Bronchiectasis and Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) Center

Overview

At Cleveland Clinic in Florida, we take lung health seriously. The Bronchiectasis and Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) Center offers the latest treatment options and a team of expert providers who are there for you throughout it all. Working together, we provide comprehensive care to help you through your journey with these complex conditions.

Understanding bronchiectasis and NTM infections

If you get frequent lung infections, you may have a cough that won’t go away or trouble breathing. Two conditions that can cause this are bronchiectasis and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections.

When you have bronchiectasis, the tubes in your lungs that carry air (bronchi) get wider and thicker. They may also develop pouches. This makes it hard for the mucus (phlegm) to leave your lungs. You might start to cough up phlegm (sputum) and find it hard to breathe. If it gets worse, you can end up with a cycle of infection and inflammation. Certain health conditions can also cause bronchiectasis. These include past lung infections, lung conditions you were born with or problems with your immune system.

NTM infections come from bacteria found in soil and water. Some people are more likely to get them. You’re more at risk if you have lung conditions like bronchiectasis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A weak immune system can also make you more likely to get an NTM infection. Unlike tuberculosis, another lung infection, NTM infections can’t be passed from person to person. However, they can still cause serious health problems, like chronic lung infections. These bacteria can also attack other organs in your body.

Both bronchiectasis and NTM infections can cause damage like:

• Lung scarring (pulmonary fibrosis).
• Abscesses.
• Respiratory failure.

About Us

Get to know us

Since 2022, we’ve focused on providing the most specialized care for patients with bronchiectasis and NTM infections. We rely on our proven, advanced research to confirm a diagnosis and map out your personalized care plan. We work to slow infections and minimize as much lung damage as possible. And we help you manage your day-to-day symptoms.

Meet our team

We use a team-based approach to treatment. Depending on your needs, your care team may include:

• Pulmonologists.
• Infectious disease specialists.
• Cardiothoracic surgeons.
• Gastroenterologists.
• Pathologists.
• Otolaryngologists.
• Radiologists. 
• Pharmacists.
• Registered dietitians. 
• Respiratory therapists.

You’ll also work with our clinical coordinators. They guide you through your treatment journey, helping set up appointments with the many members of your care team. You can also count on them to answer your questions and help you figure out any changes that might happen.

Find us

2950 Cleveland Clinic Blvd.
Building A, Desk 31
Weston, Florida, 33331 
Get directions

Our Team

Center Co-Directors

Anas Hadeh, MD

Carla McWilliams, MD

Center Coordinator/Patient Navigator

 
Virginia D’Onofrio, BSN, RN, GERO-BC, AMB-BC

Infectious Disease

Patrick Kenny, DO

Monica George-Palop, MD

Taisiya Tumarinson, DO

 
Jennifer Fritz, APRN

Pulmonology

Justin Dolan, MD

Interventional Pulmonology

Ivan Romero, MD

John Woytanowski, MD

Thoracic Surgery 

Luis Argote-Greene, MD

ENT

Michael Medina, MD

Gastroenterology

Alison Schneider, MD

Thoracic Radiology

Ian Drexler, MD, MBA

Pharmacy

 
Damien Alpizar

Respiratory Therapy

 
Alejandra Sanchez

Maria Valle

Audiology

 
Inna Valerie Silver, AuD

Dietitian 

 
Rosmary Caraballo Araque

Services

Bronchiectasis care

We offer the latest diagnostic procedures and personalized treatment plans for bronchiectasis. Our team works with you to find treatments that work for you. Some of the treatment options we offer include:

• Teaching you how to clear your airways of mucus using medications, medical devices and exercises.
• Treating any airway infections with medications like the latest inhaled antibiotics.
• Treating chronic airway inflammation with anti-inflammatory drugs.

NTM diagnosis and treatment

We offer comprehensive diagnostic procedures and tailored treatment plans for NTM infections. Treatment options we offer can include prolonged courses of combination antibiotic therapy and airway clearance techniques.

Appointments

Getting ready for your evaluation

Before scheduling your first appointment, you’ll need to provide us with your medical records. This allows our team to review them and make sure the Cleveland Clinic Florida Bronchiectasis and NTM Center is the best fit for your medical needs. It also helps our team learn more about your medical history and have a productive first visit with you.

