Bronchial Thermoplasty for Severe Asthma: A Position Statement of the Indian Chest Society

Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) is an interventional bronchoscopic treatment for severe asthma. There is a need to define patient selection criteria to guide clinicians in offering the appropriate treatment options to patients with severe asthma. Methodology: An expert group formed this statement under the aegis of the Indian Chest Society. We performed a systematic search of the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases to extract evidence on patient selection and the technical performance of BT. Results: The experts agreed that the appropriate selection of patients is crucial and proposed identification of the asthma phenotype, a screening algorithm, and inclusion/exclusion criteria for BT. In the presence of atypical clinical or chest radiograph features, there should be a low threshold for obtaining a thoracic computed tomography scan before BT. The patient should not have had an asthma exacerbation in the preceding two weeks from the day of the procedure. A 5-day course of glucocorticoid should be administered, beginning three days before the procedure day, and continued until the day following the procedure. General Anesthesia (total intravenous anesthesia with a neuromuscular blocker) provides ideal conditions for performing BT. A thin bronchoscope with a 2.0 mm working channel is preferable. An attempt should be made to deliver the maximum radiofrequency activations. Middle lobe treatment is not recommended. Following the procedure, overnight observation in the hospital, and a follow-up visit, a week following each treatment session, is desirable. Conclusion: This position statement provides practical guidance regarding patient selection and the technical performance of BT for severe asthma.