Few words about David

Member of European and World Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmnology (EABIP, WABP). First in Georgia to implement airway stenting, laser resection, valvular bronchoblocation. Successful cases are growing rapidly during the recent years.

Photo Gallery 

At the First Congress of Interventional Pulmonology in Marseille 2011, with Prof. Yoichi Watanabe (Yoichi Watanabe), who developed the endobronchial blocker EWS (Endobronchial Watanabe Spigot).

At the First Interventional Pulmonology Congress in Marseille (2011), with Prof. Stefano Gasparini (Stefano Gasparini), who founded the first European courses in bronchoscopy (1994) and has conducted more than 20 international training courses in transbronchial biopsy techniques.

At the First ECBIP Congress in Marseille (2011), with Prof. Kazuhiro Yasufuku, who co-developed the convex ultrasound probe in collaboration with Olympus Corporation and successfully introduced endobronchial ultrasonography (EBUS).

At the First ECBIP Congress in Marseille (2011), with Prof. Semra Bilaceroglu, Vice President of the European Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology.

Investigators in Madrid, 2011. From left: David Maghalashvili, Kakha Vacharadze, Lali Nikoleishvili, Elene Sherozia, Nino Lomidze, Maia Gotua.

Prominent investigators in Prague, 2012

Oral presentation at the 2nd ECBIP Congress, Çeşme, Izmir (2013)

2nd ECBIP Congress, Çeşme, Izmir, 2013. With Prof. Ali Musani (University of Colorado School of Medicine; Treasurer of the American Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology), Prof. Felix Herth (Medical Director, Thoracic Clinic Heidelberg; President of the European Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology), and Prof. Michael Machuzak (Cleveland Clinic; principal investigator in bronchial thermoplasty).

2nd ECBIP Congress, Çeşme, Izmir, 2013. With Prof. Semra Bilaceroglu (Congress and Association Secretary) and Prof. Ralf Eberhardt (Thoraxklinik, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg).

2nd ECBIP Congress, Çeşme, Izmir, 2013. With Prof. Turhan Ece (Department of Pulmonology, Istanbul University) and Prof. Stefano Gasparini.

2014 – Celebration of successful research in Istanbul

2015 – Celebration of successful completion of the research

2016 – Combined interventional procedure

2016 – Combined rigid and flexible bronchoscopy

2016 – Investigators in Lisbon

2016 – At the Respiratory Congress in Batumi

2016 At the 5th International Congress of the Georgian Respiratory Association in Batumi, Arunas Valiulis, President of the Lithuanian Pediatric Respiratory Society, Wojciech Palka, Head of the Department of Interventional Pulmonology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, USA, Irina Felker, Bronchologist at the Novosibirsk Tuberculosis Research Institute, Arnold Levin, Professor at the Novosibirsk Tuberculosis Research Institute, creator of the MEDLUNG valvular bronchoblocker, Vakhtang Katsarava, Head of the Thoracic Service at the Center for High Medical Technologies, Professor.

2016 NCTLD

Colleges 

2019 – Poster presentation at the ECBIP Congress, Dubrovnik

2019 – ECBIP Congress, Dubrovnik

2019 – 5th ECBIP Congress in Dubrovnik, with EABIP Vice-Presidents Semra Bilaceroglu and Herve Dutau, and EBUS promoter Heinrich Becker.

2019 – 5th ECBIP Congress, Dubrovnik, with Prof. Lorenzo Corbetta from the University of Florence, Department of Respiratory Medicine.

2019 – Bokhua Pulmonology Department staff

2019 – with Wojtek Palka and Arnold Levin

2019 – Scientific presentation at the Surgical Congress in Batumi

2019 – Scientific meeting at the Surgeons’ Congress in Batumi

2019 Professor Sister and Professor Brother

2019 – With resident

2020 – Bokhua Pulmonology Department

2021 – Visit to Vardzia with the full Bokhua team

2021 – With Elene Sherozia and Ramaz Kurashvili

2021 – Investigators in Barcelona

Scientific presentation with cardiologists, 2021

2022 – With Don Tanaka and Felix Herz

2022 With Don Tanaka

2023 EU in European University

2023 EU Students

2023 EU Students

European University students, 2023

Novatech training course in Georgia, 2023

2023 – Membership of the Dissertation Council

2023 – Scientific presentation with surgeons

2023 – With students

2023 – Long Island Micro-CT Animal Laboratory

2023 – Meeting in San Francisco with Tanaka

2023 – Training at the San Francisco Animal Laboratory

2023 – Productive work at the San Francisco Animal Laboratory

2023 – Relaxation after hard work with American scientists

2024 – Meeting at Helthycor with American researchers, (Mitch)

