New program brings advanced treatment for tracheal stenosis and other airway disorders to Southwest Florida
Naples, Fla. – August 31, 2026 – NCH has successfully completed its first complex central airway procedure through its new Interventional Pulmonology Program, expanding access to highly specialized diagnostic and therapeutic respiratory care in Southwest Florida that previously required patients in our area to drive hours away to receive.
The procedure treated a patient with recurrent symptomatic benign tracheal stenosis, a narrowing of the windpipe caused by scar tissue. The condition can significantly restrict airflow and cause shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing and other symptoms that are sometimes mistaken for more common respiratory diseases.
Using interventional bronchoscopic techniques, Dr. Vanessa Hoytfox and the NCH endoscopy team accessed the narrowed section of the patient’s airway and treated the obstructing scar tissue from within the trachea. The minimally invasive approach restored the airway without an external incision. The patient responded well and returned home the same day.
“This patient previously had to travel to Tampa for this highly specialized care,” said Vanessa Hoytfox, MD, Director of the new NCH Interventional Pulmonology Program. “By establishing interventional pulmonology at NCH, we can now provide advanced treatment for complex airway and pleural conditions here in Southwest Florida, reducing the travel burden for patients and their families.”
Bronchoscopic treatment of benign tracheal stenosis is performed primarily at only select hospitals with dedicated interventional pulmonology expertise, like NCH now offers. Treatment can include precise incisions in the scar tissue, dilation of the narrowed airway and other techniques selected according to the location, length and complexity of the stenosis.
The procedure represents the first complex central-airway stenosis case completed at NCH and the first therapeutic case for the health system’s new Interventional Pulmonology Program.
“This is exactly how NCH continues to advance care in our region: by recruiting physicians with highly specialized training and giving them the technology and resources needed to bring sophisticated treatment options to our community,” said Paul Hiltz, President and CEO of NCH.
Interventional pulmonology is a subspecialty requiring additional fellowship training following pulmonary and critical care medicine. It uses advanced minimally invasive procedures to diagnose and treat disorders involving the lungs, central airways and pleural space.
The NCH program provides advanced bronchoscopy for lung nodules and mediastinal disease, as well as therapeutic procedures for benign and malignant airway obstruction, tracheal stenosis, central-airway tumors and complex pleural conditions.
“This successful first case demonstrates both the clinical capability of the program and the difference it can make in a patient’s life,” Dr. Hoytfox said. “We are building a comprehensive program so patients throughout Southwest Florida can receive timely, specialized respiratory care without having to travel several hours from home.”
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