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<\/p>\nRay Williams has three tiny medical \u201cvalves\u201d nestled in the bottom lobe of his left lung, designed to help him breathe easier. Called the Zephyr endobronchial valve, each pencil-eraser shaped device serves as relief valve that helps expel air trapped in the diseased crevices of emphysema tissue caused by Williams\u2019 years of smoking.<\/p>\n
St. Luke\u2019s lung specialists, pulmonologists Deborah Stahlnecker, DO, and Livia Bratis, DO, have been treating the 77-year-old Pocono man to help him improve his ability to inhale and exhale so he can move better and feel better. And the new technology that St. Luke\u2019s pioneered in the Lehigh Valley in 2021, referred medically as bronchoscopic lung volume reductions (BLVR), offers his best reason for hope that will happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel good, and I\u2019m optimistic for improvement,\u201d said Ray, who quit smoking in 2002. He walks up to five miles daily in addition to working out in pulmonary rehabilitation twice-weekly at St. Luke\u2019s Monroe Campus near his home. His goal, shared by his doctors, is to increase his breathing capacity from his pre-procedure baseline of 30% to 45%, so he can exercise without becoming easily winded.<\/p>\n
According to Dr. Stahlnecker, who implanted the Zephyr valves in Ray in March without invasive surgery, using a long camera-tipped tube, called a bronchoscope, the valves can take up to six months to reach maximal benefit, and she, too, believes they\u2019ll do their job.<\/p>\n
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Ray, and his wife, Judy, who live in Stroudsburg, are effusive in their praise for his doctors and other caregivers throughout St. Luke\u2019s, both at the Bethlehem and Monroe campuses.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth doctors are marvelous, professional and compassionate,\u201d said Judy. \u201cDr. Stahlnecker answered all of our questions about the Zephyr procedure and was never in a rush.\u201d<\/p>\n
The inpatient nursing staff who took care of Ray also get a shout-out from the couple. In particular Ricky Castro, RN, who was his Medical ICU nurse at St. Luke\u2019s Bethlehem after Dr. Stahlnecker put in the valves in March.<\/p>\n
\u201cRicky was outstanding and very attentive with Ray,\u201d explained Judy. \u201cHe walked him around the floors the day after the surgery, took his time with him and was very caring.\u201d<\/p>\n
They nominated Castro for a DAISY award,\u00a0which\u00a0celebrates and recognizes nurses for going above and beyond for their patients and families.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cRay was motivated and determined to move around after his procedure,\u201d Castro, who has previously won a DAISY award, said. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to be recognized.\u201d<\/p>\n The kind of top-notch, personal care Ray is experiencing at St. Luke\u2019s comes as no surprise to them, given their long-term and happy history with their favorite network.<\/p>\n Judy gave birth to their two children at the Bethlehem campus. Ray had radiation treatments for prostate cancer at Monroe. And Judy\u2019s life was saved after being flown to Bethlehem for treatment of a burst brain aneurysm in 2007.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had a great experience with St. Luke\u2019s every time,\u201d said Judy. \u201cAll the staff and doctors have been phenomenal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd we\u2019re so happy St. Luke\u2019s built a hospital up here near our home (St. Luke\u2019s Monroe Campus) to make this wonderful care more accessible.\u201d<\/p>\n About St. Luke\u2019s<\/strong><\/p>\n Founded in 1872,\u00a0St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of more than 20,000 employees providing services at 15 campuses and 350+ outpatient sites.\u00a0 With annual net revenue of $3.4 billion, the Network\u2019s service area includes 11 counties in two states: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. St. Luke\u2019s hospitals operate the largest network of trauma centers in Pennsylvania, with the Bethlehem Campus being home to St. Luke\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke\u2019s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania.\u00a0 In partnership with Temple University, the Network established the Lehigh Valley\u2019s first and only four-year medical school campus.\u00a0 It also operates the nation\u2019s oldest School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 52 fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with more than 500 residents and fellows. In 2022, St. Luke\u2019s, a member of the Children\u2019s Hospital Association, opened the Lehigh Valley\u2019s first and only free-standing facility dedicated entirely to kids.<\/p>\n SLUHN is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system to earn Medicare\u2019s\u00a0five-star<\/em>\u00a0ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction.\u00a0 It is both a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades\u00a0Top Hospital<\/em>\u00a0and a Newsweek World\u2019s\u00a0Best Hospital<\/em>.\u00a0 The Network\u2019s flagship University Hospital has earned the\u00a0100 Top Major Teaching Hospital<\/em>\u00a0designation from Fortune\/PINC AI 10 years in a row, including in 2023 when it was identified as THE #4 TEACHING HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY.\u00a0 In 2021, St. Luke\u2019s was identified as one of the\u00a015 Top Health Systems<\/em>\u00a0nationally.\u00a0 Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the\u00a0Most Wired<\/em>\u00a0award recognizing the breadth of the SLUHN\u2019s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information. \u00a0The Network is also recognized as one of the state\u2019s lowest-cost providers.<\/p>\n Information provided to TVL by: Ray Williams has three tiny medical \u201cvalves\u201d nestled in the bottom lobe of his left lung, designed to help him breathe easier. Called the Zephyr endobronchial valve, each pencil-eraser shaped … Continue reading Tiny Valves in Lungs Help Pocono Man Breathe Better<\/span>
\nSam Kennedy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"