2024 – Meeting with American researchers at Helthycor

2024 – With American researchers

June 2024 with Felix Herz

Presentation at the 2024 Medical Technology Summit 

Presentation at the 2024 Medical Technology Summit 

Oral presentation at the Medical Technology Summit 2024 

Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) training, Zakopane, 2024

With Prof. Hervé Dutau and his team, 2024

In Marseille, 2024, with Hervé Dutau

Poster presentation at the ERS 2025 Congress

ERS 2025 Congress — with Prof. Stefano Gasparini

ERS 2025 Congress — with Nana Kiria

With students, 2025

My Short Bio

I studied at the Tbilisi Medical University. After graduation, I was directed to a great place – Abastumani, a place with an observatory and the cleanest air. It was a place where patients with pulmonary tuberculosis were receiving treatment.  After 2 years working there, my sphere of interest became pulmonary medicine.

In  1987, I started my first job as a pulmonologist in diagnostic department of Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases in Tbilisi. There I’ve been interested in novel diagnostic method, called bronchoscopy.

Milestone in my career was case of middle aged female patient. She suffered with haemoptysis, chest pain, weight loss. Radiologically she was diagnosed with lung cancer. During the diagnostic bronchoscopy I discovered a plastic denture in the bronchial lumen and removed it.

I never forget her happy eyes. I realized the power of bronchoscopy and decided to perfect this method. In 1990, I went to Central Research Institute of Tuberculosis RAMS (CTRI) in Moscow to study this method.

Fiberbronchoscopy was not enough for me and in 1991 I went to the Roentgen-Radiology Research Institute in Moscow to study rigid bronchoscopy and transthoracic needle biopsy (TNB). At that time bronchoscopy and TBN were highly modern diagnostic methods.

In 1990, I participated in the 1st Congress on Lung Diseases in Kyiv. In 2011, I attended the 1st European Congress of Bronchoscopy and Interventional Pulmonology (ECBIP), 

and since then I have actively participated in EABIP congresses with oral presentations and poster presentations. Since 2019, I have been a member of the World Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology (WABIP).

I was the first in Georgia to introduce and continue to successfully perform advanced interventional procedures such as endobronchial valve therapy (EBV), bronchial stenting and laser resection. Due to its successful clinical outcomes, endobronchial valve therapy was incorporated into the updated tuberculosis guidelines and received NTP (National TB Program) funding in 2020.

The accumulated clinical experience and research data in interventional pulmonology formed the basis of my doctoral dissertation, and in 2020 I was awarded Ph.D. degree of Doctor of Medical Sciences.

In 2023, I was contacted by US-based specialists working on innovative medical device technologies and was invited to conduct interventional research in Georgia. At “Helthycor” Clinic, I established an Interventional Pulmonology Department staffed with highly qualified specialists.

As a result, for the first time in the world, non-pharmacological interventional treatment studies are being conducted in Georgia in patients diagnosed with asthma, COPD, and airway stenosis. A two-year follow-up of enrolled patients has demonstrated outcomes that are significantly better than expected.

Education, Qualifications, Congresses, Scientific Activities

 

