Research on the effectiveness and safety of bronchial thermoplasty in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Objectives To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of bronchial thermoplasty (BT) in treating patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods Clinical data of 57 COPD patients were randomized into the control (n = 29, conventional inhalation therapy) or intervention group (n = 28, conventional inhalation therapy plus BT). Primary outcomes were differences in clinical symptom changes, pulmonary function-related indicators, modified Medical Research Council (mMRC), 6-min walk test (6MWT), COPD assessment test (CAT) score and acute exacerbation incidence from baseline to an average of 3 and 12 months. Safety was assessed by adverse events. Results FEV1, FEV1(%, predicted) and FVC in both groups improved to varying degrees post-treatment compared with those pre-treatment (P < 0.05). The Intervention group showed greater improving amplitudes of FEV1 (F-time x between groups = 21.713, P < 0.001) and FEV1(%, predicted) (F-time x between groups = 31.216, P < 0.001) than the control group, and there was no significant difference in FVC variation trend (F-time x between groups = 1.705, P = 0.193). mMRC, 6MWT and CAT scores of both groups post-treatment improved to varying degrees (Ps < 0.05), but the improving amplitudes of mMRC (F-time x between groups = 3.947, P = 0.025), 6MWT (F-time x between groups = 16.988, P < 0.001) and CAT score (F-time x between groups = 16.741, P < 0.001) in the intervention group were greater than the control group. According to risk assessment of COPD acute exacerbation, the proportion of high-risk COPD patients with acute exacerbation in the control and intervention groups at 1 year post-treatment (100% vs 65%, 100% vs 28.6%), inpatient proportion (100% vs 62.1%; 100% vs 28.6%), COPD acute exacerbations [3.0 (2.50, 5.0) vs 1.0 (1.0, 2.50); 3.0(3.0, 4.0) vs 0 (0, 1.0)] and hospitalizations [2.0 (2.0, 3.0) vs 1.0 (0, 2.0); 2.0 (2.0, 3.0) vs 0 (0, 1.0)] were significantly lower than those pretreatment (P < 0.05). Besides, data of the intervention group were significantly lower than the control group at each timepoint after treatment (P < 0.05). Conclusions Combined BT therapy is superior to conventional medical treatment in improving lung function and quality of life of COPD patients, and it also significantly reduces the COPD exacerbation risk without causing serious adverse events.