Sklifosovsky doctors preserve patient's lung using bronchial knife

Doctors at Moscow's Sklifosovsky Research Institute for Emergency Medicine preserved a 28-year-old patient's lung using a patented bronchial knife developed at the institute, Deputy Mayor Anastasia Rakova said.

The instrument is inserted through a bronchoscope, a thin flexible tube with a camera that passes through the mouth into the airways, Rakova said. Images on a screen allow the doctor to see the narrowed section of the bronchus.

The device uses high-frequency electric current to treat scar tissue. It helps cut and remove tissue obstructing airflow and widen the bronchus, the deputy mayor explained.

Rakova said the endoscopic approach could restore airway patency without chest incisions or removal of part of the lung. She said the technology was also used to remove certain tumours and polyps and to cut scars and adhesions.

The institute is sharing its experience with regional colleagues. Clinics in Novosibirsk, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Nalchik and Dagestan already use the device, Rakova said.