JOIN USOnce inserted into the lungs, the device, which is less than 3mm in diameter, emits radiowaves that heat the airways which helps shrink scarred, thickened lung tissue and aiding breathing.
The procedure, called Bronchial thermoplasty (BT), is used in cases of severe persistent asthma that cannot be controlled with normal medication. Patients need only moderate sedation to undergo the procedure which means they can go home the same day.
After the treatment, asthma sufferers reported a 32 per cent reduction in attacks, and there was an 84 per cent reduction in accident and emergency visits, Daily Mail reported.
Trials showed that patients treated with BT, compared to another group that did not receive the procedure, showed significant positive changes such as decreases in asthma attacks, increases in days with no asthma symptoms and improvement in quality of life.
Asthma, a chronic condition of the airways that can cause coughing, wheezing and breathlessness, affects more than three million Britons.