David Feller-Kopman, MD, section chief, pulmonary and critical care medicine and Elliot D. Backer, MD, tend to Lucy Mary Kempe, the first patient to receive the Zephyr Valve at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

LEBANON – Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center is the first hospital in New Hampshire to offer a new lung valve treatment for patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or emphysema. Recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration under their “Breakthrough Devices” status, the Zephyr Endobronchial Valve treatment is the first minimally invasive procedure to help emphysema sufferers breathe easier without major surgery. Zephyr Endobronchial Valves improve patients’ quality of life by allowing them to breathe easier, be less short of breath, and be more active and energetic.

“COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States and impacts many patients in our community. As the disease progresses, these patients often struggle with each breath despite medication and oxygen therapy,” said Interventional Pulmonologist Elliot D. Backer, MD, who performed the first procedure. “Before the Zephyr Valve, the only options for relief were highly invasive treatments including lung transplant, so it is very exciting to have a minimally invasive option that we can offer to our patients.”

The procedure is done during a simple bronchoscopy that requires no cutting or incisions. During the procedure, small one-way valves are placed in the airways to block off the diseased parts of the lungs where air gets trapped. This allows the poorly-functioning parts of the lung to collapse, the healthier parts of the lungs to expand and take in more air and the breathing muscles to work more efficiently.

“It’s really nice when you can breathe,” said Lucy Mary Kempe of Springfield, VT, who was the first patient to have the procedure at DHMC. “Since the treatment, I’m breathing so much better and back to doing everyday tasks with ease. I am so grateful to my care team at DHMC for offering this new procedure to help patients like me. I feel like a normal person again!”