Editor's note: This story was written by Jacki Crane, a Mayo Clinic patient.

In summer 2018, I found myself struggling to breathe. Living in South Florida, this was the height of red tide: a higher-than-normal concentration of algae.

News outlets were reporting that 50,000 pounds of dead fish were washing up on the shores every week near my home. I could not even go from my house to my car and then to work without getting sick from the smell. I felt my lungs tighten up, and I would have to go back inside.

Breathing that toxic air sent me from being moderately bad with emphysema to being in an end-stage. I felt like I was dying.

My primary care physician was shocked when she examined me and could not believe how sick I had become. Tests showed I had 24% lung function, and around Labor Day 2018, I had a heart attack.

How Mayo Clinic came into my life

After improving somewhat from my heart attack, it was time to address my lung. An elongated lower left lung lobe was displacing other organs. I was initially referred to a hospital in Orlando, Florida, for lung volume reduction, but my insurance policy indicated I would need to find another hospital. This is how Mayo Clinic came into my life in December 2018.

I thought I would need a lung transplant, but after tests and imaging, my care team, including Dr. Sebastian Fernandez-Bussy, a Mayo Clinic pulmonary and critical care physician, thought I would be a good candidate for a procedure that at the time had been recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration: endoscopic lung volume reduction.

"With Mrs. Crane's case, several small valves were placed in her lung to block damaged areas," says Dr. Fernandez-Bussy. "So, with time, that part of the lung with the most emphysema will shrink, and that will allow the rest of the lung with less emphysema to have more space to expand and function. And the people will achieve better breathing and a better quality of life."

I was just the second patient at Mayo Clinic in Florida to undergo the procedure, which made me feel a bit like a celebrity. I remember it was shoulder to shoulder with physicians coming to watch and learn. Each person, whether a nurse or in another role, paid close attention to my recovery. I was taking fuller breaths after the first day, and I was walking the halls and gaining strength soon after. If I did not have the procedure, I think I would have died.

I left the hospital in mid-January with my new valves and began rehabilitation. However, setbacks in spring 2019 brought me back to the hospital, and the valves needed to be removed. Over a two-month period, I healed and worked to strengthen my lungs to prepare for a second procedure to have the valves inserted in July 2019.

Living life, breathing better

Since July 2019 and the reinsertion of valves, I have not had a problem, and my quality of life is so much better. I have approximately 40% lung function — nearly double what I had before my new valves. Just knowing I could not walk 2 feet without having to stop and catch my breath to now, where I am able perform tasks around the house and do not need to wear oxygen, is incredible.

It took me a while to get where I am at today: driving, exercising and gardening. I retired from my job, as it was very physical in nature. But I am not limited or limiting myself.

If there is someone in a similar position as I was — struggling to breathe and live life — do your research and talk with your health care team. There were no incisions and no lengthy time under anesthesia. It is far less invasive than the alternatives, including a lung transplant, which, given my health at the start of the process, I am not sure I would have lived through.

I am totally convinced that without this procedure, and the work of my health care team at Mayo Clinic and my support system at home, I would not be here.

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But a minimally invasive procedure is helping many patients breathe easier, says Dr. Sebastian Fernandez-Bussy, a Mayo Clinic pulmonary and critical care physician.

Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video pkg (0:59) is in the downloads at the end of the post. Please "Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

This procedure, which is called "endoscopic lung volume reduction," can improve symptoms of emphysema for people who no longer respond to medical treatment.

"During the procedure, the patient is under anesthesia, and we go down with a small scope through the mouth to the lungs," says Dr. Fernandez-Bussy.

Then surgeons place one-way valves in the lungs that allow air to escape that has entered the lungs through holes that develop during emphysema.

"So with time, that part of the lung with the most emphysema will shrink, and that will allow the rest of the lung with less emphysema to have more space to expand and function. And the people will achieve better breathing and a better quality of life," says Dr. Fernandez-Bussy.

The procedure is not a cure, but it can help improve symptoms.

The post Mayo Clinic Minute: Minimally invasive procedure for emphysema appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Listen: Mayo Clinic Radio: 7/13/19

When one of the heart's natural pumps isn’t working well, a ventricular assist device can be used to increase the amount of blood that flows through the body. On the Mayo Clinic Radio podcast, Dr. John Stulak, a Mayo Clinic cardiovascular surgeon, discusses ventricular assist devices and heart transplant. Also on the podcast, Dr. Sebastian Fernandez-Bussy and Dr. Eric Edell, Mayo Clinic pulmonologists, explain endoscopic lung volume reduction, which is a minimally invasive treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. And Dr. Kristina Butler, a Mayo Clinic gynecologic oncologist, discusses diagnosing and treatment options for ovarian cancer.