28/06/1984 Medical degree PDF
10/06/1985 Clinical internship PDF
28/04/1988 Rigid Bronchoscopy Course, Institute of Radiology, Moscow PDF
12-17/12/1988 Certification in Bronchoscopy, Central Tuberculosis Institute, Moscow PDF
09-12/10/1990 First National Congress in Pulmonology, Kyiv, Ukraine PDF
21/09/2006 State Certificate No. 000671, Specialty: Phthisiology PDF
13-17/11/2006 Certificate in Comprehensive Radiologic and Differential Diagnosis of Thoracic Diseases PDF
10-12/07/2010 II Congress of the Georgian Respiratory Association, Batumi, Georgia PDF
29/10/2010 Bronchoscopy Subspecialty Certificate No. 01728-4085 PDF
10-12/03/2011 I  European Congress of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology, Marseille, France PDF
03/01/2012 Membership Certificate of the European Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology PDF
12/05/2012 I Congress of the Georgian Association of Endoscopists, Tbilisi, Georgia PDF
27-30/04/2013 II Congress of European Interventional Bronchologists, Izmir, Turkey PDF
06-08/07/2013 III Congress of the Georgian Respiratory Association, Batumi, Georgia PDF
30/11/2013 Seminar “Chronic Respiratory Diseases” PDF
03/11/14-05/01/2015 Completed Residency Training in Phthisiology and Pulmonology PDF
19-21/06/2014 IV Congress of the Georgian Respiratory Association, Batumi, Georgia PDF
2015 Training Course “Updated Definitions of Tuberculosis and Recording-Reporting System” PDF
23/03/2015 Scientific-Practical Conference “Modern Problems of Tuberculosis” PDF
14/11/2016 IV Congress of the Georgian Association of Endoscopists, Tbilisi, Georgia PDF
01/10/2016 V Congress of the Georgian Respiratory Association, Batumi, Georgia PDF
01/10/2016 V Congress of the Georgian Association of Endoscopists, Tbilisi, Georgia PDF
03-07/10/2016 Completed Teacher Training Program PDF
18/08/2017 XIII Multidisciplinary Medical Conference “International Standards of Clinical Practice”, Chakvi, Georgia PDF
07/10/2017 VI Congress of the Georgian Association of Endoscopists, Tbilisi, Georgia PDF
28-30/07/2018 VI Congress of the Georgian Respiratory Association, Batumi, Georgia PDF
08/05/2019 V European Congress of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology, Dubrovnik, Croatia PDF
08-11/05/2019 V European Congress of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology, Dubrovnik, Croatia PDF
07/07/2019 Membership Certificate of the World Association of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology PDF
13/07/2019 Conference of the Tbilisi Cardiology Society, Tbilisi, Georgia PDF
18-20/09/2019 International Clinical Conference “Modern Approaches to Diagnosis and Treatment”, Batumi, Georgia PDF
11/12/2020 PhD in Medicine PDF
23/10/2021 International Webinar “Challenges in Respiratory Disease Research: The Earlier, The Better” PDF
01/12/2022 Completed Training on Portfolio Application for Students PDF
16/04/2023 Completed Training in Animal Laboratory Techniques, USA PDF
16/05/2023 Certificate of Recognition as the First in the World to perform Airiver Drug-Coated Balloon dilation for the Treatment of Tracheobronchial Stenosis PDF
05-07/10/2023 International Conference “Latest Innovations in Surgery”, Georgian National University SEU, Tbilisi, Georgia PDF
2023 Completed Training in Drug-Coated Balloon Dilatation Techniques PDF
2023 Professor at European University, Head of the Pulmonology Department. PDF
08-10/01/2024 Personal Training in Endosonography PDF
09/03/2024 Certificate of Completion of the Training Program “Teaching and Assessment Methods in Higher Education” PDF
06/04/2024 Training – Workplace-Based Assessment (WPBA) and Portfolio PDF
26/07/2024 World-first clinical application of Airiver drug-coated balloon in severe asthma treatment PDF
02-04/10/2024 Completed Course in Interventional Bronchoscopy, Marseille, France PDF
20-22/09/2024 The Georgian MedTech Summit PDF
06/04/2025 Assessment of Basic English Skills – CEFR C1.Advanced Level PDF
01/10/2025 Certificate of Attendance, European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress, Amsterdam, Netherlands PDF
21/10/2025 Completion Certificate: Tuberculosis Management Course PDF

 

Professional Clinical Experience
1985-1987 Physician at Sanatorium “Arazindo”, Abastumani
1987-1990 Physician, Diagnostic Department, Tbilisi Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Research Institute
1992-2009 Head of Hospital (Inpatient) Department, Tbilisi Phthisiopulmonology Center
2009 – დღემდე Medical Doctor (Bronchology), Diagnostic Department, National Center for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases
2010 – დღემდე Consultant Pulmonologist, Mediclub Georgia
2011 – დღემდე Interventional Pulmonologist, Aversi Clinic
2019 – დღემდე Head of Pulmonology Department, D. Tatishvili Health Center
2020 – 2022 Interventional Pulmonologist, Mardaleishvili Diagnostic Center
2022 – 2024 Head of Interventional Pulmonology Department, Bohua Cardio-Pulmonology Center
2022 – დღემდე Head of Pulmonology Department, Georgia–Israel Multidisciplinary Clinic “Helsicor”

 

Membership
Member of the Georgian Respiratory Association
Member of the Georgian Endoscopists Association
Member of the European Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology
Member of the World Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology
Member of the European Respiratory Association
Member of the American Thoracic Society

 

