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Inova's Specialized Care for Advanced COPD

Inova specializes in comprehensive care for patients with advanced COPD, whose symptoms persist when frontline medications and standard treatment measures have failed. We offer the following advanced programs and treatments, and more, for complex or severe COPD:

  • Nationally-ranked lung transplant program if COPD progresses to the point where lung transplantation is necessary
  • Interventional pulmonology program that offers the latest therapies and procedures, including bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) — a groundbreaking minimally invasive procedure with fewer side effects and a shorter hospital stay than lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS)
  • Treatment for COPD caused by Alpha 1, including enzyme replacement therapy and hepatology care for liver complications caused by Alpha-1

Meet Our Team

Alpha-1 Foundation logoInova is an Alpha-1 Foundation Clinical Resource Center (CRC) and Member of the Alpha-1 Foundation Clinical Resource Center Network.

Associated Programs

COPD is a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is often due to smoking but can be caused by other factors, including environmental exposures, a genetic abnormality called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, or even chronic severe asthma. It is characterized by incompletely reversible airflow obstruction despite treatment with bronchodilators. Some of the dominant features include chronic bronchitis, asthmatic bronchospasm and emphysema. In addition, patients often have shortness of breath with exertion, chronic cough and frequent bouts of bronchitis.

Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is a rare genetic disorder passed on in families that can cause COPD. Alpha-1 is the most common genetic risk factor for COPD, but it is often first diagnosed as asthma or smoking-related COPD. About 3 percent of all people diagnosed with COPD may have undetected Alpha-1. Inova specializes in the detection and treatment of Alpha-1.