What we need

As part of this comprehensive records review, we’ll need:

Earlier appointment notes

This includes documentation from visits with your primary care physician and any specialists you’ve seen, like pulmonologists, infection disease doctors, immunologists or rheumatologists.

Diagnostic images

Our team will want to review earlier chest CT scans or chest X-rays. While written test results are helpful, actual images from these scans are important. They help us see what your lungs look like so we can prepare for your evaluation.

You can upload images here:

• Ambra Health Images upload.

If you can’t get images to us before your appointment, please bring a CD with the files to your evaluation.

Lab and test results

Please provide us results and reports from any tests you’ve had outside of Cleveland Clinic in Florida, like:

• Blood tests.
• Sputum culture.
• Bronchoscopy.
• Lung function tests.
• Biopsies.

Despite our best efforts to gather all necessary medical records before your appointment, we might need to get more information from additional testing or imaging.

What to expect at your evaluation

Your evaluation may take at least several hours. Because we use a team-based approach to care, you’ll likely see more than one healthcare provider during your evaluation. This could include teams from pulmonary medicine, infectious disease, respiratory therapy and more. The providers you meet during your evaluation will depend on the medical information you share before your visit. We do our best to get the right people in the room. During this visit, you may also have more testing so our team can see firsthand how well your lungs work and what they look like.

Research & Innovation

When you choose the Cleveland Clinic Florida Bronchiectasis and Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Center, you can feel confident knowing you’re getting the latest tests and treatments. We base the care we deliver on ongoing research into why and how this kind of lung damage happens. This helps us develop even better ways to treat it. Our team takes part in clinical trials that may allow you to try new medications and therapies before they’re widely available.

Discover our research initiatives aimed at better understanding and treating of bronchiectasis and NTM infections.

Clinical trials

Our center is actively involved in multiple research and clinical trials focusing on NTM and bronchiectasis treatments. These include:

• AIR-BX1 Study (NCT01313624): A Phase 3, double-blind, multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled trial evaluating repeated courses of aztreonam for inhalation solution in people with non-cystic fibrosis (CF) bronchiectasis and gram-negative endobronchial infection.
• CONVERT Study (NCT02344004): A study to evaluate the effectiveness of liposomal amikacin for inhalation (LAI) 590 mg administered once daily (QD) when added to a multi-drug regimen (MDR) in people with nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung infection caused by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) that were refractory to treatment.
• PROMIS-II Study (NCT03460704): A trial for non-CF bronchiectasis patients with chronic lung infections who are treated with colistimethate sodium.
• Assessing the Incidence of NTM in a Large Multi-Centered Lung Nodule and Lung Cancer Screening Program: An ongoing study evaluating the prevalence of NTM infections in patients undergoing lung nodule and lung cancer screening across multiple centers.
• Inhaled Clofazimine Study (NCT06418711): We’ve been selected as a site for the upcoming landmark study on inhaled clofazimine. This study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of clofazimine inhalation suspension as a treatment option for patients with NTM lung disease.

Learn more about our clinical trials and how you can participate.

Education & Outreach

Our services extend beyond the treatment you get in our facilities. Our team is here to help you and your loved ones:

• Find educational resources like brochures and helpful videos on sputum (phlegm) collection, airway clearance techniques and more.
• Get caregiver training for at-home care.
• Join our community awareness sessions, seminars and educational events to stay informed about bronchiectasis and NTM.

Patient resources

• Speak Up In BE: Get information about bronchiectasis, its causes and symptoms and how to manage it, along with real-life stories of others with this condition.
• Bronchiectasis Toolbox: Learn about bronchiectasis diagnosis and treatment, as well as living with this condition. This site also features helpful videos for clearing your airway.
• American Thoracic Society NTM Resources: Study this handout for detailed information about NTM diagnosis and treatment.
• NTM Info & Research (NTMir): Explore this nonprofit organization’s patient support offerings and research findings relating to NTM. https://ntminfo.org/
• BronchandNTM360 Social: Join this online community for individuals affected by bronchiectasis or NTM.
• IMPACT Airway Clearance Techniques: Check out information and videos showing various ways to clear your airways.
• Living with BE Screening Questions: Take this quick online screening test if you have bronchiectasis symptoms. Share results with your Cleveland Clinic in Florida healthcare provider.