Clinical Trials
2010-2013 Phase III COPD study, Sub-Investigator
2012 – 2015 Phase III COPD clinical trial, Sub-Investigator
2014 – 2015 Phase III pneumonia clinical trial, Sub-Investigator
2014 – 2016 Phase III bronchiectasis clinical trial, Sub-Investigator
2016 – 2018 Phase III adenocarcinoma clinical trial, Sub-Investigator
2016 – 2018 Phase III pneumonia clinical trial, Principal Investigator
2017-2018 Phase III pneumonia clinical trial, Principal Investigator
2019-2021 Phase III adenocarcinoma clinical trial, Principal Investigator
2022-2023 Phase IIb idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) clinical trial, Principal Investigator
2023-2024 Phase I/A clinical trial of interventional treatment for COPD, Principal Investigator
2024-2025 Phase I/A clinical trial of interventional treatment for emphysema, Principal Investigator
2024-2025 Phase I/A clinical trial investigating interventional treatment of airway stenoses, Principal Investigator
2025-ongoing Phase I/A clinical trial of interventional treatment for asthma, Principal Investigator
2026-ongoing Phase I/A clinical trial of interventional treatment for COPD, Principal Investigator
2026-ongoing Phase IIb idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) clinical trial, Principal Investigator
2026-ongoing Phase IIA iAsthma, COPD clinical trial, Principal Investigator

 

Publications
1990 ფილტვების დაავადებათა პირველი ეროვნული კონგრესი, კიევი, უკრაინა. 1. სხვადასხვა ტიპის ლაზერების გამოყენება ფილტვების არასპეციფიური და სპეციფიური დაავადებების დროს.
2010 საქართველოს რესპირაციული ჟურნალი, ტომი 6, დამატება N1, თბილისი, საქართველო. 2. ციტოსპინით მომზადებული ბრონქო-ალვეოლარული ლავაჟის როლი ფილტვების დიფუზური პარენქიმული დაავადებების დროს.
3. ბრონქოსკოპიის თანამედროვე მეთოდები.
PDF
2011 იმუნორეაბილიტაციის საერთაშორისო ჟურნალი, ტომი 13, N1, პარიზი, საფრანგეთი. 4. ტუბერკულოზი: კლინიკური შემთხვევა.
2011 ევროპის მიკრობიოლოგთა საზოგადოების 32 წლიური კონგრესი, ლუბეკი, გერმანია. 5. ფილტვის ტუბერკულოზით დაავადებული პაციენტების ბრონქო-ალვეოლარულ ლავაჟში Genotype®MTBDRplus ტესტის შეფასება ტუბერკულოზის მიკობაქტერიის კომპლექსის აღმოსაჩენად.
2011 საქართველოს სამედიცინო სიახლენი, ISSN 1512-0112, თბილისი-ნიუ იორკი. 6. მარცხენა მთავარი ბრონქის სტენტირება პოსტტუბერკულოზური ნაწიბუროვანი ცვლილებების გამო.
2011 XLV საქართველოს სახელმწიფო სამედიცინო უნივერსიტეტის სამეცნიერო შრომათა კრებული, თბილისი, საქართველო. ციტოსპინით მომზადებული ბრონქო-ალვეოლარული ლავაჟის ციტოლოგიის ეფექტურობა ფილტვების დიფუზური პარენქიმული დაავადებების დროს.
2012 საქართველოს რესპირაციული ჟურნალი, ტომი 8, N1, თბილისი, საქართველო. 8. მულტირეზისტენტული ტუბერკულოზის ამბულატორიული მკურნალობის გაფართოება საქართველოში.
9. ფილტვების ტუბზ-ზე ეჭვმიტანილი პაციენტების ბრონქო-ალვეოლარულ ლავაჟურ (ბალ)
სითხეში ტუბერკულოზის მიკობაქტერიის კომპლექსის დეტექცია Genotype®MTBDRplus მეთოდის გამოყენებით.
2012 საქართველოს რესპირაციული ჟურნალი, ტომი 8, N2, თბილისი, საქართველო. 10. The use of advanced bronchoscopic methods in Georgia;
11. პოტის დაავადება.
12. თვალის ტუბერკულოზი.
2013 Solunum. თურქეთის რესპირატორული საზოგადოების ჟურნალი, ტომ. 15, დამატება 1, ISSN-1302, EISSN 2147-3676, სტამბოლი, თურქეთი. 13. MTB -ს დეტექცია ფილტვების ტუბზით დაავადებული პაციენტების ბალ-ში
Genotype®MTBDRplus ტესტით.
2015 ტუბერკულოზის თანამედროვე პრობლემები. კონფერენციის მასალები. 14. ინტერვენციული ბრონქოსკოპიის როლი ფილტვების ტუბერკულოზის მართვაში.
2016 X მულტიპროფილური სამედიცინო კონფერენცია, კლინიკური პრაქტიკის საერთაშორისო სტანდარტები, ბაკურიანი, საქართველო. 16. ბრონქოსკოპია – გუშინ, დღეს, ხვალ.
2016 საქართველოს რესპირაციული ჟურნალი, თბილისი, საქართველო. 17. ბრონქოსკოპიის როლი ფილტვების დაავადებათა მართვაში.
2016 ექსპერიმენტული და კლინიკური მედიცინა. ISSN 1562-3692 No. 1. 18. ბრონქოსკოპია-გუშინ, დღეს, ხვალ.
2017 XIII პოლიპროფილური სამედიცინო კონფერენცია, კლინიკური პრაქტიკის საერთაშორისო სტანდარტები, ჩაქვი. 19. საქართველოში დანერგილი ინტერვენციული ბრონქოსკოპიის თანამედროვე მეთოდები.
2019 5th ECBIP, Book of Abstracts. 20. When all possibilities are exhausted, it’s time for Interventional Bronchoscopy.
2019 5th ECBIP, Book of Abstracts. 21. Development of Interventional Bronchoscopy in Georgia.
2019 თბილისის კარდიოლოგთა საზოგადოების კონფერენცია. 22. ტრაქეო-ბრონქული ხის მაოკლუზირებელი სტენოზის მკურნალობა ინტერვენციული ბრონქოსკოპიისა და სტენტის იმპლანტაციის-მულტიდისციპლინური მიდგომა.
2020 Georgian Med News. Tbilisi-New York. 2020 Jun #6(303): pp. 32-36. 23. The Efficacy of Endobronchial Valve Therapy in the Complex Treatment of Broncho-Pleural Fistulas.
2022 საქართველოს რესპირაციული ჟურნალი. ISSN 1512-2778 Vol 18. No. 3. 24. ტუბერკულოზით დაავადებულ პაციენტთა სოციალურ ფსიქოლოგიური თავისებურებანი.
2023 GBMN, Georgian Biomedical News ISSN (Print): 2720-7994 VOLUME 1. ISSUE 2. 25. Novel Bronchoscopic Management of Bleeding from The Respiratory Tract.
2023 ჟურნალი ავერსი. 26. ინტერვენციული ბრონქოსკოპია – წარსულიდან მომავალში.
2024 Cureus. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.54635 27. Bronchoscopic Laser Resection as a Monotherapy, for Bronchial Carcinoid.
2024 Oxford Medical. https://doi.org/10.1093/omcr/omae022 28. Closure of TB pulmonary cavern using endobronchial valve placement.
2025 Georgian Med News. Tbilisi-New York. 2025 Nov #11 (368): pp. 171-175. 29. Laser resection and endobronchial stenting in the management of malignant central airway obstruction: a comparative survival and quality of life analysis.

