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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : June 5, 2018 12:00 PM IST
Shortage of drugs may worsen the treatment of TB patients, warns Health Ministry . © Shutterstock
With an aim to educate and reinstate latest information on the advancements in technology in Interventional Pulmonology amongst the country s chest physicians, the 12th Interventional Pulmonology League 2018 was organized by the Institute of Pulmonology Medical Research & Development, from 1st -3rd June in Mumbai. Over 240 doctors from the Pulmonary faculty from all across India were present during the three day seminar.
Spearheaded by Program Director, Dr. Prashant Chhajed, HOD-Respiratory Medicine, SL Raheja Hospital,Mahim & Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi, the forum discussed various interventional techniques that are currently available for the diagnosis and treatment of various pulmonary diseases like Drug Resistant Tuberculosis, water in lungs etc., which can now be diagnosed with new technologies like Pleuroscopy. Other new technologies such as Bronchial Thermoplastic which are used to treat severe Asthma were also discussed as well as Lung Cryobiopsy for diagnosis of Interstitial Lung Disease. Renowned European Pulmonologist, Prof. Dr. Felix Herth, Germany represented the International Faculty and was the guest of honor over the three days.
Read: Is tuberculosis or TB life threatening?
In particular, techniques that aid in the microbiological and molecular tests in the diagnosis of Tuberculosis including Drug Resistant Tuberculosis were discussed. A huge impact in the management of TB including Drug Resistance TB can now be treated by a device called Ebus-TBNA (Endobronchialultrasound Tansbronchial Needle Aspiration); a procedure performed under local anesthesia and sedation on day care basis, which provides samples for microbiological, molecular and pathological testing. Thus, enabling precise diagnosis and avoiding Empiric treatment (based on judgment). It was noted that of 44 patients diagnosed with tuberculosis on EBUS TBNA, sampling showed that 18% of patients had Drug Resistant Tuberculosis.
Speaking about the prevalence of drug resistant TB and its diagnosis, Program Director, Dr. Prashant Chhajed, HOD-Respiratory Medicine, SL Raheja Hospital,Mahim & Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi, said, It is proven that India is a Tuberculosis-endemic country and a considerable amount of the total population has been diagnosed with it. Out of this, a significant number of people are diagnosed with Drug Resistant TB. With new technological advancements, diagnosis has been achieved at a faster pace. The EBUS -TBNA was first introduced at Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi in the whole of Maharashtra 8 years ago, and ever since the technology has proven valuable in detecting Drug resistant TB cases .
Read:World Tuberculosis Day 2018: what you must know about this highly contagious disease
Speaking about the difference in Western countries in comparison to India, Prof. Dr. Felix Herth, Germany, said, India has a large number of people suffering from Lung and Chest diseases, in my opinion these are caused by environmental factors. Smoking is the second cause; the first and foremost reasons are smoking and pollution. In Germany and Europe 25% of the population are smokers. With fairly good treatment centers available in India, these are completely comparable to Western countries .
Source: Press Release
Image Source: Shutterstock