The post #MayoClinicRadio podcast: 7/13/19 appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

When one of the heart's natural pumps isn’t working well, a ventricular assist device can be used to increase the amount of blood that flows through the body. A ventricular assist device is an implantable mechanical pump that helps pump blood from the lower chambers of your heart (the ventricles) to the rest of your body. It is used in people who have weakened hearts or heart failure.

Although a ventricular assist device can be placed in the left, right or both ventricles of your heart, it is most frequently used in the left ventricle. When placed in the left ventricle, it is called a left ventricular assist device. Having a ventricular assist device implanted can improve quality of life for people with weakened hearts, heart failure or for those who are awaiting a heart transplant. 

In this Mayo Clinic Radio podcast, Dr. John Stulak, a Mayo Clinic cardiovascular surgeon, will cover ventricular assist devices and heart transplant. Also on the program, Dr. Sebastian Fernandez-Bussy and Dr. Eric Edell, Mayo Clinic pulmonologists, will explain endoscopic lung volume reduction, which is a minimally invasive treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. And Dr. Kristina Butler, a Mayo Clinic gynecologic oncologist, will discuss diagnosing and treatment options for ovarian cancer.

Here is your Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

The post Ventricular assist devices offer hope for heart failure patients: Mayo Clinic Radio appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

When one of the heart's natural pumps isn’t working well, a ventricular assist device can be used to increase the amount of blood that flows through the body. A ventricular assist device is an implantable mechanical pump that helps pump blood from the lower chambers of your heart (the ventricles) to the rest of your body. It is used in people who have weakened hearts or heart failure.

Although a ventricular assist device can be placed in the left, right or both ventricles of your heart, it is most frequently used in the left ventricle. When placed in the left ventricle, it is called a left ventricular assist device. Having a ventricular assist device implanted can improve quality of life for people with weakened hearts, heart failure or for those who are awaiting a heart transplant. 

On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. John Stulak, a Mayo Clinic cardiovascular surgeon, will cover ventricular assist devices and heart transplant. Also on the program, Dr. Sebastian Fernandez-Bussy and Dr. Eric Edell, Mayo Clinic pulmonologists, will explain endoscopic lung volume reduction, which is a minimally invasive treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. And Dr. Kristina Butler, a Mayo Clinic gynecologic oncologist, will discuss diagnosing and treatment options for ovarian cancer.

To hear the program, find an affiliate in your area.

Use the hashtag #MayoClinicRadio, and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Access archived shows or subscribe to the podcast.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

The post Ventricular assist devices offer hope for heart failure patients appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Although a ventricular assist device can be placed in the left, right or both ventricles of your heart, it is most frequently used in the left ventricle. When placed in the left ventricle, it is called a left ventricular assist device. Having a ventricular assist device implanted can improve quality of life for people with weakened hearts, heart failure or for those who are awaiting a heart transplant.

On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. John Stulak, a Mayo Clinic cardiovascular surgeon, will cover ventricular assist devices and heart transplant. Also on the program, Dr. Sebastian Fernandez-Bussy and Dr. Eric Edell, Mayo Clinic pulmonologists, will explain endoscopic lung volume reduction, which is a minimally invasive treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. And Dr. Kristina Butler, a Mayo Clinic gynecologic oncologist, will discuss diagnosing and treatment options for ovarian cancer.

To hear the program, find an affiliate in your area.

Miss the show? Here's your Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

Use the hashtag #MayoClinicRadio, and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Access archived shows or subscribe to the podcast.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Ventricular assist devices / lung volume reduction / ovarian cancer appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Wayne Peterson came to Mayo knowing it may be his last chance to find relief from COPD. What he didn't know was that he'd be the first in Minnesota to undergo a new, life changing lung procedure.

Wayne Peterson hadn't been able to breathe easily for years, and time was running out. In 2003, he was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), report ABC 6 News, KIMT 3 News and the Rochester Post-Bulletin. He tells the new outlets he was eventually put on oxygen and says he was given little hope by doctors in Texas, where he was living at the time, before coming to Mayo Clinic's Rochester campus. "They wanted to send me to hospice because they said they couldn't do any more," he tells ABC 6 News. "I came up here because I'm from here originally. I knew about Mayo Clinic. I thought if anyone can do anything, it's Mayo."

His instincts and his timing, ABC 6 News reports, were "perfect." The summer before his arrival, the Food and Drug Administration had given its seal of approval to the tiny valve used in a new procedure called endoscopic lung volume reduction. Mayo Clinic's Rochester campus is the first in its region to offer the treatment to patients with debilitating lung conditions tied to COPD, including emphysema. Last month Wayne — who tells KIMT he "wasn't a candidate for a lung volume reduction and I wasn't a candidate for transplant" — was the first patient to undergo the procedure in Minnesota.

Read the rest of the story. 

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This story originally appeared on the In the Loop blog.

The post In the Loop: New hope for patients with COPD appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.