The Houston Methodist Institute for Technology, Innovation and Education (MITIE) recently hosted an intensive, hands-on cadaver course, The RIGID and Robotics, in Interventional Pulmonology (IP). The MITIE^SM Lab is designed for training interventional pulmonary physicians, practicing and in-training pulmonologists, ENT (ear, nose and throat) physicians interested in tracheal procedures and thoracic surgeons. An evolving field in Pulmonary Medicine, IP is an advanced specialty with wide applications in the management of pulmonary and thoracic conditions. These procedures involve minimally invasive techniques that can diagnose and treat many types of complex airway and lung disorders, pleural diseases and lung cancer.

Tarek Dammad, MD, D-AABIP, Specialist in Interventional Pulmonology at Houston Methodist served as instructor along with world renowned faculty. The innovative hands-on course focused on cadaver rigid bronchoscopy training, airway stenting, LASER photocoagulation, ablation and robotic-assisted bronchoscopy.

Additionally, the course aimed to improve the IP surgeons’ and trainees’ ability to identify indications and contraindications for pulmonary interventions and manage benign and malignant airway disease with sophisticated rigid bronchoscopy techniques of reopening the airway, tumor resection, utilizing mechanical and various ablative therapies, especially LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation). It also focused on silicone and non-silicone stent placements (including T-Tubes and Y-Stents and teaching Robotic Assisted Bronchoscopic procedures coupled with Cone-beam CT Chest imaging to achieve the highest diagnostic precision and yield.

“This intensive training course included about 30 learners, including fellows, physicians and respiratory therapists. Participants enhanced their skills in pulmonary interventions through hands-on sessions with cadavers and manikins, supported by interactive didactic learning. They also gained a deeper understanding of relevant anatomy and demonstrated proficiency in advanced techniques such as diagnostic bronchoscopy and robotic-assisted bronchoscopy while empowering them to deliver exceptional patient care.”

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Angie Mitchell, FA, MBA
Director of MITIE^SM

At the end of the course, the attendees were able to describe central airway obstruction in both benign and malignant pathology; recognize the best approaches to manage central airway obstruction; demonstrate the ability to perform the intervention/procedure based on evidence-based practice, technique, outcomes and robotic-assisted bronchoscopy and cone-beam computed tomography guidance.