOPIC SURGERYContact InformationAvailable for logged-in reporters onlyDescriptionSince infancy, Margo Berry had been plagued byrecurring lung infections. Surgery was needed tocorrect the problem, but she was hesitant to take thatstep – concerned about undergoing a major operation,enduring weeks or months of painful recuperation andhaving a large scar. However, after consulting withcolleagues and going online, her physician fatherfound a surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center whospecializes in minimally invasive lung surgeries. TheUniversity of Tulsa junior had the procedure atCedars-Sinai this past February, spent one night inthe hospital, was discharged the next day and went outto dinner that night. The next day, she and her motherwent shopping on Rodeo

Drive in Beverly Hills. Margoand her surgeon, McKenna, M.D., are availablefor interviews.Newswise — Margo Berry, 22, of Tulsa, Okla., weighedwith mixed emotions her physician’s revelation thatthe middle lobe of her right lung needed to beremoved. She looked forward to the possibility ofbreathing more easily and being free of the recurringinfections that had plagued her since infancy, but shewas anxious about undergoing major surgery, enduringweeks or months of painful recuperation, and having along scar etched on her chest for the rest of herlife.Her father, Berry, M.D., a cardiovascular andthoracic surgeon specializing in heart surgery,consulted colleagues and went to the Internet insearch of minimally invasive surgery options for hisdaughter. The name that repeatedly came up was that of McKenna Jr., M.D., surgical director of theCenter for Chest Diseases and chief of

ThoracicSurgery and Trauma at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Heis a pioneer in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery(VATS), who has researched and written extensivelyabout the procedures and technologies that make itpossible to perform major chest operations throughsmall incisions, reducing hospital stays, pain,recovery times and complication rates.The family called McKenna’s office in early February,sent Margo’s recent CT scan results, and a week latertook a short-notice trip to Los Angeles, where thejunior at the University of Tulsa underwent minimallyinvasive surgery. She spent one night in the hospital,was discharged the next day and went out to dinnerthat night. The next day, she and her mother, ,went shopping on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.“I had expected to be in the worst pain of my life,”recalls Margo, who is studying exercise and sportsscience and has taken most of the courses

needed to goon to medical school. “But the only discomfort I hadwas what you can’t avoid, which was just the chesttube inserted between your ribs to drain off anyfluid.” The amount of fluid was minimal, and the tubewas removed quickly. And the pain was fleeting enoughthat she needed prescription drugs for only a coupleof days.Margo’s breathing problems started just a few daysafter birth when she suffered a partial collapse ofthe middle lobe of the lung.“I’ve had asthma my whole life, I’ve always hadallergies, and I always had the lung sicknesses thatget aggravated by that – bronchitis, pneumonia, youname it,” she says.Although she remained as active as possible – evenmaintaining a respectable pace during a 5K run on NewYear’s Eve – she found herself becoming more easilyfatigued. In January, she scheduled a visit with anallergist, who ordered an X-ray, followed by the CTscan, which

led to the diagnosis and surgery.“Margo had an infection of the windpipe that led tobronchiectasis, meaning that the bronchi get too big.When that happens, you tend to get multiple recurringinfections,” says McKenna. “She was always onantibiotics and feeling awful -- this was just totallyinterfering with her life. Antibiotics don’t fix thestructural problems with the windpipe, so the onlything to do in the case of localized bronchiectasis isto remove it.”“It was such an immediate relief right after thesurgery. I was coughing a little bit. Everyone does. Icough a little bit now, but it is such animprovement,” says Margo, who adds that she was underanesthesia for only slightly longer than an hourduring surgery.The video-assisted, minimally invasive approach isemployed in 90 percent of the lobectomies performed atCedars-Sinai, says McKenna, whose thoracic surgerypractice may be the most

active in the western UnitedStates. In contrast, VATS is currently used in onlyabout five percent of the 40,000 lobectomies performedeach year in the United States.“Most surgeons make an incision that varies from fourto 10 inches in length. Some cut major muscles of thechest wall, some spare them, but they all cut themuscles in between the ribs and spread the ribs openin order to get into the chest and see and do theoperation,” McKenna says. “I use a few smallincisions, put a TV camera lens in the chest, and dothe same operation on the inside.”The procedure can be technically challenging forsurgeons who are not accustomed to performingvideoscopic procedures and those who do not specializein chest and lung surgery. Surgeons now come fromaround the world to receive training at Cedars-Sinai.An article in the February 2006 issue of The ls ofThoracic Surgery, authored by McKenna and

hiscolleagues, is the largest published study of the VATSprocedure, reporting on results of 1,100 operationsperformed at Cedars-Sinai between February 1992 andDecember 2004.Being able to resume her active life was one majorshort-term benefit of VATS for Margo, who works at afitness and wellness center and expects to becertified by the National Academy of Sports Medicineas a personal trainer in a few weeks. Anotheradvantage will be with her in the years to come.When she learned she needed surgery, she thought, “Oh,my gosh, I’m going to have hideous scars, and I’m just22. It will be awful but at least I’ll be able tobreathe. That was my attitude. But when I went to thebeach a week or two ago, I was able to wear a bikiniand it covered up the scars. They’re just so small.”The first of seven hospitals in California whosenurses have been honored with the prestigious Magnetdesignation,

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is one of thelargest nonprofit academic medical centers in theWestern United States. For 18 consecutive years, ithas been named Los Angeles' most preferred hospitalfor all health needs in an independent survey of arearesidents. Cedars-Sinai is internationally renownedfor its diagnostic and treatment capabilities and itsbroad spectrum of programs and services, as well asbreakthroughs in biomedical research and superlativemedical education. It ranks among the top 10non-university hospitals in the nation for itsresearch activities and is fully accredited by theAssociation for the Accreditation of Human ResearchProtection Programs, Inc. (AAHRPP). Additionalinformation is available at www.cedars-sinai.edu.e-mail:maryholt12yahoo (DOT) ca or lungsformaryyahoo (DOT) caPre-Lung Transplant

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