 

Presentations
1. Detection of MTB in BAL fluid of patients with tuberculosis using the GenoType MTBDRplus assay PDF
2. Next Generation Airway Bypass PDF

 

My Mission Is to Provide a Professional Help to People with Pulmonary Problems.

Why You Should Visit Me

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Experience

Long term experience in field of respiratory medicine. 25 years of experience in bronchoscopy and interventional pulmonology in addition of 10 years of experience in clinical trials as subinvestigator and principal investigator.

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Professional & Friendly Staff

I realise that doctor visits can be stressful that’s why I pay close attention to maintaining highest level of professionalism amongst my staff members and friendly, stress-free approach.

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Great Connections

Close ties with top professionals in the advanced clinics world wide. Which gives a possibility of consultation and, if needed, sending patients directly there.

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Same Day Appointments

You can get in touch with me and get a same day appointment. Same day appointments are possible in case of emergencies or if the schedule is free.

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No competition

Only specialist in Georgia with experience in advanced bronchoscopic methods such an endobronchial biopsy, airway stenting, laser resection, valvular bronchoblocation.

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Convenience

In the NCTLD there is a large flow of outpatients and hospital admissions with pulmonary diseases and for this reason the best infrastructure, high quality equipment and most experienced professionals.

Better Lung Care is My Mission

(+995) 577 78 55 75

david.tchkonia@gmail.com

Tbilisi, Georgia