Bronchial Thermoplasty Global Registry: One Year Results

Abstract

Introduction: Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) is a procedure-based treatment for patients ≥18 years with severe persistent asthma not well controlled with medication. The BT Global Registry (BTGR) collects data on subjects undergoing this procedure. Objectives: To describe the results of the study after 1 year of follow-up. Methods: The BTGR is an all-comer, prospective, open-label, multi-center study enrolling adult subjects indicated for and treated with BT. Baseline characteristics collected included demographics, AQLQ, ACT, medication usage, FEV1 and FVC, medical history, comorbidities, and 12-month baseline recall data (severe exacerbations (SE) and healthcare utilization). SE incidence and healthcare utilization were summarized at 1 year post-BT. Results: 159 subjects were enrolled at 19 centers in Spain, Italy, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, South Africa, and Australia. Subjects’ baseline characteristics were representative of middle-aged persons with severe asthma. A comparison of the proportion of subjects experiencing events during the 12 months prior to BT to the 1-year follow-up showed a reduction in SE (90.4% vs 57.9%), ER visits (54.4% vs 21.1%), and hospitalizations (43.0% vs 20.2%). Reductions in asthma maintenance medication dosage were also observed. AQLQ and ACT scores improved from 3.31 and 11.24 at baseline to 4.53 and 14.24 at 1 year, respectively. Conclusion: The real-world BTGR study suggests that at 1 year after BT healthcare utilization decreased, clinical outcomes improved and medication usage was reduced. This is consistent with results from other BT RCTs and registries and further supports improvement in asthma control after BT. Funding: sponsored by Boston Scientific