Leominster’s HealthAlliance Hospital is one of the first hospitals in the country to offer a recently government-approved procedure for patients with severe asthma.
HealthAlliance, which is a division of Worcester’s UMass Memorial Health Care, is performing the minimally invasive out-patient procedure in partnership with Mass Lung & Allergy, PC, a specialty practice located in Leominster.
The procedure, which was recetnly approved by the Food & Drug Administration, uses the Alair Bronchial Thermoplasty System. It is a catheter that is entered into a patient’s throat and uses thermal energy to open up the patient’s airways. The procedure is designed for patients who experience severe asthma.
Asthma accounts for up to 2 million emergency room visits each year, the hospital said. A Worcester resident will be the first patient to undergo the treatment at HealthAlliance.
